WWJD

What WOULD Jesus Do?

A meme I saw on Facebook  inspired this post.  The meme (on the backdrop of a classical painting depicting Christ clearing the temple) said “If anyone asks you ‘What would Jesus do?’, remind him that flipping over tables and chasing people with a whip is within the realm of possibilities.

One of the pressing issues in the Christian world view today is whether Christians have an obligation to, or should, vote.  My answer is YES! and YES! again!  Why?  Let’s first make a quick review of our Nation’s early history.  The Declaration of Independence lists the colonists’ grievances against actions by the King of England against the colonies.  Signatories clearly and openly acknowledged that the freedom and liberty they so fervently pursued was ordained by God. 

“When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

If Christians weren’t intended to participate in government, our Founding Fathers would not have made a strong argument that the foundation upon which they were setting this grand experiment was God and His laws.  They were acknowledging His supreme power and authority over their purpose.

Another important point in our Declaration:

“That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.” (https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration)

Here we see that the people (“the governed”) are the sole proprietors of the government.  “We the people” hold the power, not the government.  Any government that should oppose the inalienable rights as outlined in the preamble is subject and accountable to the people.  If a “long train of abuses and usurpations” is committed by the government, the Declaration makes it clear the people have an obligation to protect themselves.  The Constitution is the vehicle by which the people are able to do that, if it were to become necessary.

Further proof that the Founding Fathers intended the people to hold ultimate power over the government is the separation of powers between the three branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial.  Neither has ultimate authority over the other and the Constitution provides ways for one branch or another to redress grievances against another.  (Including the impeachment of Supreme Court Justices – Article 2 section 4).  This separation of power helps ensure that no one branch of government can be dominate over another or the other two and that by sharing power equally, the people retain the power and “consent of the governed.”

Any moral code that comes from within an organism (or in our case a species) is subject to the whims and desires of those administering that code.  In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the animals take over the farm from the farmer and make a set of rules to follow.  The first rule was “All animals are equal.”  Pigs eventually thought themselves moral superior to the others and eventually “but some animals are more equal than others” showed up one morning.  The effort by the animals to govern themselves eventually gives way to the desires of those in charge.

Only by accepting and adhering to a moral code external to our environment can we truly achieve moral truth.  Many professions develop a code of conduct that regulate the actions of members of that profession.  For example, the American Nurses Association has developed a code of ethics that apply to all nurses (http://www.nursingworld.org/codeofethics).  A standard such as this that is developed through a collaborative effort of many (as opposed to the dictatorial effort of the pigs in Animal Farm) help ensure that standards cannot change with the wind.

Our entire legal system is based on the Ten Commandments, six through ten in particular, which list crimes against the community in what could be argued a diminishing scale of severity: murder, marital infidelity, theft, betrayal through lying and envy.  Even if one does not believe Christianity, one would have to admit that the moral teachings of the Bible and of Christ (e.g. “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” – Matt. 7:12) makes sense.  From an atheistic perspective, these teachings tell us to treat others well, help others in need, conduct ourselves in proper manner, behave appropriately, and do good.  This moral code has stood the passage of time and continues to influence our actions whether we believe in Christ or not.

Let’s take a look at some scripture that would help answer the question “What would Jesus do?” in relation to voting.  First, the Bible teaches us that we must “subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.  The authorities that exist have been established by God” (Romans 13:1).  The authority by which our government obtains its power is the consent of the people (supported by the Declaration and the Constitution).  In America’s case (because we are a grand experiment) God has ordained the power of “We the People” in the self-governance we enjoy.  We as citizens of this country, therefore, are the foundation of the power in our country.  Citizens, therefore, have a duty and obligation to do their part in exercising that authority.

Another way I heard it put refers to the passage where Jesus says “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21)[i].  We don’t have a Caesar like the Jews did in Jesus’ time, our Caesar is our government.  Our government was put into place with the expectation that the people would participate in their governing.  The method that was instilled to do this is voting.  We are expected to vote by the government and therefore must render unto our “Caesar” our vote.  Proverbs 14:34 tells us “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”  If Christians don’t vote, who will ensure righteousness prevails in America?  Are we going to trust non-believers to be righteous?  No.  We are called to be the righteous (clothed in Jesus’ righteousness, not our own), the salt and light, the city on the hill.  Christians must vote or the world will decide what is right and wrong.  And if you cherish religious freedom and liberty, the world will eventually decide that a biblical moral standard is inconvenient and Christianity will be purged.  This isn’t hyperbole.  Already two candidates have made comments that deeply held religious beliefs must be changed.  (A simple Google search will provide ample proof.)  If Christians don’t vote, Christians don’t have a voice in this Constitutional Republic.

Conclusions:

So what WOULD Jesus do?  I’m in no condition to predict what He would do, I’m a saved sinner sanctified in His blood.  But reading His word, I believe there are several practical conclusions that can be made.

Politics have become “dirty” because good Christian men and women (and even non-Christian men and women of good morals) have not been engaged in politics.  Or, these good men and women of faith have allowed the trappings of politic office to pervert their Christian faith and beliefs.  They have become part of the problem because they failed to keep Christ first.

People of good and strong moral character (not Christian necessarily) are needed to provide strong moral leadership for our nation.  Without a true moral compass, our country will eventually flounder in the moral relativism that changes morals with every shift in the political wind.

Only by adhering to a set of morals external to humans as an organism can we attain true morality.  Current thinking is that morals (and the Constitution) should change to suit our own desires and pursuits.  No, I say.  Our pursuits and desires should conform to a moral standard that has withstood the test of time.

Don’t vote for a person.  Vote for the platform that person represents.  What is it that individual will do that will further the course of truth and justice?  Is that course moral and just?  Moral frailty is a human nature.  Although we can’t altogether ignore the moral frailty of another human being, we must be forgiving (Romans 3:23-24, Matt 6:14-15, Mark 11:25, Matt 26:28).  When it comes to discerning the morality and justice of a platform or course of a candidate, actions will demonstrate that person’s commitment to that course.

If Christians don’t vote, the only voice that gets heard in the “public square” is the voice of the world perspective.  The perspective driven by changes in morality, by the drive to justify sinful desires, and by Satan himself.  Evil rarely enters a situation all at once (although he is called a roaring lion looking for anyone he can devour – 1 Peter 5:8).  Evil normally makes gains through incrementalism – step by step – so as not to incite resistance.

Yes, Christians should – must – vote.  If we don’t, there could very well be a time when Christians won’t have the ability to do so.

If we as Christians don’t do our part to turn our nation back to God, God could very well abandon our nation and turn us over to our evil desires.  In Judges chapter 10, God is telling Israel that she had turned away from Him and pursued pagan gods and that He would be pouring out His wrath on her.  The Israelites repented of their sins, put away their pagan gods, and turned back to God.  The result?  “And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel” (Judges 10:16).  What a mighty God we serve that He would turn away His wrath when His people repent and cry out to Him.  America is at that point and it is up to Christians to influence culture and society to bring America to full repentance and turn back to Him.  The only way this will happen is if Christians get involved.

I’ll close with two quotes.  The first is from Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”  By not going to the polls and casting a righteous vote, you stand by and do nothing, allowing evil to prosper.  The second is from Alexis de Tocqueville: “I sought for the key to the greatness and genius of America in her harbors...; in her fertile fields and boundless forests; in her rich mines and vast world commerce; in her public school system and institutions of learning. I sought for it in her democratic Congress and in her matchless Constitution.  Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.  America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

But what do I know?  I’m not a Pastor or a historian.  This is just my two cents … for what it’s worth.

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[i] I can’t take credit for this, Pastor Jeff Schreve of From His Heart Ministries gave this message today on American Family Radio: The Rise and Fall of a Nation – Part 1.  He was much more elegant in his explanation of this passage and its application to voting.  Click this link to listen: http://www.fromhisheart.org/player?bid=0df5b5f7-356e-4f6f-b1d9-f0074f092d20 

For a copy of the I'm Voting Are You? pic, go to: www.imvoting.net