Is it a Christian’s duty to vote?

A Christian has a duty to vote probably more than any other citizen because of the biblical principles that are out there relating to nations. The Scripture tells us, Proverbs 14:34, that “Righteousness exalts a nation.” Well, righteousness comes from the national policies that are enacted, or, you could also say righteousness exalts a state or community and you determine righteousness on the basis of the public policies that are enacted—which means public leaders choose those public policies and enact them. That’s when we go to Proverbs 29:2, which tells us “When the righteous rule, the people rejoice (and) when the wicked rule, the people groan.” In other words, ungodly, non-God-fearing people will not make righteous policies. You will not get, for example, God-fearing people to say it’s OK to have abortion, it’s OK to destroy the sanctity of marriage, it’s OK to promote certain things in schools. … So, what we find scripturally, is that God-fearing policies come from God- fearing people; and in America, the only way that God- fearing people can rule … is to be elected. If, as people of faith, we want righteousness to be exalted, we have to elect leaders who will exalt righteousness, and that’s the only way that God can bless the nation. –David Barton

I know this has become a hot topic among Christians recently. I’ve been asked, “Is it a sin for a Christian to not vote.” That’s a pretty authoritative statement to make. But here’s my take on it. In the past, all Christians pretty much voted because for the most part there were candidates that had similar Christians views. We’re now dealing w/ something in our country that’s new. There’s not a clear cut candidate that supports our Christian views. We can learn much from our British friends and others who’ve been dealing w/ this problem for some time now. I’ve talked extensively about this issue with my Christian brother, Jose Robles, in the Dominican Republic. He always votes based on how God directs him about which candidate will be best for the evangelization of his country even though the Roman Catholic may align with his moral beliefs more. So most of the time, he votes for a non-Christian as opposed to voting for the Roman Catholic candidate who believes Baptists are a cult. Check out what this British brother has to say about voting. I love his point about Jeremiah telling the people “to seek the welfare of Babylon, even though it was a pagan state”:

Where in the Bible do we find a biblical basis for arguing that it’s a Christian’s duty to vote? There are many passages that deal with choosing leaders in God’s Word. The best IMO, is Deuteronomy 1:13: ”Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.” (ESV) That’s pretty clear to me. We have an opportunity to “choose wise, understanding, and experienced men” when we vote. IMO, if we forfeit that command by God, we will be held accountable. I know that sounds dogmatic. But it’s what is a major problem in our churches. We don’t want to take responsibility for the state of our nation, when in reality it’s our fault to begin w/ for not being more involved in placing Godly men and women in leadership positions.

So I would suggest that voting is a Christian’s duty. No the Bible does not directly say, “Thou shalt vote.” Just like it doesn’t directly say, “Abortion is murder.” But I think most Christians can agree that the Bible implies that abortion is wrong and is murder. In the same way, voting is a duty for a believer. We are not just responsible for our own personal welfare, but also for the welfare of the community and nation in which we serve. This is an issue I struggled with for sometime. But I’ve decided God wants us to be proactive on this issue rather than giving people the choice not to vote so they have a cop out with God, our nation, and our children.

Dr. David Barton is a Christian historian who deals with Voter Responsibility in this video:

I just submitted a brief argument for the reasons why a Christian has a duty to vote. But I perceive that there is a large majority of Christians that would not be willing to say that it is a Christian’s duty to vote. Recently, a very good pastor friend of mine and I were discussing this issue and he made a statement that I think represents how most Christians currently feel about voting: “Personally, I choose to not tell people they have to vote or who they should vote for. That is their choice and as long as Christians pray and follow the Word and their conscience that is between them and God. I’ve got bigger fish to fry.” In no way do I want to belittle or attack my good friend; so his name will remain “Anonymous Southern Baptist Pastor.” But I do think my friend reveals the disgust many Christians have for politics in our country right now. I will say that my friend does vote and encourages others to vote, but just doesn’t feel Scripture gives us a clear mandate to tell Christians it is their duty to vote. But he is thinking the issue over.

When Christians tell me they’re not voting and I ask “WHY?”, their response is normally something like this: ”There’s not a worthy candidate to vote for.” I think that answer is Bologna. And the reason I say that answer is Bologna is, if you really are praying for our leaders as the Bible commands, then God will direct you which candidate to vote for even if he or she is a pagan.

I think the biggest problem for Christians is, Jesus is not running for President. There never has and never will be a perfect candidate. Boy would Charles Finney love politics these days. Listen to what the evangelist of the mid 1800s had to say: “The time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics or the Lord will curse them. . . . Christians have been exceedingly guilty in this matter. But the time has come when they must act differently. . . . Christians seem to act as if they thought God did not see what they do in politics. But I tell you He does see it – and He will bless or curse this nation according to the course they (Christians) take in politics.” -Charles Finney

In the colonial period, it was very common for every pastor to preach an Election Sermon (and I’m not talking about a sermon on predestination, Ha) once a year. Here’s a link to one such sermon preached by Daniel Foster in 1790 with John Hancock and Samuel Adams in the congregation: Election Sermon, 1790.

So, in conclusion, do Christian’s have a duty to vote? IMO, YES. One of the greatest sins of the American Church today is apathy. To often, we sit back and think as long as I do nothing wrong, pray, show up for church every once in a while, and put a little in the offering plate I’m doing what God wants me to do. At what point do we make a sacrifice for Christ to get in the middle of the world and try to make a difference, whether that be the slums of our cities or politics? Will it be easy? NO. But we can’t ignore elections just because we don’t like any of the candidates. Be a proactive Christian, parent, and citizen.

Advertisement