Well, the votes are in, the count nears an end, and subject to recounts and lawsuits and the Electoral College, we likely have a decision. As my rough estimate, this makes about 1/3 of us exuberant, 1/3 of us angry, and 1/3 OK with it. Feelings still run high, because Christians on both sides felt deeply, finding biblical reasons for their vote. But regardless of how our candidate did, what comes next for all of us who follow Jesus?
Despite our joy or sorrow, despite our political next steps, allow me to suggest three biblical principles that we must follow if we desire to be faithful to God. For the discussion that will surely follow, let’s focus on how we can apply these principles, not why others should have voted like we did. Let’s look to the future, OK? And not the future of politics, but how we follow Jesus in a political dimension.
Basically, we go off course when we focus too much on political results, in either the political or spiritual realm. Here’s what I mean.
1. God works in all things. We all recognize Romans 8:28, but do we live by it? He’s God, we’re not. This doesn’t mean that one candidate or the other was God’s choice, but God works in all things. As President, neither candidate could do anything to detract from God’s ultimate purpose. Yes, a lot of bad does happen in life, and you might define that as 2016 or 2020, but trust God’s involvement regardless. We all have our opinions, but we lack God’s omniscience, and no political officeholder can keep God from working in the lives of people and in history.
2. God reigns in the world of results, both spiritually and long term politically. We do what we can, all we can, using all our abilities, then we chill on the results. Why? Because apart from personal change, we can’t control outside results. Fear and anger come from focusing too much on results, as Paul taught, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
A speaker defined worry as taking responsibility for what God never intended us to have. So do what you can, then trust God to do his stuff in the result realm. Do you really think any political decision will work better than God? So maybe we can relax, even when it doesn’t go our way.
3. Disagree agreeably. Paul and Barnabas disagreed so much on ministry direction that they split up. In Romans 14 and 15, Paul commanded us to not judge one another on different opinions. We’ve seen a lot of that lately, and we need to stop it. That judging is a sin and makes us look bad to unbelievers. Find Jesus’ heart here, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21).
What unites us—political beliefs or Jesus? How dare we allow political differences to divide us from our union in Jesus.
Kick Starting the Application
Which of these steps is not biblical? Which have you not been expressing recently in our partisan and disrespectful world? How can you change?
PS like the earlier posts, this is not a political discussion, but how we can better express love and respect and Christian unity in a divided world. Posts that go off track, like “I just can’t understand why they…” will be deleted. Share your struggles and issues, not those of others, OK?