Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christian Crier

Home
About

Home
Evangelical
5 Reasons Christians Should Vote

5 Reasons Christians Should Vote

Last updated on: September 29, 2015 at 2:25 pm by Jack Wellman

5 Reasons Christians Should Vote 2015-09-29T14:25:53-05:00 Jack Wellman

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Should Christians vote? Yes, here are five reasons Christians should vote in this and every election.

Introduction

There are certainly more than five reasons for a Christian to vote but I can’t think of even one reason why they should not vote in this next election and in every election. We are stewards of where God has sovereignly placed us and in what He has entrusted to us. We live in a nation where it’s a right and privilege to vote and Christians should at least help decide who the next president is, the next mayor will be, or the next school board member is. To fail to exercise good stewardship makes us accountable to God even more (Luke 12:47); not only will we be judged for what we do but for what we don’t do, as James wrote “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17).

Stewardship

Jesus spoke a lot about stewardship but not simply about money. He once said “Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants” (Luke 12:37-38) however, “that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more” (Luke 12:47-48). The point is to whom much is given or entrusted, much will be demanded. We can complain about who’s in office but if we don’t vote do we really have a right to complain? How can we complain about the politicians who were voted into office when we didn’t even vote?

Salt Seasons

Jesus once said “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet” (Matt 5:13). What does Jesus mean that if the salt loses its saltiness, it can’t be restored? If salt is mixed with elements of the world, it loses its saltiness and taste and then it’s only good to be thrown out to be walked on. Christians who are living in the world lose their saltiness because their testimony is ruined. They often mixed useless salt with gypsum and used it to seal roofs in ancient times. The roofs were like another room that the family could use and might even be the family room or as a porch, so in the end, this worthless salt was trampled underfoot. Salt is a preservative and so Christians are called to get out of the salt shakers and season a dead and decaying world. Colossians 4:6 says that even our speech is to be salted among believers, meaning that it leaves a pleasant taste in their mouths and enhances whatever it comes in contact with. Salt was also used as a cleansing agent and is still used today in some medicines to disinfect and sterilize wounds. Saltiness also penetrates and spreads on whatever it touches. Christians must be a positive force in this world, do all we can do to change it for the better, and affect the culture in which we live.

Light Penetrates

Light overcomes darkness. Never is it the other way around. The Apostle John wrote of Jesus “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:4-5) so when Jesus came in the flesh as a babe (John 1:14) “The true light, which gives light to everyone” (John 1:9). Jesus said of believers that “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Matt 5:14-16). A light is useless unless it is directed toward darkness and this God-given power to vote can be used as a vote for light; a vote for biblical morals and values.

Submitting to Authorities

Romans chapter 13 is a chapter that lays out the believer’s duty while living in this society. There are serious warnings about defying those who are in authority because “whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” (Rom 13:2). Paul concludes by writing that it is “because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed” (Rom 13:6-7) and so we honor those who we think will make good leaders by voting for them. Submitting our vote is submitting our confidence in the person we vote for.

Legal Rights

The Pharisees and Herodian’s were trying to trap Jesus and so they asked Him “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus, aware of their malice, said, “Why put me to the test, you hypocrites” (Matt 22:17b-18)? Jesus knew what they were attempting to do so the Master Teacher turned the tables on them by asking them “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matt 22:21-22). Since Caesar was the ruler at that time, the things of Caesar are the things we render to the government. That means we pay our taxes (Rom 13:6-7) but we can also take up our legal right to choose who we believe will be the best candidate for the position and then vote for them.

Conclusion

To those who would argue that Christians should not vote, I would remind them that it is the legal right of every American citizen to vote and chose to participate in the political process of this nation, from the White House to your house. To be denied the right to vote simply on the basis of one’s beliefs is to show discrimination. We not only have a right to vote but a duty to vote; it is our obligation to participate in those who represent this nation.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.

Previous Post

September 29, 2015

Proverbs 1 Commentary And Bible Study

Next Post

September 29, 2015 Top 7 Bible Verses For Stay At Home Moms To Remember

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Bible Answers Bible Definitions Bible Story Bible Study Bible Verses Christian Books Christian Entertainment Christian Fathers Christian Mothers Christian Quotes Devotional Famous Christians Music News Parables Prayers Quotes Sunday School Lesson Uncategorized Youth Sermons

Select a Month October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does "Judas" mean in Greek?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Betrayer Praise Strong Deceiver