Romans 13:1-2
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.
I do not consider myself an overly political person. Political discussion, even in the most laid back arenas, makes me very uncomfortable. The cause for my discomfort is simply an aversion to tension. I am a man of peace, so I hate arguments, dissension, strife, and drama. I even find debates unpleasant for the most part as the majority of people cannot remain civil when they hear an opinion that does not line up with theirs. Most debates turn into name-calling and debasing before they are done. The mud-slinging and smear campaigns leading up to any public election from POTUS down to County Commissioner have done nothing to dissuade this attitude, but rather have shown us how to slice more deftly, slap harder, and dig deeper in order to bury our opponents.
I am certainly not advocating that Christians should shy away from politics in general. It is our right and responsibility to vote. The church needs to have a much bigger presence in elections than what we currently have. There are far too many Christians that see political corruption and use that as an excuse to be lazy in their moral and civic duty. There is no such thing as a perfect candidate, but there is certainly a “lesser of two evils”. Don’t let the lack of a morally superior candidate keep you from making your voice heard. Pray. Listen to God’s voice. He will give you peace regarding which way you should vote. Then vote!
That being said, the reason for this article is not to get Christians to the polls. I think we need some mind renewal and revelation about how to act before, and especially AFTER the election. In 2016, I witnessed more ugliness from Christian people than I have ever seen. The pure malice, and I don’t use that word lightly, that I saw on social media leading up to the election was atrocious. People with good intentions and Christian hearts were saying and typing some of the most horrendous defaming things about the nominees. If it were any other forum, these people would be horrified at the name-calling and private details dragged into the public eye, however, since it is politics and passions are running hot, the idea of “blow out everyone else’s candle so mine looks brighter” is suddenly okay.
It’s not okay. Who we vote for is our business, but useless debates on Facebook with people who have zero intention of changing their minds are not okay. It isn’t okay to verbally attack someone’s family and assassinate their character on social media for everyone (including our KIDS) to see. It isn’t okay to make other people feel stupid or ignorant, even online. It isn’t okay to hate. Ever. Perhaps most importantly, if “our candidate” doesn’t win, how are we going to support, pray for, and honor that elected official? It is very hard to pray for wisdom and guidance for someone that we have been crucifying on Facebook for the last 10 months. And make no mistake about it, God expects us to honor and pray for our elected leaders. We don’t have to respect that person’s platforms, or respect that person’s actions, but we absolutely have to respect the office. The Bible is crystal clear on that.
God is still on the throne. He once spoke through a donkey, so He can certainly prevail upon leadership and authority that exists here on Earth. This is a call to integrity, not for politicians, but for people who consider themselves followers of Christ. We are called to a higher standard and are also called to live in love. This is what is supposed to set us apart from the rest of the world. Useless debates and Internet bullying, even behind anonymous usernames have to stop on our end. True character means living the same lifestyle in the dark that we do in the light. We should stand up for what we believe in, but not to a point where we degrade others who don’t believe the same way. I Corinthians 1:18 reads, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” We need to stop expecting non-believers to live up to biblical standards! Our harsh judgments are driving unbelievers further from Jesus and the church than ever before.
Love doesn’t mean we accept or condone sin, but it does mean we point to the cross and to a relationship with Jesus, not to whatever we see as wrong in people’s lives. God is the only one who can change people’s hearts, so let’s stop trying to change their minds with biblical arguments that a non-biblical mind sees as nonsense. Let’s model what we believe and show the type of love that Christ showed us. He died for us when we were still in sin. We can at least bite our tongues.