Carl Pollard
Another election has come and gone. Some people are celebrating. Others are frustrated. And by the looks of social media, some people probably need to put their phones down for a few days.
But regardless of how you feel about the results, I think there’s something Christians need to seriously think about. We can’t expect our country to uphold biblical values that we aren’t willing to practice ourselves.
Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” Notice that Solomon doesn’t mention the economy, military strength, or political leadership. He points to righteousness.
Don’t misunderstand me, elections matter and our laws matter. The people making decisions for our country matter. And Christians ought to care deeply about the direction our nation is heading. But there’s something incredibly inconsistent about demanding that politicians defend biblical morality while Christians often compromise it.
We want leaders who respect marriage. Are we honoring ours? We want a society that values children. Are we raising ours to know the Lord? We want people to respect God’s Word. Do we actually know what it says? We want Christianity protected in America. But are we doing anything with the freedom we already have?
It’s easy to get worked up over what’s happening in Washington while ignoring what’s happening in our own homes. Jesus never told His disciples to wait until Rome became more favorable toward Christianity before they started living faithfully. In Matthew 5:13–16, He told them to be salt and light in a world that desperately needed both.
And that’s still our responsibility. We should never apologize for what Scripture teaches. Not about marriage, morality, the sanctity of life, or the exclusivity of Christ. But we also need to make sure our conduct gives people a reason to take those convictions seriously.
The truth doesn’t need to be rewritten to accommodate the culture. It needs to be believed, taught, defended, and lived. What good is it to win a political argument if we’re losing our influence for Christ?
I’m thankful we have the opportunity to vote. I’m thankful we can speak freely about our convictions. But I don’t want us to become so consumed with protecting Christianity politically that we fail to practice it personally.
The election may determine who holds office. It doesn’t determine whether we obey God. That decision is ours, every single day.
