Three Guidelines for Voting

What on earth do rocks and minerals have to do with the election?

In truth, not that much. There is, however, a verse that we lean on every single day here to check ourselves. Since we deal with science and the Bible on a daily basis, it is very important that we have a standard that we adhere to. We need to check ourselves constantly to be sure that what we say and teach lines up with the Bible and the truth revealed there. This standard is applicable to all of life. And since we are talking about the election, it certainly applies there, as well.

The verse that reorients us daily is 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. It says, “³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, ⁴for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but ^[a]divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. ⁵We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,…”

This is the challenge. As easy as it is to compartmentalize our lives, that is one thing we simply must not do. We don’t live in separate worlds, with separate rules. We all have many different spheres that we operate in: home, family, work, church, clubs, sports, and school. And that probably leaves a few off of the list. But you get the idea. Taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ is not just a Sunday morning exercise. It needs to be a habit for all of life.

Destroying Spiritual Fortresses

One of our major jobs, according to this passage, is to destroy spiritual fortresses. This is not a job to be entered into lightly, because it is life-changing. The job involves destroying speculations (theories or ideas formed without firm evidence.) It involves taking a stand for the things of God. And it involves bringing every thought to the Lord, examining everything we think in the light of His revelation.

So when we think about elections, what does this mean? There are certainly many ways one could apply these ideas. And much of how we apply these verses will depend on our own experiences and situations. Not all political ideas are matters of being subject to the test of godly v. ungodly. But some are. And when we are given the chance and the choice to express support for something that honors the Lord and His ways, that is what we must do.

Understanding Our Voting Responsibility

Part of understanding how to vote is knowing the purpose and foundation of government. Romans 13 gives us a good window into that. The Lord created government. Part of the purpose of government is to oppose and punish evil. And it is a minister of God to us for good. In short, the purpose of government is focusing on good and evil.

We all know that man is flawed. Because of this there is no such thing as a perfect candidate for office. And we certainly know that not every person running for public office follows God. But we must remember that many people that the Lord used mightily in Scripture were not people that we might normally think would get that kind of platform. Think David, Samson, Abraham.

And as man is flawed, in addition, our government is also flawed, because although government was instituted by God, all standing governments are formed by imperfect man. There is also no such thing as a perfect solution to a governmental problem, whether it’s in your county, or a federal issue. But that does not mean that we can’t still apply Biblical guidelines to seek the best for our country, as well as to help us make our voting decisions. As Christians, as God-followers, we do have the opportunity to continue to call our fellow-countrymen and women to goodness and righteousness. We have the opportunity to point them to the author of any freedoms that we have. And when issues arise that allow us to support things that touch on what the Lord thinks, then we should support those.

But to do this, you must stay informed. You must dig into what the issues are. You must find out something about the people that you are voting for, and the things that they think are important. And you need to know what it is that the Lord says. In short, you need to know your Scriptures.