Hard to believe this month we will see democracy at its
finest moment as “We the People” take to the voting booth to cast our votes for
the next President of the United States of America. To say this is a tumultuous
time in our nation would be an understatement. But you know, every
four years is "the biggest election we’ve ever experienced". The path of our
great nation continues or resets every four years. Some of those years have
been our greatest moments and some would be considered only a small flicker of
light. I remember Ronald Reagan as a young boy. I remember watching him, even
though I really didn’t understand what all this political stuff meant at the
time. He commanded attention and he was a great leader. I remember in 1986
when he spoke on the Challenger Shuttle explosion. He was my president then and
at age nine, I knew it.
My parents played an informative role in my political views. They never missed a beat when it came to elections and they made sure I
knew how and why they voted. They also taught me the meaning of Romans 13:1-7.
That passage weighs heavy on my heart the closer we come to approaching November 8th
and the change of power that will occur in January. For me to say that we have
two virtuous people of character and high moral standing running for office
would be…well…overstating the truth like a bass fisherman who caught a minnow
but says he landed a 15 pound monster. I’ve heard many times over through the
process, “This year, it is the lesser of two evils.” But that is not a great
Biblical worldview approach to what we face. Evil is evil and it does not come
in degrees or stages. What we have this year are two fallen people who profess
one thing and do something completely different. Sound any different than
people we’ve met in the Scriptures? Moses was a murderer, David an adulterer,
Solomon loved too many women…yet God used each one of them.
Ultimately, this is how Paul weighs government authority in
Romans 13:1-7. (Read it!)
· Everyone is to submit to the governing
authority. It is a command that Paul gives the church. To submit to the
authority of the government is to submit to God.
·
There is NO authority except from God, and those
who exist have been instituted by God. God is sovereign and His rule is sovereign
in the affairs of this world.
·
To help illustrate Romans 13, Daniel concludes
from King Nebuchadnezzer’s dream that God is in control, setting up and taking
down kings to accomplish His perfect will. Daniel 2:27-44 &: Daniel 4:17-27
·
Paul wants you to understand that “The king’s
heart is in the hand of the LORD; He directs it like a watercourse wherever He
pleases.” Proverbs 21:1. So the tyrant Roman Emperors (who were NOT Christian)
like Caligula, Claudius, and Nero, had ascended to power with God’s permission,
actually by His direction. According to Romans 13, they were even “instituted
by God.” The three emperors mentioned above were the emperors most likely alive
while Paul is writing Romans. Nero was notorious for burning Christians in his
courtyard for light at night. Yet Paul can write Romans 13, and inform us to
submit to the governing authority…interesting isn’t it?
So, however the election turns out, on November 9th
we, The Church, will carry on because Jesus will be on His throne, and all
these issues we face today will one day be subject to Him and placed under His
feet. So be encouraged, and do not let your soul be downcast.
But is there ever a time for rebellion? We do have
precedent in Scripture that we can resist if the government ever decides to
force us to act contrary to God’s will. In Acts 5:29 Peter stands and says,
“We must obey God rather than men.” Peter was not defending marriage or the
unborn or lower taxes or gun laws or free trade. Peter just wanted to share
the gospel.
On moral issues and in life, we win when we share the
gospel. The key to changing our nation is not a Christian in the White House,
though that certainly would help. But what will change our nation is a
consistent witness of the gospel with proclamation and life-style witness. What
we say and what we do must match up and we do this with the power of the Holy
Spirit as we surrender ourselves to God’s will.
So pray before you go and vote on November 8. But also pray after you vote! Pray and ask the Lord to stir and awaken the Church in the
United States of America. Pray and ask that God will return to our Oval Office
the characteristics of a Christ follower…but remember…man will always
disappoint us, but for those who call on Jesus as Lord, we will not be
disappointed.
I pray this has caused you to think a bit, and I hope you
have prayed about your decision. I know I have agonized over this entire
election cycle. But God’s got this…no matter what…God’s got this.
Dr Chris Irving
Senior Pastor
First Baptist Church of Gonzales
