Politics and the Believer

A record-breaking number of the world's population have elections this year - but we are guided by Biblical principles that should make our reaction to these world events markedly different from the world around us, even from many Christians.

A record-breaking number of the world’s population have elections this year—nearly 2 billion voters across fifty countries!1

Many of these elections are deeply and bitterly divided or not “free and fair.”2 Some have the looming threat of violence hovering over them by military juntas, extremist factions, or nearby hostile countries. World superpowers are engaged in proxy wars that could escalate into more significant hostilities, and election results in some countries could spark new conflicts. There is widespread criticism of governments worldwide as the quality of life has visibly decreased worldwide in recent years.3

It is unsurprising to see strong emotions such as fear and anger as people try to make sense of all these things and desire to improve them. These feelings are further stoked by social media and news sources that have learned to profit from and sharply increase these emotions. As people living in these nations, we know these events may drastically impact or completely upend our lives. However, as Bible students and followers of Christ, we are guided by Biblical principles that should make our reaction to these world events markedly different from the world around us, even from many Christians.

Two guiding principles come to mind. First, we have only one citizenship—in Heaven (Phil 3:20), and we are “sojourners and pilgrims” in this world (1 Peter 2:11 NKJV) as we do the good work given to us until the Kingdom is established. Second, “The Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.” (Daniel 4:32 NKJV). These notions should bring us great comfort because when we see the failings of the institutions of men and the instability in the world’s governments, we can appreciate that God is in control. That does not mean things will be easy, but it does mean that events will lead to the best possible outcome as we approach the return of His Son. 

Our Role As Ambassadors

What is our role in these kingdoms if we have only one citizenship? “We are ambassadors for Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:20). As ambassadors, we represent Jesus to the nation around us. We live here temporarily until we are summoned to God’s Kingdom on earth. We only have such power as is given to us by our ruler, and we are accountable to the laws and policies of our home kingdom. We are separate from those in the nation around us. Still, we are not isolated because our role is to interact and develop relationships in our host nation to promote the policies and position of our heavenly nation, i.e., the gospel message and God’s commands. 

Notably, because we are citizens of another country, we choose not to vote or be involved in governmental decisions such as lawmaking in our nation. Voting in a relatively free and fair election is not only a right and responsibility of citizens in a democracy but also a hard-fought luxury denied to people in many countries. And yet, it is one of the freedoms from which we abstain because we have another citizenship. Instead, we choose freedom in Christ.

We can share this advantage with others. For example, when people discuss politics with us, it can be a great way to speak about our beliefs. The Kingdom of God brings real, permanent solutions to the problems of this world. Instead of despairing about the inevitable failings of the kingdoms of men, we can provide hope and a plan for a beautiful world to come.

How Do We Interact With Government?

As ambassadors for Christ, how should we interact with the local government? Romans 13 provides us with an answer. Here, we read that we should be subject to the government because its authority is from God (who rules in the kingdoms of men), and so we should do good and not resist its authority (vv. 1-7). In addition, we must pay taxes, customs, fear, and honor to whom they are due. Let’s look back to the previous chapter. We also see instruction to be people of peace, patient in tribulation, blessing our persecutors, and repaying no one evil for evil or avenging ourselves. Instead, we should live peaceably with all.

So, we must honor and obey the government. This direct command means we shouldn’t criticize it or pass judgment. We understand government employees are human, flawed, and inferior to the Lord Jesus’ leadership, but God has empowered them. We should not mock or speak hatefully of them (e.g., Exodus 22:28; Acts 23:5; 1 Peter 2:13-17; Ecclesiastes 10:20). We should pray for them (1 Timothy 2:1-2)! 

During Nero’s reign, Paul instructed the people to obey. Finding a ruler more unworthy of a Christian’s respect would be difficult. Nero was certainly a corrupt ruler during a time when the tax collectors were exploiting the people for their own gain; there were injustices against the people and forced expulsion of Jews. Eight years later, Nero burned Rome to the ground, blamed Christians for it, and began persecuting them with brutal and incredibly cruel methods. 

Yet, a ruler’s worthiness of obedience is not our decision! God puts them in power, and we are commanded to obey them. Their level of corruption and evil does not exclude us from obedience, provided our service to them doesn’t directly conflict with God’s commands. Similar to Paul, Jesus previously demonstrated an understanding that God places rulers in power (John 19:11). Not only is it a command, but for those in democratic countries, it is hypocritical for us to choose not to vote and then criticize the elected officials.

Furthermore, we should diligently pay taxes honestly, promptly, and fully. This means we do not try to avoid taxes in dishonest ways, such as undeclared cash income. We do not grumble about paying taxes. It’s not our money—it’s from God, and we have been told to pay what we owe (Matthew 22:15-22; Luke 20:22-25). Scripture commands us to pay taxes, for which we receive government services. Because we pay taxes, we may have the notion we have the right to complain about what we receive for the taxes. But let us disabuse ourselves of this notion because if Paul told the Romans to honor and pay taxes to Nero, along with his exploitative, greedy, and corrupt tax collectors, then there is no justification in any way for complaining about how our taxes are used. 

Support For Political Parties And Policies

What about supporting political parties or policies? No political entity with human leadership truly aligns with the will of the Father except for the Lord Jesus Christ. He has not yet established His Kingdom, and any human government that promises to adhere to righteous values and God’s Word will fail to do so. 

Human government is not the solution to the world’s problems. No human leader will solve the problems created by sin. It is meaningless to attempt to implement laws forcing nations to obey God’s commands without their desire to serve Him. God looks for people to obey His commands only if they choose to serve and believe in Him. He wants our hearts, not our blind obedience. If we aspire to make changes to the government and the world around us, by far, the best and only lasting change we can make is to spread the gospel message and encourage those around us toward the Kingdom to come. 

Jesus is the King! There can be no other. Jesus, the disciples, the apostles, Paul, none of them tried to replace the Roman empire ruling over Israel. The pattern established for us is to cast aside the things of this life and gain Christ and citizenship in his Kingdom. Paul confirms this for us:

We must not promote political parties or policies in our ecclesias. Politics is a very divisive topic that doesn’t belong there anyway. We aim to strengthen ecclesias, not divide them (Titus 3:1-11). Instead, we should seek to promote an apolitical, spiritual mindset and focus our aspirations on obeying the commands we have from God.

We should live peaceably with all men. This purpose means we are not to engage in political violence of any kind, whether against official government, people whose political views we disagree with, or as protestors (Romans 13:1-2). As believers living in “the times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24; Romans 11:25), our instructions have been to lay aside the sword, take up the cross, and follow Jesus.

Jesus demonstrated to us perfectly a life of service and dedication to God that focused on spiritual renewal and growth, not a political revolution. He was a man of conviction who chose to speak out against the wrongs he saw around him, but his focus was to bring people to God, not overturning human leaders. The time to bring about submission to God’s will by the rulers of this world will not come before Jesus returns. Like Jesus, our only revolution is spiritual, which demands all our effort.

Loving Our Neighbor

The raging political issues of 2024 have touched each of us in some way. As we view the news and observe the turmoil, there is an understandable temptation to allow political rhetoric to move us to want to improve things because these issues often directly impact our lives and the lives of others. 

Love for our neighbor might motivate us to initiate changes that make their lives better. Our love for God might encourage us to promote Godly values in government and the laws of the land. Or we may have more self-seeking motivation: to improve things for ourselves. These are often matters that inspire passion and intense emotion. However, the urge to help and improve is misplaced in a political context. To combat our natural tendency to become entangled in these concerns, we need to create space by viewing things in a much longer time span. We must realize that God’s plan to solve these problems eternally is infinitely more important than “the cares of this world.” (Mark 4:19-20). 

Instead, let us devote our full and zealous energy to preaching, uplifting our ecclesias, and doing good to our neighbors on both a personal or ecclesial level as an ambassador of Christ and sharing our eternal hope with them. We can have this eternal-life-changing impact on others rather than making changes limited to this fleeting life. This concept doesn’t mean we are numb to the problems around us. But our perspective should be very different because we know how temporary worldly objectives are, even when they seem all-consuming and imperative.

We should be driven to share this precious gospel with those around us, hoping they accept the gift. The problems of this world should be a motivating force for us to do this good work! If we are witnessing destabilization in countries around the world, it may be a sign that Jesus’ return is drawing close. This reality makes it even more critical for us to help all come to know God before the return of Christ happens—and even less important to try to solve the issues that human governments have failed to accomplish.

If we truly love our neighbor, we will share God’s Word and His plan for us with them. To do anything less than that is to do them a disservice. No matter how much we help them in this life (as we have been commanded), if we don’t extend our love to impart a knowledge of and desire for God’s Kingdom, we are refusing to share with them the greatest gift that any of us can receive. “Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21 NKJV).

Ben McKay,
Cambridge Ecclesia, ON