God is Still on the Throne

--Bill Petite

  It’s been a couple of days now since the election and most of the dust has settled. But there are some Christians who actually believe this is the end of Christianity in this country. My question to them is this: “Have you read the Bible lately?” Come on, are politicians more powerful than God? Is any type of government more powerful than God? Is anything more powerful than God? The answer to all of these questions is no. My question, in general, is why do some Christians allow themselves to become so wrapped up in a political process? I don’t know what the numbers are but there are a lot of Christians who have made politics a major part of their Christian lives.

Over the years, I have heard it all from Christians who believe that they can make a difference in any election by they way they vote and insist that other Christians vote the same as they do. Notice, I didn’t say encourage other Christians, they insist and when you don’t, they look at you like you’re from another planet. They insist that the Bible demands that we vote. That’s not in the Bible anywhere. They start pulling scriptures out of the Old Testament which deals with the Law that governed Israel or they twist something in the New Testament in order to make it say something about voting and for which candidate. Some Christians, who seldom read the Bible, are convinced by a pastor or friend that the Bible commands us to vote. That’s as misleading as a false doctrine.

We have a right to vote and for any candidate on the ballot. We should consider ourselves blessed that we have that right. People in some countries in this world don’t have that right. Jesus walked this earth for about 33 years. His ministry lasted about 3 years; never once in that time did He ever talk about politics or rebellion against the Roman government. The Bible tells us to pray for those in authority and obey them. Jesus knew how corrupt and evil the Roman government was; He knew how wrong the religious leaders of Israel were and could have wiped them out with just a spoken word. But that isn’t why He came and He warned His disciples they would suffer under these governments.

The Apostle Paul traveled throughout the Roman Empire from country to country and never spoke about politics and governmental issues. He preached the gospel of Jesus and was beaten and left for dead and thrown into dungeons. Did he ever blame the Romans for any of this? No, he did not. He was placed in a Roman prison and bided his time until he could stand before Caesar and plead his case. Actually, he was prepared to die for preaching the gospel. While he was in prison, he didn’t lead a revolt from his cell or place of holding but instead preached the gospel and people were saved. A story has been told and I have no way of verifying it, but Roman guards were changed often because Paul continued to tell them about Jesus and they continued to be saved. Even as he was led to his death, he was telling them about Jesus.

Christians simply need to read and study their Bible and pray and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Christians have the same right to vote as anyone else does in this country but maybe they should spend more time in God’s word. God doesn’t need us worrying about getting our favorite politician elected. He has that under control.

Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and they will be punished.       Romans 13:1-2

I have heard Christians say, concerning an elected politician, “He’s not my ______!” The blank being the political office the person was elected to. But when you read the verses from Romans 13, this statement is actually a rebellion against what God has done. And that is a rebellion against God and that is not a very good position to be in.

God has instituted governments and put them in place with the people He wants in those positions of authority. Why, as a Christian, would anyone want to rebel against God and what He has done?” Have they confused who God really is, almighty God, and what any worldly government is in comparison? Do they actually believe God is weak and cannot control any part of His creation? If these people would spend as much time reading and studying the Bible as they do in political activities, they would learn that God knows the beginning from the end and everything in between.

          Remember the things I have done in the past.

For I alone am God!
I am God, and there is none like me.
Only I can tell you the future
before it even happens.
Everything I plan will come to pass,
for I do whatever I wish.     Isaiah 46:9-10

God knew who was going to win seats in this recent election before he formed the world, the universe. Do these people actually believe God couldn’t put a candidate in a seat without their help? He already knew who would prevail in this election and I have, in the past, explained that to Christians and they still didn’t want to believe it. Now, I will say this and some have asked; if God already knew who He was going to place in an elected seat, why should we bother voting at all? I heard a great Christian man of God explain it this way: God needs a means by which His work can be completed. We are that means. If His plan is for candidate A to be elected, He makes that happen through those who vote for candidate A. Does that sound too simple or silly? How were you saved? You didn’t wake up one morning and decide to get saved. No one does but since God chose you for salvation before He created anything (Eph 1:4), He makes that happen through people. It could be a pastor preaching the gospel or it could be through a series of witnesses from Christians telling you over a period of time. But He knows the exact time you would be saved and it happened. It was accomplished by the means of Christian people telling you about Jesus.

And to bring it back to the problem of politics among Christians, it is so much more important to tell people about Jesus than to tell them about a political candidate. One will get a person saved and the other will get them confused and lost and pushed farther from the gospel. Jesus can return any day now at any time. What’s more important, a political candidate or Jesus? A human being, regardless of his position here in this world, cannot come close to the importance of knowing Jesus as your Lord and savior. Christians must make the wise choice; it’s Jesus every time. And God is still on the throne!