It is once again time for Canadians to consider the state of the nation and collectively appoint the government who will lead them into the future. Simply stated, the process can sound so reasonable and practical and civil. Experience, however, teaches us something very different. We know all too well that elections are emotionally charged seasons full of half-truths, slander, and division. Elections are a time when power and influence are made available to the victor, and these opportunities tend to bring out the worst in people. Some become hungry for a seat of power while others become fearful of the “wrong people” obtaining those seats.
When it comes to politics, I am personally tempted to put my fingers in my ears and hum “This world is not my home, I’m just pass’n through” as loudly as is humanly possible. This is an effective way of keeping myself from joining in the banter of the screaming masses, the doomsday prophets, and the over-night experts in global economy, but I also recognize that ignorance is a self-defense mechanism and not a biblical response.
So, how should a Christian rightly participate in the elections of these earthly kingdoms while keeping our eyes on the Kingdom that is to come? Here are three truths from the pages of Scripture to help us do just that.
Pray for the souls of your leaders (1 Timothy 2:1–4)
Paul’s pastoral instructions to Timothy include a very direct call to pray for “kings and all who are in high positions.” These prayers, according to Paul, are “good and pleasing” to God. So, how is it that we pray for the authorities that God has placed over us? This passage instructs us to pray that we may live in dignity and peace. I don’t believe that this means that we simply pray for dignity and peace.
The passage takes a soteriological turn in verse four. Paul is teaching the church to concern ourselves with the salvation of our earthly leaders. To seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness trusting that all these things will be added to you as well is to pray for leaders in such a way that we would intercede for the renewal of their souls and not just their policies.
Trust in the Sovereign hand of God (Romans 13:1–7)
“On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16). Kings, presidents, and prime ministers do not rule alone. Their plans are carried out by men and women appointed to execute and oversee the smaller portions of the bigger picture. The King of kings is no exception. This is not often an easy pill to swallow. It is a right and reasonable question to ask how a leader that would deny God by word and deed could be called the “servant of God” (v. 4).
First, I would remind you that Paul is writing this while under the rule of a man that history would remember as one of the most brutally unreasonable leaders to have ever occupied a throne. Should we ever consider Paul’s instructions here to be overly simplified, a brief pause to consider the historical context of Nero’s Rome should suffice as a sobering reminder that this is a call to live by faith and not by sight.
Second, I would remind you to read the prophets. God often used kings and kingdoms to bring about his will. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, etc. all speak of the divine appointment of rulers from Egypt, Babylon, Tyre, and Sidon so that they might carry out the will of God. Equally documented is the destruction these rulers were condemned to for carrying on for their own gain and glory.
Fixing our eyes on the King of kings, we are to submit to the government God has placed over us. This is the will of God, and for this we will give an account. Likewise, our leaders will also give an account for their handling of the power and influence they were given.
Give to God what is his (Matt. 22:15–22)
In an attempt to trap Jesus between his Jewish heritage and the Roman occupation, the Pharisees ask him to speak to the issue of taxes. Jesus responds by saying that we should give to Caesar what belongs to him and to God what would belong to God. This is a very well-known passage, but I don’t think it is a well-taught passage. The first part of Jesus’ message is simple enough; pay your taxes. What often gets overlooked is the second point. As is common for Jesus in these situations, he turns the question to expose a deeper truth behind the question.
When he calls us to give to God that which is rightfully his, he is showing us that we more frequently fail to honour God than we might fail to honour our governments. In many ways, we look to our governments as stabilizing factors for our personal economies forgetting that God alone is our provider. We look to policy to maintain security forgetting that Jesus is the Prince of Peace. We look to social funding for our physical well-being forgetting that God is the great physician and our ever-present help in times of need. Give to Caesar what is his, but don’t give him what belongs to God. In God alone, we place our hope, our peace, our livelihoods, and it is in him we seek shelter.
God has richly blessed us to live in a place and time where we have the privilege to participate in civil affairs. I would encourage all Christians to exercise this privilege at every point possible. Speak into the culture, and influence outcomes. As we do this, we must keep in mind that we are a peculiar people, we are aliens and strangers in this world, we are the ones thinking differently. Governments and their policies mean something more to masses who live outside of the hope of the Gospel. As children of God, we are trusting in something more than the wisdom and power of man.
We understand that the outcomes in life have more to do with the will of God than the actions of man. As we set our course in voting and adjust to the outcome of the resulting tallies, may we seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness trusting that all these other things (by the hand of God and not Caesar) will be added to us as well.
