You Have a Choice

Choice is important for many people. The ability to choose makes many of us feel like we have some control. With the election on the horizon, this seems like the season of choice. For some, every election seems to take on massive importance as if we as a nation are literally choosing between good and evil. That may be extreme, but at the very least, most of us believe that one option is better than the other. It’s all a matter of perspective. One candidate may have the background, history, and experience that appeals to you, or maybe that candidate has an uncanny way of saying things that always seems to match what you believe. It can be easy to get caught up in the hype and come to think that anything other than the election of your candidate would be cataclysmic. If you’re a Christian, such thinking means that you’ve lost perspective.

We all live in this world and are citizens of a nation. Performing civic duties are just as important for believers as non-believers. Christians should participate just like all the other citizens, voting based on the principles, beliefs, and values they hold. The Bible tells us:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. - Romans 13:1

This is just the first verse of that passage and the rest goes into further detail about how important it is to obey leaders and even suggests that rebellion against those leaders is sinful. Paul’s argument is controversial to some because of its implications. They would point out that by Paul’s argument, slaves like those in Haiti who fought for and eventually won their freedom or citizens who revolted against oppressive regimes to form their own nations like the U.S. were wrong. Those examples can seem sticky. The Hatian slaves, many of whom had adopted Christian ideals into their faith would probably have said they only achieved victory in their fight because of God’s help. The same could probably be said for those who fought in the American Revolution, many of whom were Christians. Who was right? This entry won’t weigh in on that debate.

Those examples were brought up to emphasize what a good thing God has done for us in allowing us to live in a country where certain freedoms are guaranteed. We have a system that allows us to air our grievances through protests. We have some input in the selection of our leaders. Revolt or rebellion are typically unnecessary because we have inherent influence in how we’re governed. Over the course of human history, such systems have been relatively rare. We should be thankful to God for how he blessed us.

That’s not to say that the system is perfect. Even if it was put in place by God, much of the execution is in the hands of humans, so there are bound to be flaws. Every person who felt passionate about casting his or her vote only to have the opposite candidate win has probably come out of the process feeling like the system is somehow broken. In cases where the winning candidate seems to be particularly bad, people may truly question whether God could really have had anything to do with that selection. Well, as mentioned before, the badness of a candidate is a matter of perspective, but the idea that God won’t use a bad person to execute His will is wrong. Sometimes it’s the bad people that make God’s glory most evident.

Consider when the Israelites were held in captivity by the Egyptians. God’s people were harshly subjugated. They were so hopelessly dominated that revolt was not even a thought. We know for sure that God had something to do with Egypt’s rule over the Israelites and especially the Pharaoh ruling at the time when Moses led the Israelites to freedom. Even when God was in the process of liberating the Israelites, He was influencing the Pharaoh.

Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go. - Exodus 10:18-20

Several times in the story, God plays a part in preventing the Pharaoh from letting the Israelites go. Some might ask why God would do that. An easy answer might be that the story wouldn’t have lasted over the ages like it has if Pharaoh let the Israelites go when Moses first asked. God would not have been glorified to the same extent. 

The fact is, we see God use less than righteous people throughout the Bible. God even uses Satan himself. Everything that happens in this world occurs only because God allows it.

That goes for elections in the U.S. and other nations too. Even if a truly bad candidate rises to power, God has a plan, and somehow some way that candidate’s rise will work out to serve God’s plan. That is the Christian perspective. We vote based on what we think is right, but win or lose, we should have faith that all will go according to God’s plan. Yes, we have a choice. In fact, we have many choices that we get to make in our lives. Ironically, having the option to walk away from sin isn’t our choice. God already made that choice for us.

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love - Ephesians 1:4

Our choice is simply whether or not we will accept the gift that God has already given us. Let us all make sure that we make the right choice in that matter and do the best with everything that comes from that. If we do, then we can have faith that whatever other choices we make in our lives will serve God will and work for His glory and those that have submitted to Him.

Chris Lawyer

Image Courtesy of www.hopeenlightenment.com