Weigh Them In God's Balance

Did you know that it is illegal for a preacher to endorse a particular political candidate from the pulpit? It could possibly result in a church losing its tax-exempt status. It wasn’t always that way; and, that law may be repealed soon.

Some people wish preachers would pound their fist on the podium, as they side with a particular candidate. Some people don’t want preachers to mention politics, as it may step on their own political toes. Others simply don’t care about politics and consider it to be a waste of time, having nothing to do with God, the bible, or spiritual things. If we find value at all in what kind of world we leave to our children, understanding that in this country we have the special privilege of self-governance, how faithful have we been as stewards of this nation? Are we concerned with how brightly we shine the glory of God in our society? (Matt. 5:16) For those who choose to vote, are you glorifying God in your vote?

(I will acknowledge that there are those who choose not to vote, and those who think Christians should not vote. I understand where these people are coming from and do not wish to denigrate them or their choice of conscience. This article is primarily focused on the perspective that Christian voters should have, rather than an argument to promote voting.)

Let’s start by taking a step back from the issue of politics. First and foremost, we are citizens of heaven (Php. 3:20). Our job is to stand with our King, and to take a stand for our King in this world. This is the essence of the “good confession” (1 Tim. 6:13). As ambassadors of His (2 Cor. 5:20), walking in His steps (1 Pet. 2:21), where does He lead us? Jesus maintained an absolute standard, which included being loving, fair, and godly. There are many people who stand with their respective political party, as most political leanings (unfortunately) are inherited from parents, without considering whether or not they first stand with the King of the universe. It is important to know where we stand, AND MOVE, if we are not standing with the King.

Let me warn you. If you identify as a particular gender, race, ethnicity, minority, or nationality, before identifying yourself as a Christian, you are only playing Christian. If you have more concern for a country and its leaders than you do for the spiritual kingdom of God, your priorities need readjusting. Think about it. Were Jesus and the Holy Spirit, through the authors of the New Testament, concerned primarily with Caesar’s policies? No! They taught that we must evaluate and address every temporal issue from an eternal perspective. We are instructed to submit to the civil authorities and their laws (1 Pet. 2:13), but to submit to God FIRST! (Jms. 4:7)

Submission to Christ gives an instant clarity to all of life’s issues, because everything is seen through the lens of His values, not mine. The standard of Christ is the rule by which all should be measured. Just as God told king Belshazzar that he was “weighed in the balances, and found wanting” (Dan. 5:27), we must weigh those who are up for election by the same standard!

So, when I think back to what I started with, that it is illegal for preachers to endorse a candidate from the pulpit, my job becomes evident. It is not my job to single out a particular candidate. It IS my job to preach God’s standard of righteousness, by which all candidates must be evaluated. Consider the stepping off point of selecting leaders: “Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers…” (Ex. 18:21a).

God commands us to live by His word and to preach His word! (2 Tim. 4:2; 2 Pet. 2:5) I MUST preach righteousness! Righteousness must be where I stand. God makes it clear that “righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34). As God is the origin of righteousness (Ps. 119:172), how does His word give clarity to many of today’s issues?

• Leaders must be competent, fear God, love truth, and hate covetousness (Ex. 18:21). Are there any candidates that promote covetousness?

• Leaders must uphold the law and be hard on crime (Pr. 16:8; 20:8, 26). Are there any candidates that turn a blind eye to the law and to illegal activity?

• Leaders must be fair to the poor, without enabling laziness, upholding people to a standard of personal responsibility (Pr. 29:14; 31:9; 2 Thess. 3:10). Do any politicians enable dependency?

• Leaders must respect and value human life (Ps. 139:13-16; Pr. 6:17). Which politicians are hungry for war? Which politicians fight for the “right” to shed innocent blood? Is there any more innocent blood than that of an unborn child? Since 1973, 4,000 unborn babies are killed legally every day in the U.S.

• Leaders must be fair to those who seek to “sojourn” (immigrate) to their country. While the command of hospitality is found throughout Scripture, the biblical principle is for “strangers” to abide by the laws of the country within which they are seeking refuge (Heb. 13:2; 1 Tim. 3:2; Ex. 12:48-49; Lev. 24:22; Num. 15:14-16). The Greek word for “hospitality” literally means “lover of strangers.”

Our allegiance is not to any country or any leader, but to Jesus Christ; and, Jesus loves righteousness! (Heb. 1:9) So, in the realm of politics, if there exists a moral divide between the candidates, I must choose the most righteous.

Finally, we need to pray that those in leadership positions will draw ever nearer to the divine standard (1 Tim. 2:2). Simply put, the opposite of God’s standard is no standard at all. This is the essence of secular humanism. It asserts that right and wrong are relative and that no God exists that will hold us accountable for our decisions. But, we know that He does exist (Heb. 1:6) and that we will answer to Him and no one else (Rom. 14:12; Heb. 4:13).

If I belong to Christ, I must act like it! If I am Christ’s, I don’t walk into a polling booth with a “D” or “R” behind my name, but with a “C” (Christian), identifying the One with Whom I stand (Php. 4:1; Col. 4:12).

-Cary Gillis D.Min.

February 25, 2022