More important than who wins or looses the 2008 election is this: Will Christians look to the Bible as their absolute standard for determining what principles must guide their voting practices? Will the Scriptures govern our thinking and consequently our actions. At stake is far more than the presidency. The question concerns the conscience of the Church. We can “win” an election, and yet sell our spiritual birthright. Conversely, we can “lose” an election, yet remain faithful to the Word of God, thus preserving the conscience of the body of Christ, and enjoying the favor of the Lord.
Elections matter. They matter a great deal. But what matters the most is that the Church remains faithful to her bridegroom by following the only infallible standard ever written for the selection of civil magistrates. That standard is the Bible, and there is none other that perfectly reflects the mind of God. It is our source book for determining what guidelines must govern the selection of our leaders.
Some believe that the Bible is silent on the question of what standards should govern the selection of a civil magistrate. But to reach this conclusion is to deny the sufficiency of Scripture and to substitute autonomous human reason for biblical revelation. Others are so fearful of certain outcomes that there is little reasoning with them. These individuals are (no doubt, unwittingly) fixed on specific outcomes, not commitment to biblical guidelines. They want to condemn their brethren by saying that a vote for X is really a vote for Y. Their election fears seem sometimes to rise to a self-righteous hysteria, governed more by emotions than objective standards. None of these approaches are helpful.
The Bible is the only answer for fearful Christians in an age of politics. The Bible has the answer to the ethical chaos of fear-driven voting, pragmatic voting, “ends-justifies-the-means” voting, and “lesser-of-two-evils” voting. The Bible does not require Christians to vote for perfect candidates, but it does require that Christians support biblically qualified candidates.
2 comments:
I believe this with all my heart. This election will determine the path that our country takes. Will we take back our country from the liberals and reclaim our Godly heritage or will we not fight and have a devastating turn of events. I agree with the article, thanks for posting it!
Right on Sister! We talked about this in church last week!
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