As Christians who are American citizens in a constitutional democratic republic, we always have a challenging task. How do we make godly decisions about those who would rule our country, state, and cities? This task becomes even harder in certain times when we consider that we have many fewer candidates running for office who claim to be Christian and live by Christian principles.
First, let us note that while we are part of the Kingdom of God, we are also citizens of the United States. While building the foundations of the Kingdom of God, the apostle Paul didn’t negate his Roman citizenship (see Acts 16 and 25). So, while American Christians are part of the Kingdom of God, we are also citizens of the United States, and we have the privilege to take part in our democratic republic, and we should do so.
Second, the Bible discusses a concept called the scale of values. The phrase itself is not used, but the concept is there. The scale of values says that you can place two things side by side, and certain things are worth more than others.
In Luke 12:24, humans have more value than animals. Specifically, people are more valuable than ravens. In Proverbs 3:13-15 we see that having God’s wisdom is more valuable than having silver and gold. In Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 we see that two people are better than one. All these passages take two things, place them on a scale, and say one has more worth than another.
How can we use this to decide who to vote for? First, we need to see what each candidate stands for on each issue. Second, we must discover what God says about these issues in Scripture. Third, then we can take those things and place them on a scale. Whatever holds more weight in God’s eyes should have more in ours.
THE SCALE IN THE NUMBER OF GODLY POSITIONS
There are two ways to look at the scale. First, if Candidate A holds three godly positions and Candidate B holds four godly positions, then Candidate B has a more godly position than Candidate A. We should then vote for Candidate B as they hold more godly positions than Candidate A.
A MORE COMPLEX UNDERSTANDING OF THE SCALE OF VALUES
It is more complicated than that. We also need to understand that certain positions hold more weight than others. We don’t just want to compare the number of godly positions candidate A holds to candidate B; we want to see which positions hold more weight.
In the following example, let’s pretend we only know the positions of both candidates concerning two issues: animal rights and human rights. Suppose Candidate B holds a more godly position than Candidate A regarding animal treatment. Scripture speaks of treating your livestock or pet well (Proverbs 12:10). On the other hand, candidate A has a more godly position than candidate B regarding human rights.
In this example, each candidate holds a more godly position than the other on one issue. But because we know, as Christians, that God has a scale of values, we weigh those two issues against each other. Because humans have more value than animals, we must decide that candidate A is better.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
As Christians, we must think biblically about the voting process. We should not view our politics through feelings, opinions, or traditions. We should subject our politics to Christ.
What does God say about these topics? Who has more godly positions than the other? Which issues have more weight in God’s scale of values? All of this should be prayerfully considered every time we go to the polls.