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Biblical Presuppositions — Our Obligations
1. Christians Have an Obligation to Vote
And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be
carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the
peace thereof shall ye have peace. Jeremiah 29:7
The Christian Householder's Civic and Political Obligations
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden
of Eden to dress it and to keep it. Gen. 2:15
So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that
loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own
flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church.
Eph. 5:28,29
God has given His church stewardship over the earth. In the
New Covenant age, our "garden" is now the whole world, including
Oregon. It is our job to protect and cultivate this state.
While clearly political action is just one small part of that job, it
is a part nonetheless. Particularly when so many of the attacks on
our society and families come either from the state itself, or from
those whom the state should be punishing (rapists, murderers,
etc.) Parents have a particularly strong obligation to guard their
families. This means an active concern for our money, the education
of our children, our land, our physical safety and much more.
These things are all under attack. While the State cannot produce
the cultivation of our families, it can and should be part of the
mechanism by which they are guarded.
2. Christians Have An Obligation to Vote In A Distinctively Christian Fashion
Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with
thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the
Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall
there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another
place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who
knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as
this? Esther 4:13,14
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for
the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Exodus 20:7
Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to
the glory of God. I Cor. 10:31
The Third Commandment and Distinctively Christian Political Action
In the providence of God, Esther was brought to the kingdom for
a time such as she lived in. This was a time when the civil magistrate
was in the process of eliminating God's people from the Empire.
Esther needed strong words from Mordecai because she was
at first reluctant to testify to her faith in the God of the Scriptures.
In the providence of God, this November, all registered voters are
"brought to the kingdom," to exercise civil governance. We are to
bear witness to the Lord Jesus Christ in how we vote.
The third commandment prohibits us from taking the Lord's
Name in vain, or in vanity, or in other words, in emptiness. If you
are a professing Christian, the third commandment commands
you, as it did Esther, to witness to the Lord Jesus Christ as
you exercise your small part of civil governance.
3. Christians Have an Obligation to Conform Their Voting Practices to the Word of God
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to
this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20
The Stirrings of A Christian Political Consensus
But how shall we then vote? This is a tough question! The issues
you will be asked to vote on are complex, and our lack of knowledge
of God's Word at this particular juncture in history is great.
We don't need to put our lives on hold until after the November
Election. But we are asking that you commit to God in prayer to
try to evaluate how you should vote based on the Bible, not your
own thoughts of what works or doesn't work, what's good for you
financially or what may limit your choices. Consider what this
Christian Ballot Measures Voter's Guide has to say. Pray, and ask
for God to guide you, not by your feelings, but by your beliefs
based on His Word.
4. There are Blessings that Result to the Body of Christ as We Obey These Truths.
Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your
understanding in the sight of the peoples, that shall hear all these
statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding
people. Deut 4:6
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they
hear the words of thy mouth. Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the
LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD. Psalm 138:4,5
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Matt. 28:18
Political Evangelism
As we apply ourselves to a truly Christian political action, God
will bless our efforts by transforming our laws. The result will be
a degree of "political evangelism." This happens as people hear
the implications of the Gospel of our Savior. Our lives are to be
a pleasing aroma to God, and also to those that He is calling to
Himself. This is true not just of us individually, but corporately,
as a group of people, as well. As a land conforms its laws to God's
revealed Word that land becomes pleasing to the nations. Kings
and subjects, rulers and those ruled, governors and those governed,
shall be affected by a consistent Christian message in every aspect
of our lives, including the political sphere.
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