DOES GOD CARE HOW WE VOTE?
A sermon preached by Jack Cottrell at First Church of Christ, Greendale, IN, May 22, 2016.

Just so there is no misunderstanding, I am NOT posing the question, “Does God tell us FOR WHOM to vote?” I will not be revealing some secret method for discovering a hidden message tucked away in texts about TRUMPets or HILLs or any such things.

Also, what I am saying here applies not just to voting for president, but to voting at all levels; and it applies not just in the U.S.A. in 2016 but to all times and places where citizens are privileged to vote.

I. First I need to ask: IS THIS A LEGITIMATE QUESTION TO DISCUSS IN CHURCH?

A common idea is this: “You should not mix politics and religion.” But before you buy into this “folk wisdom,” you might want to know that the first person to “mix” politics and religion was GOD HIMSELF! Throughout the Bible God mixes these two subjects when he addresses kings and governments with commands and instructions on what they should do and not do.

We need to understand that the Bible is not just about religion; it is a world view. It is about EVERYTHING! Its principles apply to education, to economics, to entertainment, to work, to family life, and yes – to GOVERNMENT! The church’s message to the world is not just about the gospel; it is about human life in general as God expects it to be lived on this earth.

The bottom line here is that human government is God’s idea and God’s creation. Romans 13:1-2 says, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (ESV, here and elsewhere).

This passage shows that God alone, as the sovereign Creator, has authority inherent within himself; but it also shows that he has instituted or appointed several kinds of delegated human authority. “Those (authorities) that exist” include elders within the church (1 Tim. 5:17; Heb. 13:17), husbands within marriage (Eph. 5:22-23; 1 Peter 3:1), and parents within the family (Exodus 20:12; Eph. 6:1-2). And yes, this includes human government (“the governing authorities”), which include all law-MAKERS (e.g., congress, senate, city councils) and law-ENFORCERS (e.g., police, judges, courts of law).

This is extremely important: this text does not mean that God determines every specific government or that he determines every specific ruler. It means only that he has established the institution of human government as such. Because of this, those who serve in government (as law-makers and law-enforcers) are God’s servants (Rom. 13:4, diakonos) and God’s ministers (Rom. 13:6, leitourgos). This is because, if they are doing it right, they are carrying out God’s will.

Now, since God himself has established government, he must have a PURPOSE for it, something he intends for it to accomplish, something he commands it to do. This leads us to ask, WHY does God want government to exist? And this, of course, leads us to our main question:

II. HOW DOES THIS RELATE TO ELECTIONS AND VOTING?

In case you have not thought about this, God in his Word does not specify any one TYPE of government, such as (e.g.) kingship, dictatorship, democracy, or republic. His purpose for government can be satisfied by various forms. But here is the point: God’s Word DOES specify what every government is supposed to do, i.e., he reveals the purpose for which he has established it. The BIBLE tells us what God expects of governments.

Unfortunately, most human rulers do not have access to, or simply ignore, the Bible and its teaching about government. I don’t think anyone is totally ignorant of this, however. My judgment is that this is part of what is written on human hearts by virtue of our being made in God’s image (Rom. 2:14-15; cf. 1:32). It is a matter of reason, common sense, or moral intuition. We can expect this knowledge, however, to be blurred and tainted by sin. That is why it is important to know that God’s purpose for government is revealed in the Bible! And who today are the stewards or guardians of the Bible? God’s people, CHRISTIANS! (Compare Romans 3:2.) If anyone should know the purpose of government, it is we Christians!

So: in a country like the U.S.A., where we get to vote for government leaders, who is in the best position to know how best to vote? Those of us who believe and understand the Bible! What a privilege! What a responsibility! By voting, you are helping to put God’s word into practice!

So, does God care how we vote? YES! ABSOLUTELY! Not only does he care how we vote; he WANTS us to vote, as guided by his Word! He wants us to vote for the candidates who, in our best judgment, are most likely to use the power of government to accomplish the purposes God’s Word says they are supposed to accomplish!

One caution: this does not mean that the best candidate will always be a Christian. The issue is this: what does my candidate believe about the purpose of government? Does his or her view match what God has revealed? Sadly, some Christian politicians have a totally wrong understanding of this. For example, some have confused the purpose and role of government with that of the church, which leads to disaster. We conclude that whether one is a Christian is important, but it is not the deciding factor. Sometimes an unbeliever may have reasoned his or her way to the Biblical view of the purpose of government, without realizing that he has come to the Biblical view!

III. SO, ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE, WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT?

We can sum this up in the “two P’s”: government’s job is to PROTECT and to PUNISH.

First, government’s primary purpose is to protect the RIGHTS of every citizen. What are these “rights”? Our governmental documents touch on this. Our American Declaration of Independence says that our “inalienable rights” include “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” This “right to life” includes the right of every unborn child to stay alive. The right to liberty includes our freedoms of speech, religion, work, and ownership of property. The right to pursue happiness is simply the right to live in peace, free from fear of those who want to violate our rights.

One could also study the American “Bill of Rights,” or the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

But these documents do not have the authority of the Bible. The only authoritative description of the rights government must protect are found in God’s Word, specifically in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Note that here God is telling us to pray for those who rule over us, but to what end? He says we should pray that they will accomplish certain things—and these are the things God WANTS them to accomplish, the very things he has established government to do.

Included here is the government’s job to protect our right to “lead a peaceful and quiet life,” our right to live in peace and safety, free from the fear of those who want to do us harm. Thus it is government’s job to protect us against foreign threats to our liberties; this is why we have armies. It is government’s job to protect us against criminal activities such as murder, rape, and theft; this is why we have police. It is also government’s job to protect us against thoughtless, selfish, and harmful behaviors such as reckless driving, intrusive noises, and “disturbing the peace” in general.

This Timothy text also tells us that we should pray that government will enable us to lead a “godly and dignified” life (v. 2), and in this connection that we should be able to evangelize and to speak the truth openly. This latter is seen in v. 4, which indicates that when government does its job, God’s desire for “all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” can be fulfilled. What this is talking about, then, is what we call freedom of religion, which includes the right to share the gospel and preach the truth. These are rights that government must protect.

Tragically, sometimes (even now) the government itself is the very entity that violates these rights, e.g., by allowing abortion, suppressing Christianity, and destroying the family. These are things our own government is presently doing—things that are the very opposite of God’s purpose for it! And many Christians voted for the ones responsible for these atrocities!

The point is this: the government’s very purpose is to PROTECT the rights outlined in 1 Timothy 2:1-4, i.e., to make sure that no one PREVENTS us from enjoying these rights. It is an abomination when the government itself is the one who takes away these rights.

Here are two points we need to keep straight about “rights.” One, no human being has a “right” to do just “anything he/she wants to do.” Sadly, this is the way some people understand their “rights.” Here is a quote from a guy named William Powell, author of The Anarchist Handbook: “If I really want to do something, I don’t care if it’s legal, illegal, moral, immoral, or amoral. I want to do it, so I do it.” NO! This is not the concept of “rights.” Specifically, we do not have the right to do anything that violates someone else’s rights. It is specifically government’s job to LEGISLATE AGAINST such activity, and to PUNISH those who do such things. Also, we do not have the right to do something God has forbidden. (E.g., there is no such thing as “gay rights.”) Even if it is not government’s job to punish such acts (when they do not violate another person’s rights), still this is not a “right” that government must protect.

Two, government’s job is to PROTECT our rights to various things, e.g, work opportunities, educational opportunities, ownership of property, health care. BUT it is NOT government’s job to PROVIDE us with everything we have a right to. “Justice” is not equal ownership, but equal opportunity. Socialism (forced equality of ownership based on false “rights”) is not Biblical.

Turning now to the second—and secondary—purpose of government, God’s Word specifies that rulers have been appointed by God to punish wrongdoers, i.e., those who have violated the rights of others. This is clearly stated in two texts. Romans 13:3-4 says, “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” Also, 1 Peter 2:13-14 says, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.”

Such punishment has two purposes. First, it is what the wrongdoer DESERVES. It is retribution, vengeance (see Rom. 12:19), and wrath—God’s own vengeance and wrath, applied via the means he has appointed. Second, it serves as a DETERRENT to potential wrongdoers by causing them to “be afraid” of government’s sword. Note the references to “terror” and “fear” in the Romans text.

Summed up, these two purposes – to protect and to punish – can be called JUSTICE, or LAW & ORDER. These are the two main things we must consider when we are trying to decide for whom to vote. What candidate’s views get closest to this Biblical teaching? Which is most likely to protect our rights and punish evildoers? We must also ask which candidate’s government will most likely take the role of villain and establish laws and policies that actually suppress our God-given rights.

IN CONCLUSION: Does God care how we vote? YES! What a privilege it is for us to have a voice in choosing law-makers and law-enforcers who can fulfill God’s purposes for government! What a responsibility it is for us to examine both the Biblical teaching on government, and to analyze the candidates’ views to see who comes closest to the Biblical ideal. And finally, what a tragedy it is when none of the candidates comes anywhere near this Biblical ideal! Here is where we must obey James 1:5 and pray for wisdom.