Now that I'm a Christian, does that mean I have to vote Republican?

What it means to be a Christian

Here’s what it means to be a Christian:

It means that you have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. You believe that Christ died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and was raised from the dead on the third day, just like the Hebrew Scriptures said He would.

It means you have passed from death to life.

You have been declared righteous forever by God the Father.

And you  are a new creation in Christ Jesus.

And you are a son or a daughter of the Living God.

I searched the Scriptures but came up empty on the whole Republican thing.

A brief history lesson

There was no such thing as a Republican party  until more than eighteen hundred years after Jesus rose from the dead.

And, in its relatively short history, the G.O.P. (another name for the Republican Party) has really changed a lot.

So it is not at all clear what the G.O.P. stands for -  besides the Grand Old Party!

The G.O.P. started out as the party of Lincoln. Here is the electoral college map from 1860.  Red states were Republican, blue were Democrat.

His Republican administration conducted a war to preserve the Union and free the slaves.  And they were victorious.

The Republicans were the liberals and the Democrats were the conservatives on the great social issues of the time:  slavery and states’ rights.

The Republicans were swayed by the Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal. The Democrats clung to the Constitution with its contention that slaves counted for 3/5 of a man, and the Federal government ought to keep its nose out of state matters.

After the Civil War, there was this expression in America:  “Vote as you shot”. 

And people did. So much so that the Republican Party became the party of the North, and the Democratic Party became the party of the South.

Here is the electoral college map from the 1924 presidential election.  Red is Republican, Blue is Democrat.

 

 

And of course all of that is exactly the reverse today.  Today the Republican party is the party of the solid South.  The party of states’ rights.   Vote to keep shooting. (Constitution - second amendment)

 

 

Well, so much for the history lesson.

 

The church and the political party are two completely different animals

All of that to say this:

God is much too wise to align His people with any political party. Especially when parties keep changing what they stand for.

Not to mention the fact that neither party, and in fact no political party on earth, has ever represented the interests of the Lord here on earth or here in America.

It will never happen, for two simple reasons:

First, the Lord has chosen the church to represent Him here on earth.

EPH 1:22-23
22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

And second, His interests are not political, but spiritual.

The church and the political party are two totally different animals.  Just like the church and the government are two totally different animals.

We are to set our minds on the things above, NOT the things on earth. (COL 3:1)

The political parties are ALL ABOUT and only about the things on earth.

The church members, members of the body of Christ, are citizens of heaven, not of earth. The head of our “party” is the Lord Jesus Christ.

To take the body of Christ -  which is to be under the headship of Christ - ,  and try to place it under the headship of a political party is idolatrous.

 

The one thing the church IS called to do in the world

Neither party is doing the one thing that we as Christians are called to do when it comes to speaking to the world. And that is to preach the gospel. 

To let people know that by believing in Christ, the One who died for their sins, was buried,  and was raised from the dead on the third day, they will be born again, be declared righteous, and receive eternal life.

 

THAT’s hope and change.

THAT’s winning the greatest victory.

What are the odds that any political party comes out with a platform solely consisting of the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Don’t hold your breath!  Besides, the moment a political party did that, they would cease to be a political party! They’d be the church!

The church is called to rescue people out of the world -  not get entangled in the affairs of the world!

 

When you enter the ballot box…

But of course here we are, and we still have to decide what we are going to do when we step into the ballot box.

Here’s what you do: whatever you decide to do.

Don’t let other Christians or the media or preachers tell you that you have to vote this way or that, or for this candidate or that one.

As a Christian, you are a son or a daughter of the Living God.  The Lord has given you freedom in these non-essential things.

GAL 5:13-14
13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."

Regardless of how you vote, or how the nation votes, remember Proverbs 21:1:

PRO 21:1
The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord;
He turns it wherever He wishes.

 

Four Christian duties regarding the government

Here’s one thing you really want to be sure you do:  PRAY.

Pray for our leaders, pray for our country, and mostly pray that Christians will be bold in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ.

1TI 2:1-2
1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2  for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

According to the New Testament letters, the Christian’s involvement with government and politics consists of the following four duties:

1. To submit to the governing authorities.
2. Not to break the law.
3. To pay our taxes.
4. To pray for our governmental officials.

ROM 13:1-7
13 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7  Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due;  custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

That’s it.

Nothing about how you should vote. Nothing about voting at all.

Nothing about joining political parties, or donating to campaigns.

Nothing about lobbying or supporting political causes.

Nothing about distributing voter guides on so-called “Christian issues”.

None of that at all.

Which is not to say that these things are prohibited; not at all. You have the freedom to pursue them as individuals.

 It’s just that they are not required, and in fact they have nothing to do with being a Christian.

And these things are certainly not to be the work of the church.

In fact, the New Testament is remarkably unconcerned about earthly politics at all.

 

Do not be bound together with unbelievers

Mostly we are warned to keep away from the evil influences of the world.

And we are warned that as time marches on, things will go from bad to worse, with men deceiving and being deceived. 

2TI 3:1-5
1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3  unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4  treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.

Unfortunately, the political arena is filled with such men as these.

The church is to keep herself separate from worldly politics. 

News flash:  there are plenty of unbelievers in every political party.  Muslims believe abortion is murder. Mormons are against gay marriage.  Neither believes that Jesus Christ is God.

2CO 6:14-18
14  Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? 16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,

" I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM;
AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
17 " Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord.
"AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN;
And I will welcome you.
18 " And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be sons and daughters to Me,"
Says the Lord Almighty.

Also, in no way is the church to police the morals of the nation. 

Our sole concern in this regard is with the members of the church, and within that almost entirely with ourselves as individuals!  For more on that, see 1CO 5:9-13 and GAL 6:1.

 

Calling all citizen-ambassadors!

We are not to set our minds on earthly things. Our citizenship is in heaven. There is only one ruler that we should be getting ready to cheer for:  our Lord Jesus Christ - the King of Kings!

PHI 3:17-21
17 Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. 18 For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their  appetite, and whose  glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. 20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 21 who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords,  who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen.

That’s 1TI 6:15-16.

The Lord does not tell us to be donors to political causes, or to be precinct captains, or to run for office. 

Besides, we already have an office. 

We are ambassadors.  We represent the interests of our King in a foreign country.  Our citizenship is in heaven and our only Sovereign as Christians is our Lord Jesus Christ.  The foreign country is this present world.

As Christians, we are ambassadors TO the USA, not of the USA.

We are ambassadors for Christ, not for a political party.

We have one message for our nation, our state, our city, or community, our neighborhood. Just one.

That message has nothing to do with income inequality, or capitalism, or abortion, or limited government, or gay marriage, or immigration, or Wall Street, or war.

This is the single message that our Lord has committed to us to speak to our whole nation, and to the world:

We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God!

2CO 5:17-21
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is  a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be  sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Until the next time, we’re all ….

In His grip,

Pastor John

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