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*This blog has been updated from its original 2017 version, What The Bible Really Says About How Christians Should Vote.

As we wrap up this series on faith and politics, let’s talk about where to place our hope as Christians and how to maintain Christian character and witness, especially when we disagree with others politically. Make sure read Part 1 for context to what we’ll discuss here.

3. Don’t compromise your Christian hope.

• “If we could just pass/change this law, everything would be different.”
• “If we could just elect this candidate/party then everything would change.”
• “If this person gets elected, there’s hope for our nation.”
• “If this person gets elected, our nation will be destroyed.”

Have you ever heard any of those statements? From a Christian? Have you ever said any of them? I have. To an extent, when people say things like that, they’re intending to acknowledge the very real consequences–good or bad–of leadership and policy, even though the wording falls short. But that language can also expose the fact that sometimes we put our hope in people and in politics and not in Christ.

Psalm 146:3-5 tells God’s people not to put our confidence in the powerful people of this earth and in their plans, but rather to trust the Lord as our hope and our helper.

Let me be clear: leaders and policies matter. We can see this played out in our in world today and in reading biblical stories of kings and rulers. Leaders and their character and policies can influence a nation towards the ways of God that lead to life and flourishing or away from the ways of God which leads to sin and destruction.

But Jesus is not seated and unseated from His throne based on who is or isn’t in office, or what laws are in place, or how calm or tense the political climate is. Kings and kingdoms have risen and fallen throughout the entirety of human history. And God has managed to remain God, spread His gospel, build His Church, and accomplish His purposes through all of it.

As you participate in politics, keep your hope in the right King and Kingdom. God’s only chosen people and chosen nation (apart from a special role Israel plays in redemptive history) is the Church–those who have been saved by Jesus from every tribe, language, people, and nation (1 Peter 2:9; Revelation 5:9) God’s only chosen and appointed King forever is Jesus. And He is the hope of the world, not politicians.

4. Don’t compromise your Christian unity and witness.

The conversation about protecting our Christian unity and witness is firstly a conversation about Christian character. If you and I look at Christian character Bible passages like Ephesians 4, Colossians 3-4, Titus 3:1-2 and apply them to our political engagement, I think we’ll start to notice how easily we let our political passions cause us to stray from God’s Word. I think we’ll be convicted of how flippantly and how frequently we blatantly sin against God and others in this area.

Christians (lay and leaders) and Christian social/political commentators are guilty doing this. I know I’ve failed in this area too and had to repent before God and people. Often, we are genuinely speaking truthful and helpful things (as we should), but delivering the message in the same mocking, condescending, harsh, prideful tone as people who don’t know Christ and don’t represent Him. (Reminder: We don’t imitate the conduct of others in areas where their actions don’t align with the way of Jesus.)

Whether we’re being careless in how we treat a fellow Christian we disagree with politically or someone who doesn’t yet share our faith, it causes much spiritual damage. When we don’t carry ourselves with holiness–even as we engage politically–it grieves the heart of God, damages our relationships with fellow believers, and damages our Christian witness.

At the core, I believe Christians drop the ball here because we don’t know how to process it when fellow Christians disagree with us politically.

As we weigh political/cultural issues against the Word of God, you and I might notice that certain ideas and policies match the values of our Christian faith and/or our personal convictions better than others, and we might believe there’s more wisdom in siding one way over another as a follower of Jesus. I know I do. This isn’t inherently wrong.

But we have to remember the biblical test of genuine faith is turning from sin, having faith in Christ, and a life of holiness and obedience to His commands–not voting or affiliating a certain way politically (Acts 20:21; 1 John 2:3). It breaks my heart when I see Christians automatically assume the worst about other believers without deeper conversation and discernment.

There are instances when a genuine believer may vote differently than you do, affiliate politically differently than you do, or esteem candidates as fit for office differently than you do because of life experiences, or cultural background, or issues that uniquely affect them or their community etc. And those things might lead them to process and prioritize political issues differently, even though they share your faith. Dr. Tony Evans explains this well in his book, How Should Christians Vote and so does Scott Sauls in his book, Jesus Outside The Lines.

I grew up around Christians who were committed to the Bible and held God’s standard for morality, but for other reasons tended to vote progressive, even though, as Christians, they did not agree with everything a politician said or did or every policy a political party stood for. In my adult life, I’ve been mostly surrounded by Christians whose conviction causes them to lean towards the conservative side of the aisle and vote that way, even though they too, as Christians, don’t agree with everything a politician might say or do or every policy a political party stands for.

I appreciate what God has taught me through my past and present experience with Christian friends and leaders on both sides of the political aisle. I don’t automatically assume someone isn’t a real Christian solely based on their voting choices or political affiliation, without taking anything else about them into consideration, even though I may disagree with some of their decisions and challenge some of their perspectives, and they might do the same for me. (This is healthy, helpful practice when done in a godly way.)

Jesus’ prayer and dream for His Church in John 17 is that we would be holy and grounded in the truth of His Word and walk in such compelling love and unity that it testifies to the world that He’s who He says He is and that we are His disciples. May we allow Him to fulfill His dream in us, even as we navigate the tough conversations of faith in Jesus and political engagement.

Recommended Resources

If you want some tools to process how these ideas come to bear on real life or to think through political issues from a biblical perspective, these are godly voices I trust and respect and they’ve helped me a ton.

• #STRask Podcast: How Can We Determine Which Christian Moral Principles Should Be Made Into Laws?
• Dr. Michael Brown interview on Christian values and legislation
• Sermon by Greg Laurie: Hot Button Issues
• How Should Christians Vote by Dr. Tony Evans
• Before You Vote by David Platt
• Jesus Outside The Lines by Scott Sauls
• The Political Seduction of the Church by Dr. Michael Brown

Let’s Talk: How is God challenging you to grow in Christian character and hope as you engage politics? Discuss this post in the comments below.