______________________________________________________________________________
 

In a few days we are going to vote.

We have the privilege to vote.

We will come together on Nov 4^th, as a nation.

We, the people, will vote for a new president of the United States of America

So this morning, as we do every week, we turn to the bible
to hear what it has to say on the current events that affect our very lives.

What does the bible say on the subject of government,

election, and how to live as Christians in relationship to our government?

Re-read: Romans 13:1-2:

Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

Paul is very clear here that we are supposed to submit ourselves to the authority of government. Why?  Because God is the one who put the government in place.

Now I have to admit, when I first read these words, I questioned them!

What about the many corrupt and bad governments in the world?  Those words cannot possibly be true about them. Did God establish these governments too?

What was Paul talking about?  Well, Paul wrote these words to the church at Rome, so he was talking about their government, which was the Roman government.

The Roman Empire actually had a democratic government that was not unlike our own.
There was a Senate that held meetings in Rome, just like there is a Senate that meets on Capitol Hill in Washington DC. There was a Caesar in Rome who had a similar position and power than the president of the United States.

Paul himself was a Roman citizen and knew a thing or two about this government he was writing about.

So, what about the question of whether all government is instituted by God (Rom 13:2)? In answering this question, note that Paul was not saying here that all government “officials” are appointed and put into place by God.

No doubt, Paul knew about corruption and bad apples in government positions, because when he was writing these words, Nero, the biggest persecutor of Christianity was in power.

What Paul is saying is that all government—the system of government--is from God because the absence of government is chaos
if you don’t have government you have anarchy. And that is unacceptable for God for God is a God of Order

So when Paul says that we are supposed to submit to our government, the magistrates and officials, we are to submit to the office they represent.  We are supposed to pay our taxes and obey the laws of the land.

It does not mean that we cannot criticize and question those in power; or that we cannot question and use due process to challenge laws.

So what if a law is against God’s eternal law? Do we still have to obey that law according to Paul?

It’s a historical fact that Christians in the Roman Empire continued to meet illegally to worship the Christian God. The practice of Christianity was against the Roman law under Nero and our brothers and sisters in Christ were punished with torture and death because of they refused to obey this law. The bottom line is that we do not have to obey a law that conflicts with God’s law.

Yes, we need to submit to the authorities--unless the laws are against God’s laws. Submission to Paul does not mean mindless obedience; we are called to submit not just out of a sense of duty or to prevent punishment, but based on our conscience (Rom 13:5: “Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.“)

We are supposed to use our conscience as a God-given guide. So, we obey the good laws of the land and we may refuse to ones the ones that are against God’s eternal laws.   

Let’s talk about the election process! If all authority is established by God, is God also in the democratic election process? And if it is up to the people, how can God control it?

We have already determined that God doesn’t necessarily endorse or appoint individual candidates or officers. We know that there were even kings in Israel that God did not approve of. And we know that God actively appointed some that God really wanted in “office,” like David and Solomon.

Now in a democracy, the only way God can influence an election is through the hearts of the people. That’s why it is so important to pray.  It is our responsibility as Christians to pray for the right candidates to get elected.

In our OT reading, we learn about how Samuel was sent to Jesse’s family to anoint one of them the new king of Israel.  Samuel did not initially know whom he was supposed to anoint. All he knew was that it was one of Jesse’s sons.

Samuel did what we have to do in any election year, we have to make ourselves familiar with the candidates. So, Samuel meets all of Jesse’s sons and at least once, he thought to himself, “this must be the one,” only to find God saying: “No, he’s not the one.”

In fact, there is a lesson in this election process for Samuel: “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Sam 16:7)

Finally, God reveals to Samuel that it is the youngest son, David, whom he is to choose.

That’s kind of what we’re doing in an election. Each of us is to use our judgment and conscience in the election booth, but just like Samuel, we are also supposed to be in prayer over which candidate to choose for ourselves.  No doubt, prayer must be part of the election process for Christians.

Lastly, all of us can take comfort in the good news that, ultimately, God is in control no matter who sits in the White Houses and the Capitol Hills of this world.

I’d like to close with a verse from Proverbs 21:1: "The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will." 

Ultimately, God is bigger than all of our issues, God is in control over all human affairs. He’s got the whole world in his hands! Thanks be to God. Amen!