By Pastor Stephen Hess –
As I write this article, we are just days away from yet another U.S. presidential election. One of the perennial questions Christians face when thinking about elections is: How should our faith shape the way we view politics? This is a complex question, and complex questions rarely have simple answers. However, even though there are no simple answers, we still have Biblical principles to help us sort through the confusing maze of faith and politics. In fact, Scripture provides us with some extremely helpful wisdom in this area. Below are four principles that I think are very beneficial to remember during these tumultuous times.
First, as Christians our primary identity should be rooted in Christ and his body, not in any political party. As human beings we naturally find our identity in groups. We tend to identify with people who share our ethnicity, our nationality, or our political party. Yet the Bible says that when we are born again, we become new creations and our identity in Christ supersedes all our other identities. As Paul says in Colossians 3:11, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.” This means that as a Christian, my identity should be shaped first and foremost by who I am in Christ and not any other earthly identities.
Second, this means our faith should shape our politics, not the other way around. Following Jesus means allowing him to reshape every single part of our lives, and this includes how we approach politics. Jesus does not fit neatly into any of the political parties of this world. Every party will have some views that align with Christian ethics and other views that do not. This means it is essential that we do not allow the platforms of these parties to guide our thinking but instead allow the “platform” of Jesus to guide our thinking, and this includes our thinking about politics. If we are unable to critique our own political party or candidate, it is probably a sign that we are letting politics shape our faith rather than letting faith shape our politics.
Third, we need to distinguish between Biblical commands and matters of wisdom. Scripture is filled with commands for God’s people. To name just a few, we are commanded to pursue justice, care for the poor, love our neighbors, keep marriage holy, and protect life. For some of these commands there are clear implications for how we should live and interact with the world around us. However, for other commands, wisdom will be required as we seek to apply them. For instance, we are called to seek justice, but what political policies lead to the most just and fair society? That is a complex question about which Christians will probably come to differing conclusions. Likewise, we are called to care for the poor, but what political policies are most effective at addressing poverty? Again, that is a matter of legitimate debate. It is essential that we distinguish between Biblical commands and matters of wisdom, otherwise we will risk going beyond what Scripture teaches and divide the body of Christ over issues that should be matters of Christian freedom.
Fourth, remember that politics are important, but they are not ultimate. The person who gets elected every four years and what policies are implemented is certainly something we should care about, but it isn’t the thing we should care about most of all. Christ has given a mission to his church, and that mission is to take the gospel to all the nations. This means our mission—and therefore our ultimate concern—is not to advance the cause of a candidate or political party; our mission is to advance the cause of the gospel to every corner of the earth. Keeping this in perspective protects us from becoming distracted by worldly agendas.
As we interact with the political sphere we do so as ambassadors of a different kingdom—the kingdom of God. As citizens of Christ’s kingdom, our identity is rooted in Christ alone and not the tribes of this world. As subjects of Christ’s kingdom, our lives are governed by his commands and not the political platforms of this world. And as worshipers of the King of kings, our hope is in his coming Kingdom and not the results of elections. No matter who is elected every four years, Jesus will still be king and that is a reason to rejoice.