To Vote or Not to Vote? (Part 2)

My dear friends and fellow readers, I must apologize for negligently leading you astray in my last post about whether or not it is lawful for a Christian to vote for a non-believer who does not recognize the Kingship of Christ. In my negligence, I passed over a crucial section of the Testimony of Faith, which would have persuaded me against the prior position that I took concerning scriptural principles of government. In section 15 of the Testimony, we read that:

The Christian, when such action involves no disloyalty to Christ, ought to be involved in the selection of and to vote for civil rulers who fear God, love truth and justice, hate evil, and are publicly committed to scriptural principles of government. Ex. 18:21; Deut. 16:18; 2 Sam. 23:3; Rom. 13:3

Herein, the Testimony defines its own terms of what it means when it states that we should only vote for men who are committed to scriptural principles of government. As I admitted in my previous post, I was uncertain whether the qualifications for a leader provided in Exodus 18 and Deuteronomy 1 were descriptive of the leaders placed over the holy nation of Israel or whether they were prescriptive qualifications that every civil ruler should meet. The RPCNA clearly demonstrates a prescriptive understanding of these two passages by referencing them  as proof-texts for Section 15, and therefore, remaining loyal to Christ and Scriptural principles of government requires Christians to vote for men who fear God and possess godly wisdom. I hope that this understanding of Scripture will persuade you as it has persuaded me. (To be further persuaded, please read Sean McDonald's two comments to my first post.)

Section 17 of the Testimony states:

The Christian must profess publicly and the Church must witness, that Christ is the Ruler of every nation. Whatever the official action of the civil government of a nation may be, the Christian in his civil actions must always exhibit his loyalty to Christ. The Christian must relinquish every right or privilege of citizenship which involves him in silence about, or denial of the supreme authority of Jesus Christ.

How could I have missed these two crucial sections of the Testimony in my last post? My negligence is my foolishness. I strongly encourage all of you to read through the texts provided to support section 17: Matt. 5:13-14; Prov. 3:5-6; Ps. 37:7; Matt. 22:21; John 17:14-15; Mark 13:9. If none of the candidates for president are publicly committed to scriptural principles of government, then we must relinquish our vote, publicly profess, and witness to the nation (and the world) that we will not just settle for anyone so that our political views will be upheld (although very marginally) but that we will demand a man who recognizes the supreme authority of Jesus Christ even if it means relinquishing our votes and submitting to being governed by the ungodly.

Why the huge change of heart and mind? Since my last post, I could not stop thinking about the biblical language of the Kingdom of God. I kept thinking of government dualistically. That is to say, I was thinking of civil government as of "this world" and church government as of "that world." However, they are one and the same, but not yet consummated under one Head, Christ Jesus. Yes, government is not a natural institution. By that, I mean that government is necessary because of the Fall, and that man must be governed now because of sin. Although government is a result of Adam's sin in the Garden, God has redeemed this institution in the work and person of Jesus Christ. Before the Fall, there was no need for a king, but Christ now rules as King of kings. Government is not a worldly institution that will be removed at Christ's return, but rather, government will be fully redeemed and consummated when the King returns to judge the nations. That is why the Testimony rejects, "the teaching that Christians should not seek the establishment of Christian civil government" (Sec. 8). To reject Christian civil government is to reject Christ's consummation of the office of King. Although government will not be fully Christian until Christ returns, we as Christians, nevertheless, must recognize the need for Christian government. Much like we must not cease to put sin to death although we know we will never be perfectly sanctified until Christ returns, we must not cease to recognize Christ as King although we know He will not be perfectly recognized and submitted to as King until He returns to judge the nations.

Pray, search the Scriptures, and be willing to submit yourself to God's will. It is not easy to go from arguing that we should vote this election to arguing that we should not. Perhaps I should not have made my previous position so public, but then again, if I had not then I would not have received the persuasion I needed to reach the position I now take. Every way of man is right in his own eyes, and that is why I often make my positions public so that my thoughts can be reviewed and critiqued by others.

If nothing else, you have two arguments presented: one for and one against voting. Weigh them both heavily against the teaching of the Whole Counsel of God. Rom. 14 is still very applicable, and no matter what stance we take, we need to be careful how we respond to others.

To Vote or Not to Vote?

Some of you may have your minds set this election; not on the candidate you plan to vote for but on whether or not you will even vote at all. There seems to be more controversy over whether or not Christians should vote this election than who Christians should vote for. As a member of a confessional church (RPCNA), I turned to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Testimony of the RPCNA in order to see what they have to say on the subject. As a deacon, I vowed that I believe and accept the system of doctrine and the manner of worship set forth in these two documents, and I did not take any exceptions thereof. Having reviewed Chapter 23: Of the Civil Magistrate, I do accept and believe the system of doctrine without exception.

Section IV of the Westminster Confession of Faith states:
"It is the duty of people to pray for the magistrates, to honour their persons, to pay them tribute and other dues, to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience's sake. Infidelity, or difference in religion, doth not make void the magistrates' just and legal authority, nor free the people from their due obedience to them: from which ecclesiastical persons are not exempted; much less hath the Pope any power and jurisdiction over them in their dominions, or over any of their people; and, least of all, to deprive them of their dominions, or lives, if he shall judge them to be heretics, or upon any other pretense whatsoever."

First of all, what jumps out at me the most is the first part where it states that we ought to pray for, honor, pay tribute to, obey lawful commands, and be subject to the magistrate's authority. Before we start wagging the finger at the non-Christian candidate(s) lack of Christian conviction and recognition of Christ as King and speak about what a terrible president they would make, we first need to recognize that we are being terrible Christian citizens, both within the civil sphere and as citizens of Zion. When was the last time you prayed for the civil magistrates that God has placed over you? Do you hold them in honor or in contempt?

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." (1 Tim. 2:1-4)

Secondly, nothing within this section (or any of the other three) jump out to me as articulating clearly that a Christian cannot vote for a candidate that does not publicly recognize Christ as the supreme King of kings. However, it must be recognized that the Westminster Confession of Faith is not an American document and it was written long before the United States and Constitutional democracy were around. Therefore, I turn next to The Testimony of the RPCNA, which is an American document.

Section 23 of the Testimony states:

"The failure of a civil government, through negligence, ignorance, or rebellion, to recognize the authority of Jesus Christ does not cancel its just authority. A civil government, though guilty of many sins, still has authority in so far as it furthers some of the scriptural ends of civil government."

Section 29 states:

"When participating in political elections, the Christian should support and vote only for such men as are publicly committed to scriptural principles of civil government."

Herein, I recognize that a government is not invalidated by its failure to recognize the authority of Jesus Christ . In addition, the Testimony does not clearly suggest that Christians should only support men that publicly recognize the authority of Jesus Christ as King of kings. With that said, the Testimony does articulate that Christians should only vote for men who publicly commit to scriptural principles of civil government. Well then, what are scriptural principles of government? That could require a long, drawn-out biblical theology, but I am inclined to turn to Romans 13 first:

"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 

"Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. 

"But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 

"Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law." (Rom. 13:1-8)

Governing authorities in power, regardless of their homage to Christ as King, are said to be servants of God and an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. The scriptural principles of civil government that I observe in this passage are: 1) government is instituted by God to be a terror to bad conduct, 2) to be God's servant for the good of others, 3) to be an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer, and 4) to collect taxes because they are ministers of God. On this last point, Calvin writes:

"If it be their duty to defend and safely preserve the peace of the good, and to resist the mischievous attempts of the wicked, this they cannot do unless they are aided by sufficient force. Tributes then are justly paid to support such necessary expenses." (John Calvin's Commentary on Romans 13)

In Deuteronomy 1, Moses recollects the election and appointment of judges/commanders from the twelve tribes of Israel to command thousands, hundreds, fifties, tens, and officers throughout all the tribes. The Hebrew word used in this passage for commanders or captains is the same word used for princes, chiefs, rulers, and  governors throughout the Old Testament. This is one of the few elections recorded in scripture, and the qualifications that Moses provides for these commanders is that they be, "wise, understanding, and experienced men" (v. 13, 15). In Exodus 18, Moses recollects the very same election of commanders, and the qualifications that Jethro provides for the commanders is that they be, "able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe" (v. 21). On this passage, Calvin explains:

"Jethro enumerates four qualifications which must be principally regarded in the appointment of judges, viz., ability in business, the fear of God, integrity, and the contempt of riches, not to exclude others whereof, as we shall soon see, mention is made in the first chapter of Deuteronomy, but to signify that all are not qualified, nay, that extraordinary virtues are required which, by synecdoche, he embraces in these four."

Therefore, the combination of these two passages relate that those elected as rulers/commanders/judges over the people of Israel had to be able, wise, understanding, and experienced men who were from the people, who feared God, who were trustworthy, and hated a bribe. As Calvin points out, these qualifications are merely a synecdoche, wherein Moses provides only four qualifications to represent the entirety of the righteousness and ability the men required to fill the position. In simple words, the list is not at all exhaustive.

Two qualifications that jump out to me in regards to this discussion is wisdom and the fear of God. In this passage we see a biblical election of governing officials, albeit, they are to govern the very children of God. Therefore, are these qualifications descriptive of men elected to judge the twelve tribes of Israel or are they prescriptive of all elected officials? That question, I do not have an answer to. Obviously, you would not want a judge who did not fear God to rule or judge the holy nation of Israel, but does it necessarily follow that all governing officials must fear God, and wisely recognize the Kingship of Christ as a qualification?

Romans 13 shows that government is not a Christian institution but that it is, nevertheless, instituted by God. In Romans 13, Paul seems to allude to a clear separation between the role of the church and the role of the state. Both are institutions of God, but they serve different purposes by different means. The church is to make disciples of all nations by preaching the Word, administering the sacraments, and teaching all that Christ commanded. The state is to carry out God's wrath on the wrongdoer, uphold the moral law with truth and justice, defend the defenseless, and collect taxes in order to fulfill its God-given function. Remembering the historical context of Romans 13, Paul is telling the Romans that Rome and Caesar are servants and ministers of God, and although they are not under the rule and authority of a Christian state with Christian rulers, they are to submit to the authorities God has placed over them. Therefore, no matter what the outcome of the election, we are to submit to the authorities placed over us and pray for them as well.

In conclusion, Romans 13 seems to demonstrate a distinction between the role of a governing authority within civil government and the role of a governing authority within the church. It seems to me that a civil magistrate is to natural revelation what ruling elders are to special revelation. As pastors and elders oversee, judge, and discipline, by Christ's authority, citizens of the church within God's saving grace who have attested their belief in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, the only infallible rule for faith and life, civil authorities oversee citizens outside the church within God's common grace who have the law written (natural revelation) on their hearts and are held accountable to God for their wicked deeds (Rom. 1-3). Therefore, civil authorities must be committed to biblical principles of civil government in order to earn our vote. They must know the law written upon their hearts, they must recognize the need for discipline and punishment of those who break the Law, they must seek to defend their citizens from domestic and foreign enemies, but their primary duty is not to proclaim Christ as Lord and Savior, unlike pastors and elders.

I am not yet persuaded that Christians should not vote for a civil leader that is not a Christian and does not recognize the Kingship of Christ. I challenge those who would seek to persuade me otherwise to consider their consistency upon this matter. Will you not vote for a city council member, county sheriff, mayor, judges, representatives, congressmen, and the like without requiring them to publicly proclaim Christ as King first? If you will not, and you can honestly attest to your consistency to do so, then I applaud you for your Christian convictions and fidelity to them. With that said, I think we should be very careful about this subject, especially during presidential elections, lest we cause our weaker brothers in Christ to stumble. Are we being careful about how we articulate our positions? Is voting for a non-Christian president a matter of Christian liberty or a matter of fidelity to God? Those who vote for the "lesser of two evils" are not seeking to be unfaithful with the vote that God has given them, they are not seeking to tear down the Kingdom of God with their vote for a non-believer, but they believe that voting for a Mormon with scriptural principles of civil government and the law revealed in natural revelation is better than voting for a man that has demonstrated support for principles of civil government that are against scripture and the Law. Therefore, I close with Romans 14 in its entirety and urge you to consider whether the kingdom of God is a matter of voting or of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit?

"As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. 

"One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. 

"Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written,

                        'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.'

So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
 
"Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. 

"Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for anyone to make another stumble by what he eats. It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that causes your brother to stumble. The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." (Rom 14:1-23)


 

Are you working this Lord's Day?

"Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" (Gal. 3:5)

It's the Lord's Day, that blessed day that we gather together as the children of God, the body of Christ, the flock of the Shepherd, to worship our God, Creator, Redeemer, Comforter, and Holy Father. If we would just stop and think about what we go to do this day, we would be reminded that this day especially is all of grace and not of work. If we would just remember our rest in Christ Jesus by His work of redeeming us from our sins by the spilling of His precious blood and life upon the cross, then this day would remind us that God is gracious and we are wretched sinners. Alas, many of us to go church this Lord's Day to work rather than to be saved by grace through faith.

In Galatians 3:5, Paul asks a rhetorical question that should cause us to stop and think about how we are preparing our hearts for worship on the Lord's Day. Are we merely trying to get our spiritual ducks in a row before we head out the door to church so that we can do everything within our power to make the most of this Lord's Day, or are we waking up in the morning, falling to our knees, and thanking the Lord that He supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you by hearing with faith?

The Lord's Day can be all about me, oftentimes. It is all about my works. How well am I dressed? How much am I tithing? How well am I listening to the sermon? How loud am I singing the Psalms? How devoted am I to prayer? How sincere do I seem in my love for others and my love for God? Am I working hard enough to make this day a delight? Am I endeavoring with all of my spiritual strength and mirth to make the most of the blessed day? Am I working hard enough to obtain the grace of God?

Stop, wretched man! Stop! This day is not about you. This day is not about your works. Your works can accomplish nothing this day. This is the day of rest! Stop working, wretched man, because you are accomplishing nothing but demonstrating idolatry, wherein you desire to replace Christ's work with your own.


"Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:2-3)

How did you first receive the Spirit? Was it by all of your works or was it by hearing the Gospel preached with faith? Having first begun by the Spirit, are you now trying to be perfected by your own works?

Go this Lord's Day, and recognize that all of your works, no matter how sincere they may seem to you, are not going to make this day blessed. You can work as hard as you want this day, but it is not works of the law that will make your worship pleasing to God. It is not works of the law that will renew and strengthen your faith in Jesus Christ by the hearing of the Word preached this day.

Contrary to logic, the best way to prepare your heart for worship this day is to stop trying to prepare your own heart and rest in the Lord. This is His day. He has already clothed you in white robes of righteousness. What better vestments can you wear? He has taught and trained your tongue to sing and given you the Spirit to know that the Psalms you sing find their yes! and Amen! in Him. He has given you ears to hear good news, and the Spirit works miracles through the hearing of the Gospel. He has given you a new heart to love your neighbor as yourself and to love God as your Heavenly Father. He guides your prayers by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who intercedes on your behalf, teaching us to pray and praying for us with groanings too deep for words when we do not know what to pray for. Your heart has already been perfectly prepared  for this day of worship, and you need to rest by faith in Christ's finished work. This day is not about work but about faith. This day is not about picking up where Jesus left off, but it is all about worshiping God for He has done the impossible, He has made wretched sinners like you and me righteous through His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ said, "It is finished." It most surely is. Stop working, and rest.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (Heb. 12:1-2)


Look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of your faith, this day, and put aside every effort to perfect that which you can never perfect and to accomplish that which you can never accomplish. Prepare your heart for worship, therefore, and look to Jesus!