Nena Arias | May 11, 2020
When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Proverbs 29:2)If voters determine the future of a nation, why don’t more Christians vote in America? If you don’t vote, do you have the right to complain of the chaotic state of affairs in our nation? Something that non-voters urgently need to understand is that silence also votes. That so-called “silent vote” will count for those who oppose your values. So, as you can see, no one gets away with not voting.
There was an article in Baptist Press written in 2012 reporting the following: “Champion the Vote estimates that out of 60 million Christians in the United States, only 30 million of them vote in any given election or are even registered to vote.”
In a more recent article pubished on the Daily Signal, they reported that “only about 20% to 30% of America’s churchgoers practice their constitutional right to vote.”
This non-voting apathy must cease now! Parents and pastors must educate both the church and young people on political issues. It is urgent to encourage people to vote their values and become politically active in their communities. Otherwise, they have no one else to blame for the condition of their communities but themselves. It is especially important for people of faith to engage in making the difference.
These are trying times; if we hope to survive and thrive as a nation once again, we must vote for the values in the greatest document in the history of the world—the Bible. It alone can promise freedom and opportunity to its citizens for guidance.
Christians should be the first ones to jump into the political arena and make the difference in influencing the values in the culture of a nation. Through our vote we can disciple a nation to uphold godly values and principles that will please God and we can have his favor.
We must not see politics as separate from spiritual matters. The earthly realm is linked and is one and the same with the spiritual realm. Jesus said, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). In pronouncing these words Jesus was revealing that the will of the Father is to transfer the standards that rule heaven to earth. There is no separation of “church and state” where God is concerned. He wants us to be salt and light here on earth. We are to give his sound meaning and knowledge to the world. He is counting on us to fulfill our purpose. So, as you can see, it is up to us as believers to call the shots, so to speak. Let’s not separate something that God wants to function as one. The so-called “secular” does not exist.
We must realize how little salt and light is coming through and how few believers are engaged in the politics of their society.
For too long, because the world of politics is very dark and dirty it has been said that Christians don’t belong there and shouldn’t get involved, yet we cannot get away from the fact that politics affects all of us. Let’s get it once and for all, we are called to places of darkness to be God’s light. Jesus said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:17) Our calling is to go and change culture and bring the kingdom of God into those spheres of society that are dark, so why the disconnect?
If we don’t stand for righteousness, who will? The Bible believing Christians must register and turn out the vote in the millions. We must vote our values according to God’s standards or risk losing our nation altogether to the God-haters.
Professing Christians are still the majority in America. There is no good reason for our nation to be so sinful and in such disarray. If you don’t pray, vote, and participate in the affairs in our nation, you have no right to complain to anyone, let alone God. If you don’t go to the polls and vote for people that have godly and just solutions to fix the issue, you’re not allowed to complain, not even when bad things happen to you and yours. If you want good changes and continuity with our original values, you must show up at the polls.
Don’t feel overwhelmed and say, what can my one vote do? Let’s do our part and God will have something to work with. Let’s remind ourselves that “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34)