Voting as Kingdom Citizens

One of the most important ways to bring God’s view into politics and the policies of a nation is through your own voice. I know of no other simpler and more straightforward way to let your voice count than to participate in politics through your vote. Your vote is your voice.

Many, if not most, Christians begin with the wrong question of who they should vote for rather than the more important question of how they should vote. Asking the correct question is fundamental to knowing how to arrive at the correct answer.

As a kingdom citizen, you are to be a kingdom voter. Kingdom voting is the opportunity and responsibility of committed Christians to partner with God by expanding His rule in society through civil government. It is only to the degree that you include God’s person and God’s policies in politics that you witness His presence and His power in society. When we involve God in politics, we can begin to see healing in the church so that it can then be modeled in the culture.

“Your vote should seek to expand God’s kingdom rule on earth.”

Voting is your opportunity to engage in politics in a meaningful way. I call it an opportunity because not every culture offers this option to its people. Not every country allows its citizens to vote on its leadership. Voting is your responsibility. It is your partnership in the political process. Failure to take advantage of this privilege nullifies a person’s right to legitimately complain about the direction of the government that they refuse to engage on political issues even at a minimal level. The government, on the other hand, should encourage and facilitate equal access to the ballot box for all qualified citizens and remove every vestige of voter suppression and gerrymandering.

Throughout the Bible, God called on people to partner with Him. Scripture makes it clear that we work together with God (2 Cor. 6:1). Thus, while we must pray for God to bring healing to our land, we must also partner with God for this healing to take place. When our part of the partnership wanes and we fail to fulfill our responsibility, we don’t change who God is, but we may alter how He chooses to work. God has established the process of partnership, through forms of voting, for our decision-making and engagement with culture, although He alone determines the ultimate outcome (Prov. 16:33; Acts 1:24–26).

If we are going to see God intervene and inject Himself in the affairs of a collapsing society and a devastated nation, then we need to return to Him. I’m not talking about returning to Him by simply throwing His name around or saying more public prayers. Rather, we must return to Him in a way that embraces His person and His policies at the level that He can then influence the culture. It is only then that we will experience His healing presence in our lives, churches, and in our nation.

“If you are a Christian and you name the name of Jesus Christ, you don’t get to leave God out of your vote.”

The further God is removed from the life of an individual, from the definition of a family, or from the running of a church, the more chaotic those entities become. The more chaotic those entities become then influences the level of chaos in the culture. God is not a cute addendum we toss around so that we can feel spiritual. God longs to be intricately involved in all we do and say, and especially in the running of our nation.

The theme of the Bible is the glory of God through the expansion of His kingdom. God is concerned about one thing: that He be glorified and His kingdom expanded. Once you leave that, you’ve left the theme of the Bible. And once you’ve left the Bible, you’ve left God. The Bible is clear that God rules over all. Psalm 22:28 states it like this: “For dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations.”

God is King. He is running a kingdom that involves the nations. God has established the world in such a way to give you the opportunity and responsibility to participate in the process of how He runs it. You participate, at a minimum, through your vote. Now, I understand that this creates consternation because what we are voting on is not God or His policies, but rather people to fill roles who may or may not reflect God’s principles. But we are still called upon to vote according to our conscience in a manner that will seek to bring God glory.

If you are a Christian and you name the name of Jesus Christ, you don’t get to leave God out of your vote. Nor do you just get to vote how you want to vote. You only get to vote for God’s glory and the expansion of His kingdom. That’s the primary drive behind your vote. Your vote should seek to expand God’s kingdom rule on earth. And while I understand and acknowledge that there are a lot of variances in terms of specific applications to specific policies and politicians under that banner, the goal of glorifying God must be foremost in your vote. God’s glory is magnified when He is recognized in His proper sovereign place over the nations.