Politics. It is a hot topic, to be sure. I know most of you reading this are not of voting age, and yet this past year we were all subjected to angry posts, fierce protests, online arguments, and not-so-friendly (or informative) debates as the 2020 Presidential Election drew near. The last few weeks leading up to the election were filled with hot debates between supporters of each candidate. Here's a question for you to think about:
Why do you think politics and elections are so divisive? Why do they always find a way to drive people apart and cause anger and disagreement?
As I am writing this post, we are on the other side of the voting process. The election process isn't quite over yet, but it is looking like Joe Biden is going to be our next president. Tell me, which side do you think Christians should have voted for? Why?
My purpose here is not to pick a side or endorse one over the other. The truth is, neither side is Christian. The Reds have some values which reflect Christian values, and the Blues also have some values which reflect Christian values. But neither side is strictly Christian. And this is part of why politics can be so divisive - picking one side over another puts some values over others. But anyway, I digress. My real purpose in this post is to share how we, as Christians, should approach politics and elections, and the following passage gives us some insight:
1 Peter 2:9-17 - “9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.” (emphasis mine)
There are 3 things I want to highlight from this passage. First, we are not Americans first. Too often when we approach elections and the topic of politics, we come at it from an American perspective, not a biblical one. We are Christians first. We are God's people. Peter says here "once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God". He is talking about the church. The one thing that draws us together and unites us is our faith in Jesus Christ. And the apostle Paul echoes this idea in Philippians 3:20 - "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ". Our citizenship is in heaven, not on earth. Our identity comes from Jesus, not from the Republican or Democratic parties. This means our values come from God, and our main goal is to do what pleases God and what is going to bring Him glory. And what pleases God?
Well, this brings us to point #2. God has instructed us to submit to "every human authority". For some context, this particular passage is part of a letter the apostle Peter wrote to a church in the Roman Empire, around the same time that the Roman Empire was imprisoning and killing Christians. According to Peter, just because the government is a bad government doesn't give us the right to rebel against them. It pleases God when we submit to authority, regardless of whether they are Democrat or Republican.
Finally, it pleases God when we show respect to others. The last verse of the passage above says "Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor". So, that means that when someone opposes my political views (say, they are a Democrat and I am a Republican), I should yell at them for being stupid and ignorant, right? Wrong. That is not showing respect to everyone at all. The apostle Paul sheds a little more light on this in another letter to a young pastor named Titus: "Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always be gentle toward everyone". Here Paul tells us that in our dealings with other people we should not talk bad about them, we should show respect, be considerate of their feelings, and always be gentle. Does this sound like any of the arguments or posts you've seen online or heard from other people? No, probably not. Instead, many Christians have chosen to slander, yell, bully, fight, and be rude to others - none of which pleases God.
God wants us to submit to the governing authorities, whoever they may be. Of course, out first priority is obedience to God, so in cases where the government tells us we have to do something that God says is wrong, we should not do it (for example, if the president ordered that everyone worship him, we should NOT do that). Obedience to God also means treating others with kindness and respect, no matter how mean, rude, or inconsiderate they may be toward us.
Now, after the last presidential election, a lot of people refused to accept the results. They wailed and protested and for the last 4 years have done everything they could to change the results or get Trump impeached. Let me be clear, this is not the way God wants us to respond, no matter which way this election goes. Fighting, arguing, causing division and rebellion - none of these reflect a spirit of submission. Instead, God tells us this in Paul's first letter to Timothy: "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth".
God wants us to pray for our leaders, including our president. So, as the final results of the elections come to light and the country moves forward, I want each of you to spend some time in prayer over our leaders. And don't stop there, either. Continue to pray over the response of the people (as well as your own response). As citizens of Heaven, we need to entrust the affairs of this world over to God, our ultimate leader and Lord. He is our King, whom we worship and obey, and whom we follow. His will is that we pray for others, treat others with respect, and look for every opportunity to do good in this world as we patiently wait for the next.
God bless and peace be with you all.
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