As we are heading for two elections in the coming months, it may be a very good time to reflect on who we truly are. If we recall the prayer of Jesus for His disciples in John 17:16 – “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it”. This should serve us all as a timely reminder that we are but visitors here and yet we are called to be His witness for as long as we are here.
Paul also speaks to how we are to live here in Romans 13:1 when he writes: “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God”.
We do not live in a theocracy and we can therefore not expect the elected leaders to uphold and honour the Lord in all they do and say. We can, however, look beyond the politics and the “promises” made by these men and women and try to evaluate them on their character. Often, we find that it is not the promises we must consider, but the unsaid things that cover up what comes after the promises, once in power.
Some of the most serious issues we have to deal with as Christians today are those of abortion, same-sex marriages, transgender issues, and the protection of our most vulnerable in our communities. In parts of our country now, we have proposals for full term abortions and euthanasia laws driven by politicians with no understanding of the sanctity of life. Being that voting is obligatory, sadly no parties we are able to vote for will meet our most highly regarded values. We are therefore in need of some better and higher guidance when deciding how to vote.
May I be so bold as to say that elections these days are no longer a political issue for followers of Jesus Christ but have now become a theological issue and must be seen and understood in light of what we are taught in the Scriptures. None of the political parties, nor the “independents” will give you what you truly want so we are no longer voting for who we like the most, but rather, we are now voting for those we dislike the least and who will stray the least from the values we hold to under Christ.
