https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/Should-a-Christian-Vote.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n\tby Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Matthew 5:13-16<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I. David Lipscomb was a famous preacher from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s<\/p>\n A. He wasn’t an apostle. He wasn’t inspired. But he was a knowledgeable man, and\nhis words carried a lot of weight.\n
B. He taught that it was a sin for a Christian to vote in political elections.<\/p>\n 1. His theory was that since God is in control of the nations, He alone will\ndetermine the outcome of political changes.\n a. If God wants a particular ruler in place, He will raise him up. Or,\nHe might take a ruler down. All for God’s own reasons.\n b. He might raise an ungodly man to high office, such as Pharaoh,\nNebuchadnezzar, or Herod. Such ungodly men outnumber the\ngodly leaders God has raised.\n 2. When a Christian votes for one whom he thinks is the right man, he may\nselect a man different from the one whom God wants\n
a. After all, God may want an evil man in power for some reason.<\/p>\n b. Not knowing God’s will in advance, the Christian is then voting\nagainst God’s will.\n
3. Hence, to avoid that possibility, he declared it wrong to vote at all<\/p>\n
II. The difficultly in answering this question <\/p>\n A. The kingdoms during biblical times did not use a democratic system or a\nrepresentative democratic system of government.\n B. Only one existed in all the years that the Bible covers, and that was Greece which\ncame to power and fell during the years of silence.\n C. The typical government was a monarchy. People didn’t get to vote on their rulers\nor their laws.\n
III. Interaction with government<\/p>\n
A. Christians are to be supportive of government<\/p>\n
1. I Timothy 2:1-2 – Pray for rulers<\/p>\n
2. Romans 13:1-2 – Subject to governing authorities<\/p>\n
3. Romans 13:5-7 – Paying taxes and giving respect<\/p>\n
B. God’s people did express their thoughts regarding their leaders<\/p>\n 1. John the Baptist told Herod that his marriage was not legitimate – Matthew\n14:3-4\n
2. Nathan, the prophet, confronted King David with his sins – II Samuel 12:7-10<\/p>\n 3. When Jeroboam set up a false religion, he too was condemned by a\nprophet – I Kings 13:1-6\n 4. While giving testimony to defend himself, Paul’s words caused Felix, the\ngovernor, to fear – Acts 24:24-25\n
C. God’s people did use the rights granted to them by their government<\/p>\n
1. Esther made an appeal for a law change – Esther 7:1-6<\/p>\n 2. Paul demanded, as a Roman citizen, an apology from the local leaders –\nActs 16:35-39\n
3. He stopped a scourging – Acts 22:24-29<\/p>\n
4. He appealed to Caesar for a fair trial – Acts 25:10-12<\/p>\n D. Our government requests the input of its citizens in the selection of its rulers and\nin the formation of laws\n 1. Titus 3:1-2 – By voting, we are obeying the request of our government for\nour opinions\n 2. I Peter 2:13-17 – By voting we are submitting to the ordinances of men and\nit is to be used as an opportunity to do good.\n 3. Think about it, one vote is small, but even when a measure fails, leaders\npay attention to the margin of failure.\n a. What happens when a senator barely hangs on his seat and polls\nshow that people were upset over his votes on homosexual\nmarriages or abortion?\n b. Does casting votes based on moral or ethical principles help the\nnation as a whole or not? – Proverbs 14:34\n
IV. What about voting against God’s will?<\/p>\n A. Foremost, we must acknowledge that God’s will is always done. We cannot\nthwart the will of God in any way, except in how we stand individually before\nGod.\n
B. Mordecai understood this – Esther 4:13-16<\/p>\n
1. No matter which way Esther chose, the Jews would be rescued as a whole.<\/p>\n
2. The only ones affected by Esther’s choice would be her own family.<\/p>\n C. Was Paul wrong to pray for his thorn to be removed three times because God told\nhim “no?” – II Corinthians 12:7-10\n D. Was Jesus wrong to pray that he might avoid the cross, even though he knew it\nwas his destiny? – Matthew 26:39\n E. These people knew God’s will, expressed a desire for a different outcome, and\nsubmitted to God’s choice even though it was not their favored choice.\n
F. Now what about when I don’t know God’s will on a matter?<\/p>\n 1. III John 2 – I might pray for health and prosperity, but that doesn’t mean I\nwill receive it. God might have other plans for me. \n
a. But whatever the result, I accept the result.<\/p>\n
b. Yet, it doesn’t mean I avoid doctors or financial counselors.<\/p>\n
c. We do the best with what we know and let God handle the result.<\/p>\n
2. Matthew 6:11 – We are to pray for our food<\/p>\n
a. But I still have to go out and work – II Thessalonians 3:10<\/p>\n 3. What is different to pray for our rulers and then vote the best we know\nhow and accept the result as God’s will?\n
V. Separation of church and state<\/p>\n A. Such is often batted around, but the idea is not in our constitution. It comes from a\nletter written by Thomas Jefferson; a statement taken out of context.\n 1. Jefferson was responding to a question from a Baptist church regarding the\npossibility of the state interfering in the matters of the church at some\nfuture time.\n 2. Jefferson responded that there is a separation of church and state, keeping\nthe state out of the church’s business.\n 3. The statement has been reversed to say that the church cannot be involved\nin the state\n B. The truth is that what was feared is coming about. Daily we see the state moving\ninto the business of the church\n 1. Example: Canada’s courts have classified speaking against homosexuality\n“hate speech.”\n
2. There are activists who desire that in the United States.<\/p>\n C. When we pray for the good of our country, should we not express which way is\ngood to our neighbors?\n
1. Homosexuality remains a sin, no matter what is current opinion.<\/p>\n
2. Abortion remains a sin. An innocent life is taken.<\/p>\n
3. Spanking is still allowed as part of the raising of children.<\/p>\n 4. The government is making laws that interferes with our expression of\ntruth.\n a. Truth will ultimately win, even if our nation collapses, as so many\nhave done in the past, under the weight of sin.\n b. Meanwhile, we ought to stand for truth, even if no one else wants\nto listen.\n 5. The wisdom of God is made known to rulers through the church –\nEphesians 3:10\n D. When our country was first founded, Alexis de Tocqueville came from France to\nsee why this experiment in democracy was working. He said, “I sought for the\ngreatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers\n– and it was not there. I sought in the fertile fields and boundless forest – in her\nrich mines and vast world commerce – and it was not there. I sought for the\ngreatness and genius of America in her democratic Congress and her matchless\nConstitution – it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and\nheard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her\ngenius and power. America is great because America is good – and if America\never ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”\n
E. Matthew 5:13-16<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 5:13-16 I. David Lipscomb was a famous preacher from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s A. He wasn’t an apostle. He wasn’t inspired. But he was a knowledgeable man, and his words carried a lot of weight. B. He taught that it was a sin for a Christian to vote in…<\/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":[119,32],"tags":[310],"class_list":["post-25643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-government"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":62220,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/doers-of-the-word\/","url_meta":{"origin":25643,"position":0},"title":"Doers of the Word","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: James 1:22-27 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Suppose we took a vote on the practices we are to preform. How would it go? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Obviously, the commandments of our Lord and Savior cannot be voted upon. We are required to follow them. But what if we did vote\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/HowTheChurchVoted.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/HowTheChurchVoted.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/HowTheChurchVoted.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/HowTheChurchVoted.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":35295,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/should-gay-rights-be-voted-on\/","url_meta":{"origin":25643,"position":1},"title":"Should Gay Rights be Voted On?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 14, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Source:\u00a0Juan Perez Jr and Erin Golden, \"Churches push to get Omaha vote on gay rights,\" Omaha World-Herald, 14 October 2012 This is an issue local to my region, but arguments reflect a national trend. The Omaha city council last spring, by a close vote of 4 to 3, passed a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":60124,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/you-should-get-your-facts-straight\/","url_meta":{"origin":25643,"position":2},"title":"You should get your facts straight","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: You mentioned (in Is \"Christian\" supposed to be \"natsarim\"?) that the New Testament wasn't written in Hebrew. That's partially true, as Epiphanius and others have documented there was a Hebrew Matthew. 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Like I know a guy who claims to be a Christian. He was giving advice about going through divorce to someone else and he said \"getting a rebound chick\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":63768,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-become-a-christian\/","url_meta":{"origin":25643,"position":5},"title":"Why Become a Christian?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 5, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Revelation 3:14-22 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many here are Christians. You've been Christians for a number of years. Do you remember why you became a Christian? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Many people have never chosen Christ. 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