My question has to do with voting. Since I am able to vote, are there any Bible verses for which I can turn to for deciding who to vote for?\u00a0 It is important for me to select the best candidate for running this country.<\/p>\n
Thanks!<\/p>\n\t
Christians ought to participate in their government.<\/p>\n
“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing<\/em>” (Romans 13:1-6).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Our government allows us to vote for those we would like to represent our interests. Not every citizen of every government has the same privilege. But what we first need to keep in mind is that no matter how the voting results, God’s going to have in authority those He wants there. As Daniel pointed out, “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding<\/em>” (Daniel 2:20-21). That is sometimes hard to grasp because some rulers are obviously poor rulers.<\/p>\n
Our problem is we don’t know everything that is going on. For example, God raised up a Pharaoh at the time of Moses who was both cruel and stubborn. The Israelites did not enjoy being slaves under him, but God wanted just this type of person in charge to prove that the Egyptian gods did not exist and to give Israel extra protection later because other nations would fear Israel’s God.<\/p>\n
In making choices, remember that you want someone who represents your interests. You are not necessarily looking for who promises the most or who stirs the crowds the most. Which candidates have values similar to your own which will lead them to make decisions similar to the ones you would make? You are never going to find the ideal candidate because we are all individuals. Our choices and moral stances are not the same, though they ought to conform to God.<\/p>\n
Knowing you are never going to get perfect, you settle for the closest you can find. And realize that however you vote, God’s choice will win for whatever purpose He has in mind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: My question has to do with voting. Since I am able to vote, are there any Bible verses for which I can turn to for deciding who to vote for?\u00a0 It is important for me to select the best candidate for running this country. Thanks! Answer: Christians ought to participate in their government. “Let…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[310],"class_list":["post-16347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-government"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26716,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/voting-and-the-lesser-of-two-evils\/","url_meta":{"origin":16347,"position":0},"title":"Voting and the Lesser of Two Evils","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Frank Walton In politics, one will never find the perfect candidate among flawed humanity. So then, one will often vote for the least objectional candidate with whom they agree the most. Hence, when people vote for the least objectionable candidate, they say, \"This choice is the lesser of two\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/vote-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1300,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-do-we-do-when-the-government-is-involved-in-our-child-rearing\/","url_meta":{"origin":16347,"position":1},"title":"What do we do when the government is involved in our child rearing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What do we when outside government authorities are involved in our child raising? \u00a0 Answer: This becomes a difficult question to answer well because much depends on the reason the government has seen fit to interfere. The best that I can do is answer in general and hope that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":31874,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-you-support-conscientious-objection\/","url_meta":{"origin":16347,"position":2},"title":"Do you support conscientious objection?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 19, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do you or your church support selective conscientious objection and conscientious objection? Answer: Registering for the draft is a government law that does not violate any teaching of God. \"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45770,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-god-hold-us-responsible-when-we-pay-taxes-to-a-government-that-uses-the-money-for-sinful-purposes-such-as-funding-abortions\/","url_meta":{"origin":16347,"position":3},"title":"Does God hold us responsible when we pay taxes to a government that uses the money for sinful purposes, such as funding abortions?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I live in a State where Medicare covers abortions. Since our taxes pay for Medicare, will God hold us responsible for this? We are told in the Bible to pay taxes, but as citizens, we don't have control over how the money is spent. Thank you for your reply.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25606,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-a-government-that-taxes-its-citizens-at-99-be-followed\/","url_meta":{"origin":16347,"position":4},"title":"Should a government that taxes its citizens at 99% be followed?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Do you think that Christians should obey the tax law, even if the rules required that taxpayers must donate 99% of their income in taxes? Answer: This is a facetious hypothetical argument. 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