Decision 2020
35 days. After what seems like years of prognosticating by all the commentators and pollsters, in 35 days the American people will actually vote in the 2020 election. We know what the pundits think about the election, but how should Christians think about these matters? Does God have anything to say to us in these days?
In Luke 20:19-26, Jesus has a great word for us in this election year. By the time we arrive at Luke 20, Jesus had drawn the ire of the religious leaders of his day. The chief priests and scribes sent out pseudo disciples to put Jesus under surveillance “so that they might catch Him in some statement, so that they could deliver Him to the rule and authority of the governor” (Luke 20:20). It’s ironic to think of sinful men trying to catch the sinless Son of God. After flattering Jesus, they attempt to entrap him with a question about taxation and the Romans: “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Luke 20:22).
Their question invited Jesus to take sides in one of the most controversial matters of his day. If Jesus responded in the affirmative, he would be seen to endorse or approve of Roman rule and alienate many of his followers. If he responded negatively, Jesus would be guilty of inciting disobedience against the Romans. Either way, Jesus would lose. This was the perfect setup. However, Jesus knew exactly what they were trying to do.
Jesus answered the question in a way they didn’t expect. He asked to see a denarius, which was the denomination they used to pay the tax. He asked the question: “Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” The obvious response was of course “Caesar’s.” He said:
“Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (John 20:25).
With these words Jesus affirms both the legitimate place of government and the ultimate authority of God. Our first loyalty is to the Lord. We must not get this confused. Many others have said this across the years, so I don’t know the proper attribution but this passage teaches us that "Jesus didn’t come to take sides, He came to take over." To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, our concern must not be to get God on our side but to be sure that we are on God’s side.
Although the circumstances and the issues might differ, Christians today face the very same trap Jesus did. How do we avoid it and follow the path Jesus set for us? I think there are four practical ways we can do this.
Do not “Christianize” your candidate. Psalm 146:3 says: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation."
Do vote. In the last election only 55% of the voting-age population actually participated in the election. Elections are not ultimate but they do matter and all of society reaps the consequences for good or ill.
Do pray for America.
Do think through each candidate's position on moral questions. We cannot exhaust all areas of moral and ethical concern in this election but I will mention four major areas.
Abortion/The Sanctity of Life. Psalm 139 tells us that God is the one who knits us together in our mother’s womb. Every human being is created in the image of God.
Marriage, sexuality, and the family. In the search for a liberated society Americans have confused the concept of marriage. When we couple this with the ubiquitous sexual immorality in our culture the result is the breakdown of families. The first institution God created was the family (Genesis 1-2). God invented marriage, family and sexuality and therefore He determines the boundaries of those matters.
Religious liberty. Religious liberty is not simply the freedom to believe what we want to believe in the privacy of our hearts and minds. True religious liberty always involves the ability to practice one’s faith in the public square. As culture continues its secular march, religious liberty will be one thing that is tolerated less and less.
The growing popularity of socialism and marxism. The growing popularity of socialism and marxism has a lot to do with the promise of justice and equality that these movements tend to make. It is attractive to promise “free” benefits to a society. It is attractive to create a more equitable society. Besides the fact that socialism and marxism have never been able to accomplish these things historically, the biggest concern we should have is that socialism and marxism are incompatible with Christianity. Genesis 1:27-28 teaches us that God has created us in His image and has given us dominion over this earth and told us to be fruitful. Socialism and marxism centralize thought around the state and the government's ability to direct the economy rather than the blessing of God. In historic practice, both philosophies of government have been atheistic, essentially secular, or even hostile toward the Christian faith. Marx’s famous saying was that religion was the opiate of the masses. In most of the places where socialism and marxism have taken hold, religious liberty and Christianity have been oppressed.
These are just four moral and ethical questions Christians should consider in the upcoming election. Let’s pray for our nation. Above all, let’s be loyal to Jesus, and let’s give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.