Christians should be known by our unity. We stand on the truth that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose from the dead on the third day. We believe that God has revealed Himself in Creation and through His Word, the Bible. We believe in the miracle of the Virgin Birth, the sinless life of Jesus, and the deep, mysterious truth of the Trinity.
This Election season, though, I have seen Christians shame one another on their choice for Presidential candidate. One side says that if you're a Christian, you MUST vote for Trump. The other side claims that if you're a Christian, you MUST NOT vote for Trump.
I see that our choice here is not that different than the situation Christians faced in Romans 14. Some Christians thought it was OK to eat food sacrificed to idols, whereas other Christians thought it was sinful to eat those same foods. As Paul tells us, it is a gray area... a matter of conscience.
Your choice in this Election is a gray area. Scripture does not give you a clear command on who to vote for. In fact, such a thing as a "popular vote" didn't even exist in the Roman Empire.
Romans 14:23 lays down the principle that you should follow: "For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." In areas where the Bible doesn't clearly say you should or shouldn't do something, you must be convinced that an activity is OK for you in order to do it innocently. If you are not convinced that the matter is OK and you do it, it is sin.
How does this apply to the Election? If you believe you can vote for Trump (in good conscience), do it. If you do not believe your can vote for Trump (in good conscience), don't do it. While Christians may discuss the candidates and persuade one another (gently and in love), we should never shame each other for our choice. They will know we are Christians by our love for one another, not by who we vote for.
Exactly what I emailed to my family last week! Here's a portion:
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the only vote for President that would be a "sin" is a vote against one's own conscience (Rom. 14:23). I think it's pretty unanimous among both uneducated and educated voters that we have given ourselves some pretty rotten choices. I read editorials daily making strong cases about how to vote and why. If you or I can't vote for either Trump or Clinton with a clear conscience, then you or I shouldn't vote for either one and either not vote for President or vote for another candidate, or write-in a candidate. If you or I can vote for one of them with a clear conscience, then vote your conscience, but understand that on this issue people may have different views and they would not be in the wrong, or sinful considering our options.
Lastly, as Christians, we should be united in Christ. There's a lot of political views and opinions and I love talking politics more than most, but at the end of the day, what unites us is the atoning work of Christ on the Cross and not the party tent that moves and shifts with the wind.