The results of the election give us hope that things will get better. But look at these three prophetic and sobering words we mustn’t overlook.
July 17, 2024
The question of how Jesus would vote is an important one. This is because the Scriptures say we are to follow His example (see 1 Peter 2:21). Would Jesus vote Democrat, or would He vote Republican? We will look at the definitive answer in a few minutes. In the meantime, let’s look at what should influence our thoughts on the question.
It’s common to hear both individuals and nations say that God is with their cause. We often hear this when there is a war. The Germans said that God was with them prior to and during the Second World War. So did the Russians. Here’s an excerpt from Military Wiki:
Gott mit uns (meaning God with us) is a phrase commonly used on armor in the German military from the German Empire to the end of the Third Reich, although its historical origins are far older. The Imperial Russian motto, “Съ нами Богъ!” (“S’ nami Bog’!”), also translates to this.
When the Second World War broke out, Britain also claimed to have a divine ally. According to a publication by Cambridge University Press, “King George VI…called on the peoples of Britain and its empire to ‘reverently commit our cause to God.… with God’s help, we shall prevail.’”
More recently, the Ukrainians maintained that God was with them in their battle with Russia. An article from USA Today said, “So many of the Ukrainian people have hope because they have faith.… And it’s why nearly every Ukrainian I met firmly believes that God will carry them, against the odds, to victory.”
“Asking how Jesus would vote is in essence another way of asking, ‘What is the morally right thing to do in the light of God’s Word?’”
And the Russians, of course, were sure that God was with them in their war against Ukraine.
The “God is with me” mentality is also common in sports. The winner says they’ve won because God was on their side. We regularly hear actors say they are grateful to God for His help when they’ve won some prestigious award.
It’s even common for mass murderers to say they were led by God. According to an ABC News report, this was the case at a Pennsylvania church when a man tried to shoot a pastor: “Polite [the gunman ] allegedly confessed to attempting to kill the pastor, telling a police trooper, ‘God told him to do it.’”
Then again, another news outlet reported God was on the pastor’s side: “‘Divine intervention’ saves pastor after gunman pulls trigger during church service.”
Our psychiatric hospitals are filled with delusional people who either think that they are God or that they are His mouthpiece. We should therefore be careful when we are tempted to say that we have God on our political side. Those who do so lack what the Scriptures say is “the beginning of wisdom”—the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). Abraham Lincoln feared God enough to say, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
And that brings us back to the question of which way Jesus would lean politically. The answer is found in the character of God, something we learn from Scripture. Psalm 89:14 tells us that “righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.” God always governs by what is right and just, and Scripture tells us that Jesus always did the things that pleased His Father (John 8:29). Asking how Jesus would vote is in essence another way of asking, “What is the morally right thing to do in the light of God’s Word?”
Therefore, we can definitively answer that question by saying that Jesus would only vote for a Republican or a Democrat if they were against the murder of children in the womb (see Exodus 20:13) and if they were against the promotion of a form of sexuality that the Bible says is an abomination to God (see Leviticus 20:13). Such thoughts should give the confused Christian some sense of guidance when it comes to how he or she should vote.