WHY AMERICAN CHRISTIANS HAVE A MORAL OBLIGATION TO VOTE IN THIS ELECTION

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus called His followers the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world.” These are metaphoric expressions of the influence He expects His followers to have on the world in which they live.

Light expels darkness, which is a type of ignorance and falsehood. The value of salt in Jesus’ day was as a preservative, slowing down the spoilage of meats. We are to be salt and light, resisting the moral corruption that is in the world and dispelling ignorance and falsehood.

We fulfill the words of Jesus through our words, deeds, and prayer. We also do it by voting for government leaders whose lives and policies are most conducive to our Christian mission and message.  

Our goal is not to create an “official” Christian nation, but to make disciples of Christ in every nation, as He commanded in Matthew 28:18-20. When the people of this nation, or any nation, live by the teachings of Jesus and the New Testament, they will be a more peaceful and happy people. As Psalm 33:12 says, Blessed is the nation, whose God is the LORD.

To carry out this Great Commission, we need political leaders whose worldview and policies are favorable to the Christian mission. Our Christian mission will either be opposed or accommodated by those who are voted into power.

In I Timothy 2:1-3, Paul instructed Timothy to pray for kings and all that are in authority with two clear goals in mind: (1) that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life and (2) that people may be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Paul wants government leaders whose policies will accommodate the Christian cause. He wants Christians to be able to live free of persecution--able lead quiet and peaceable lives. He also wants there to be freedom for the preaching of the Gospel for he mentions how God wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Neither Timothy nor Paul had the option of voting for government leaders, but Paul’s guideline for praying for such leaders can also be used at the voting booth. Although there are no perfect candidates, we can both pray and vote with Paul’s vision in mind.

John Jay (1745-1829), whom George Washington appointed as the first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, understood this. Jay was a New York Lawer, governor of New York, and a Founding Father. In 1812, he exhorted American citizens that it was their “duty” to wisely choose their leaders. He said,

Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. National prosperity can neither be obtained nor preserved without the favor of Providence (Hyatt, America’s Revival Heritage 2nd Edition, 93).

It is both foolish and immoral for Christians to leave it to the secularists and agnostics to choose those who will govern this nation. Such leaders would most surely oppose our Christian values and mission. Yes, American Christians have a moral obligation to vote in this election.

This article is derived in part from Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, America’s Revival Heritage 2nd Edition, available from Amazon and his website at http://eddiehyatt.com. Eddie is the founder of the "1726 Project" whose purpose is to educate America about the impact of the Great Awakening (beginning in 1726) on the founding of America and the ending of slavery on this continent.