“…the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.”
Matthew 23:23b ESV

With the presidential election coming up, I’ve felt the need for some clarity and peace – and the Lord has provided, as He does. If you’re in the same boat, read on. I’m certainly no political expert, but I’ll share with you the help and encouragement I’ve received from the Lord through His Word and through others who love and serve Him.

Politics. Ugh.

If I’m being candid, hate is not too strong a word for my feelings about politics. I hate the posturing and the lies, I hate the power-mongering and the pandering, I hate the hype and the hatefulness and the immaturity and the selfishness and the condescension and the bias. I hate the arguments and I hate the debates. I hate that truth is well-hidden and every report is spun, so we can’t know what’s really going on. The whole system is super messed up, as far as I’m concerned, and I’d love to be able to have nothing to do with it.

I wrote about politics before the last election in 2020, and I shared that post again at the beginning of this year, but I’m feeling the need to revisit the topic. I re-read it recently, and I found that I’ve changed my mind in some ways. Things are different now, both in our country and in my own comprehension. Rather than take my previous post down, though, I’ll address the topic again. I’ve grown in many ways, including in knowledge and in understanding, and that’s a good thing. I’ll let it show.

What’s the Same?

• It’s probably obvious that my opinion of politics in general hasn’t changed much.

• Scripture still says that we should have no hatred or ill will toward anyone, including those who hold opposing political views. We should love them and pray for them (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:28, 1 Corinthians 13:4-7), and we should speak truth to them boldly but with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:14-17). 

• We must always and forever focus our hearts and minds on Christ. Politics should never be first and foremost in anyone’s life. Our hope is not in any political person or system or event. We who are in Christ are citizens of an unshakeable and eternal Kingdom (Hebrews 12:28), and our hope lies in our unshakeable King and in His promises for our eternal future in the New Heaven and New Earth. Even now, our feet stand firmly on the solid ground of Jesus Christ our Rock, and everything we do, think, and desire should be centered on Him.

• We have no reason to fear no matter what happens in November. No future possibility should bring us distress. Our Father is always at work (Daniel 2:21); our Father is in authority over all things (Psalm 47:8); our Father is the One who ultimately sets the rulers (Romans 13:1); our Father will use all things for our good (Romans 8:28); our Father will bring us safely Home (2 Timothy 4:18), where He will make all things right as He reigns in goodness and holiness forever (Revelation 21:1-6). He is our peace and our hope and our anchor in whatever storms may come.

What’s Different?

The level of depravity we’re seeing in our country today has certainly been seen in the world before, but not by our modern American eyes. While it’s true that there is nothing new under the sun, as Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us, there are new things each of us experience and learn, things we haven’t personally had to deal with before. The cultural values in America lined up pretty well with biblical values for most of our history…but no longer. We’ve taken a steep dive away from truth and goodness, and we need to recognize that. (I recommend reading Strange New World by Carl Trueman, or watching some of his interviews on YouTube, if you’d like to understand how we got here.)

I’ve learned and understood some important things since 2020. While I already knew that our political system is a mess, and that the vast majority of those involved have terrible motives, and that I couldn’t feel good about any political option, there are some significant things I’d missed until recently.

One: Politics Affects Everyone

First, I’d missed that politics is actually important and impactful, because politics affects everyone. It is the system we live under in America (and everywhere else, too). What happens in Washington impacts each of us, and more importantly it impacts those the Lord tells us to care for: the defenseless, the helpless, the poor, the children, the voiceless, the oppressed. 

Two: Morality Affects Everyone

“You can’t legislate morality!” Have you heard this claim? It’s true that we can’t change hearts by changing the law, but here’s something else I’d missed: all legislation is legislating morality. Every law claims that a certain behavior is wrong. Laws affect the morality of a society – if something is made legal, more people come to believe it’s morally right. Laws can’t be separated from morality. And since all our laws come through our political system, politics can’t be separated from morality.

The question is whose morality, which morality is being imposed upon the citizens of our country. Is it the objectively true and good morality prescribed by our perfectly moral Creator, or is it the distorted and deceptive morality of those who reject Him? As the Lord tells us in Proverbs 12:10b, “…even the compassion of the wicked is cruel” (NASB). Wrong things seem right and harmful things seem helpful to those who have rejected Truth. 

And while morality can’t save anyone (only Jesus can do that), the morality of any country (as revealed in its culture and its laws) does, like its politics, affect everyone in that culture. If the overall morality of a society matches up with biblical values, as America’s used to, all the people in that society benefit, as Americans have. Why? Because God designed us, and His morals are objectively best for us and for our flourishing. A society that values life and honesty and hard work and self-sacrificial care of others is better for everyone who lives there. A society that values traditional marriage is more stable in every way and provides better overall care for its children. (If you’d like to read or listen to a good defense of these claims, check out Frank Turek’s book Correct, Not Politically Correct, or watch some of his YouTube talks based on it.) God’s way is objectively best. 

All laws legislate morality, and morality affects everyone – including those who need protecting. We can (and should) have a say in which morality informs the laws of our country. If we step back, objectively wrong morality will fill the space we leave.

Three: God Says Some Morals Are More Important Than Others

I’d also missed an important biblical truth that applies to politics: God clearly tells us that some laws are more important than others, and because all laws legislate morality, this means that some values and morals are more important than others. 

I had recognized that neither political platform is fully good, and that there are well-meaning, caring, intelligent people in both parties, and I had over-generalized those truths into the false notions that we needn’t bother being involved in politics, that we couldn’t really support either party, that we shouldn’t try to convince others that one is better than the other, and that since neither is perfect, neither is objectively or persuasively better and neither should be fought for. But I was wrong. There is a biblical hierarchy of values, and that hierarchy objectively shows us whether we can support one party over the other.

Jesus taught about this ranking of morals when He answered a question about which is the most important commandment: ““The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” (Mark 12:29-30 NIV)

 “Most important,” He said. It’s the top priority, in other words, and other commandments are somehow lesser in rank. He also gave the second most important commandment: “The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mark 12:31 NIV) 

In another instance, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for neglecting the “weightier matters of the law” (Matthew 23:23-24 ESV, emphasis mine). They had things backwards – they took care of the lesser things, which was good, but they ignored the more important things. Jesus clearly taught that all matters of the law are important, but that some matters of the law are objectively more important than others. If we have to choose, we must choose the more important things.

What Are the Weightier Matters of the Law?

So what are those more important things? What is the hierarchy? Which matters of the law (which are necessarily moral values) weigh the most on God’s objective scales? Jesus listed them in the verses I just referenced: 

• loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; 
• loving our neighbors as ourselves; 
• justice, mercy, and faithfulness. 

Now, we must be careful that we are defining all our terms the way God defines them in His Word. Love for God, love for people, justice, and mercy, as well as other moral terms like right & wrong, good & bad, innocent, oppressed, helpful – all these and more have been redefined by our culture, especially recently, and these new definitions do not match God’s definitions. God’s definitions are the only ones that are objectively true. We must align ourselves and our understanding to Him and what He’s revealed. 

How does God define these terms? I could do a whole series of posts on this, but to be brief:

• Loving God includes obeying Him, submitting to Him, and living for Him in every moment (John 14:15, 1 John 5:3, read more and find many Scripture references here and here). 
• Loving others includes pointing them to all of God’s truth, not supporting them in the darkness of their wrong understanding or in their sin, working for their good, and doing them no harm (1 Corinthians 13:6, Galatians 6:1, 2 Timothy 4:2, Romans 13:9-10; read more and find many Scripture references here). Let’s make sure to define “good” and “harm” by God’s standards, as well.
• Justice includes righteous judgment according to God’s standards, impartiality to all, protection of the innocent, punishment of the guilty, defense of the weak, and action on behalf of those who are oppressed and who cannot speak for themselves (Proverbs 31:8-9, Jeremiah 22:3, Psalm 82:3-4, Isaiah 1:17; read more and find many Scripture references here, here, and here).

Rescue those who are being taken away to death;
hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter.
If you say, “Behold, we did not know this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it,
and will he not repay man according to his work?
Proverbs 24:11-12 ESV

• Mercy includes compassionate action toward those who are in need and a willingness to help the unfortunate (read more and find many Scripture references here and here). Again, let’s make sure we’re defining “help” and “need” the way God does. 
• Faithfulness includes steadfastness, devotion, trustworthiness, and living righteously (read more and find many Scripture references here).

On the other end of the moral spectrum, God clearly tells us that some sins will be judged more harshly than others, meaning there is a hierarchy when it comes to sin as well. God doesn’t prescribe the same punishment to every sin here on earth, and He will judge some sins more harshly even in eternity (Luke 10:14; for a thorough explanation of this, see “Are Some Sins Worse Than Others? Please don’t get this wrong!”).

Every sin, no matter how small, separates us from God, and in that sense every sin has the same effect: eternal death (Romans 6:23). But in a practical sense, in the sense of how many people are affected and to what degree, and also in the sense of the degree of judgment a sin earns, there are marked differences. So while a sin that affects one person in what seems a tiny way will be judged more harshly than any of us can truly grasp, it will not be judged as harshly as one that affects someone deeply, or one that affects ten people or a thousand people or a million people. 

We must always look to Scripture for our understanding of morality and what’s most important. As Christ-followers, we must hold ourselves to what God tells us, not to what our culture tells us. After all, that’s what God holds us accountable to.

And So…

Given this biblical hierarchy of values, and given that the values and morals of our culture affect everyone in our culture (including the innocent and powerless), and given that politics is how those morals are chosen and implemented, I am now convinced that we need to use our voices and efforts as Christians to affect the welfare of this country in the area of politics as well as in the ways we live out our day-to-day lives. We ought to be showing the love of Christ to all those we have connection with, both in our personal lives and through our civic privileges.

Does this mean we should all run for office or become lobbyists? No, of course not. But we have been given voices and we have been given votes, and we should prayerfully utilize those in the best and wisest ways we know how. We should not sit back and be silent, willfully allowing those who embrace and promote false and harmful values to rule the land. What happens in Washington affects every citizen, and we have the ability to affect what happens in Washington.

God determined the times and places we would each live (Acts 17:26). Romans 13:3-4 and 1 Peter 2:14 tell us that God’s purpose for government is to promote right and punish wrong – to do justice. We who live in America are afforded a voice to influence our government toward that end, both in the voting booth and outside of it. And if we don’t use our voices, if we don’t use our votes to try to affect our country’s policies and the people making them, I fear we are shirking a responsibility the Lord has given us. 

But How Can We Possibly Vote in THIS Election?

I feel this question deeply. I’ve been wrestling with it for some time now. I’ve gone back and forth on whether I could vote at all, but I’ve landed now. At this point, I believe I am obligated to vote, despite the grief that brings. I’ll share some of my thought processes and things that have helped me recognize this.

I have significant disagreements with every political party, because none totally lines up with biblical values, and I know that biblical values are the correct ones. No party is truly biblical; far from it, even though both sides are trying to co-opt Christianity to get our votes. Neither side is truly Christian. No candidate is anywhere near what I could call “good.” So I see harm to our country in one form or another from every option. And Charles Spurgeon’s “Of two evils, choose neither” reverberated for a time in my thoughts. But I’m no longer convinced that quote actually applies here. 

Let’s focus on the platforms first. While it’s true neither main option is good, they are not equally evil. While neither completely aligns with biblical morals and values, one is clearly much further from those than the other. When we compare the platforms of each party in regards to those “weightier matters,” it becomes more clear.

Considering the protection of the helpless and innocent when it comes to the murder of babies in the womb: neither party is fully aligned with truth, but one platform will at least restrict this evil, and the other clearly advocates for, demands, and even celebrates the death of the innocent to the benefit of those with the power to choose, with no restrictions whatsoever. 

Considering the defense of the weak when it comes to the confusion, sexualization and mutilation of children under the guise of health and kindness and mercy: one platform will work to protect children from these things, and one forces them upon children through the educational system, clearly bringing severe harm to many. One needs only to listen to the multitude of now-grown de-transitioners to see the damage wrought.

Considering working toward the good of others when it comes to not just allowing but encouraging and even championing the harmful distortion of God’s design for their identity: one platform is clearly invoking more damage.

There are more issues that help clarify, as well. In each of those issues, we must ask: which matters are the weightier matters? In what ways does each platform intend to help the helpless and protect the innocent? Could their plans accomplish or at least work toward true help and protection, according to the biblical standard, or would they actually work against it? Is one markedly further from true goodness than the other?

If we look at where each platform stands on these issues, it becomes clear that, biblically, I should use the vote I’ve been given to try to stop one of them. Admittedly, the other isn’t all good. But the one is blatantly celebrating evil, and actively harming children of all ages as well as adults, and charging toward more evil as fast as it can.

But What About the Candidates Themselves?

Yes. They definitely make things more difficult. Both candidates are, in my view, repellent. Reprehensible, even. Both are untrustworthy. Both have already done wrong things, and both are certain to be harmful in one way or another, to one degree or another. I’m grieved by the situation our nation is in, and it pains me to believe I ought to vote. But even between the two obviously bad choices, one is extremist in her pursuit of and demand for the unrestricted murder of the innocent, and the additional policies her platform promotes are blatantly against biblical values and for harmful ones. It’s true that the other has many valid counts against him, and has insinuated intentions that would be harmful, and his track record lends credibility to those who are concerned about that. But in my mind, an expressly-stated platform – what she proudly and vocally intends to do and to fight for, which her whole party celebrates and supports – outweighs uncertain potentialities and possible intentions that aren’t openly supported by the party as whole. 

How I Can Vote in This Election

So in my view, this is not a choice between two equal evils. In truth, none of us has only two options. We each have many options, politically speaking, and not one of them is perfect. Some choices are clear to me, and some are muddy. Every option – voting for the one, voting for the other, voting for someone I’ve not mentioned here, or not voting at all – has a potential effect, a potential consequence on our nation and on its most vulnerable citizens. And because the Lord has given me a responsibility to do what I can to protect the innocent and the helpless, to speak up for those with no voice, I believe I am obligated to vote for the one even if only as a way to vote against the other.

Not to choose is to choose. Spurgeon’s quote certainly applies in some situations, but two others seem to me to apply better to this moment:

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” (commonly attributed to Edmund Burke)

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
(Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

I might add: not to vote is to vote.

Again, I don’t support Trump. I don’t even agree with everything in the Republican platform. I don’t want to vote for him. I’d rather not vote at all. But the only way to vote against the one is to vote for the other.

While character does matter, and while I wish my every vote could be an endorsement of a candidate’s character, it simply can’t be. In this case, I have to look at the effects my vote (or lack thereof) will have on the more important moral issues: the protection of innocent life, the defense of those who cannot defend themselves – the true good of all the citizens of our nation.

Things to Prayerfully Consider

I’ll share the questions I’ve been prayerfully and biblically considering and striving to think biblically about as we fast approach this election. I hope you’ll prayerfully consider them as well, and search the Scriptures for the principles that God reveals. He has given us everything we need in His Word to be equipped to do every good thing (2 Timothy 3:16-17) – which includes how we approach the coming election.

• What is God’s requirement for us as Christ-followers in a democratic republic? What is the best way to seek the good of our country?
• Does God require that we only vote for what is perfect/ideal?
• Must we have a perfect candidate/platform in order to to vote? Has there ever been a perfect candidate or platform? Is there a line past which we should not vote for any candidate or platform? If so, where is that line?
• Should we be voting for a person, or for a platform? Can we afford to separate the two? Can we afford not to separate them?
• Is it wrong to vote for a candidate or platform we believe will cause harm to any degree? Or, when we look at the bigger picture and much more harm would be caused by the other candidate/platform, is it wrong to sit back without trying to stop that bigger harm?
• Does the possible harm the one may incite/inflict outweigh the definite harm/murder/mutilation/etc. from the other?
• Can we let the perfect be the enemy of the good? Even if that helps evil prosper? What if the “good” is simply “less bad”? Should we still choose it?
• What are the actual platforms? Is one closer to biblical values than the other? Are both so far away from biblical values that we must withhold our vote entirely or vote for another party? 
• Is either side trustworthy? If not, does that mean I shouldn’t vote?
• What are my exact concerns about each party? About each candidate? How do those compare to biblical values? Which ones are the weightier matters?
• What are the likely outcomes of voting for a third party? Would those outcomes be helpful for our country?
• What are the biblical principles and examples that apply?

What Are Some Helpful Political Resources for Christians?

I have been thankful for thoughtful and biblical help from several resources:

• Natasha Crain’s Facebook page
• Allen Parr’s recent video: Should Christians Vote Democrat or Republican? (Detailed Breakdown). I watched this after I wrote 95% of this post, but Allen and I seem to be on the same general page. I highly recommend thoughtfully watching through it.
• Krista Bontrager and Kevin Briggins’ breakdown of the platforms on the All the Things Show Election Mega-Episode
• Mike Winger’s recent comments on how Christian values are good for society, whether Trump is a Christian, a bit about how a Christian should approach voting, and what is ultimately most important, as well as this clip where he answers the question, “Is it biblical to vote for “the lesser of two evils”? Could you point to something in Scripture to help us understand why or why not?”
• Several of Frank Turek’s videos regarding politics (I haven’t seen all of these, but have seen two of Frank’s messages in person).
• Several articles from CrossExamined regarding politics (I haven’t read all of these, but I’ve read some; as always use discernment when reading)
• Alisa Childers’ and Natasha Crain’s Unshaken Faith Podcast Episode #46: “How Should Christians Vote?”
• Access the platforms themselves: DNC; RNC (click on “learn more” under “Our Platform”)

Summary and Encouragement

I will say again what I started with: I’m no expert. I don’t pretend this is an easy election, no matter how clear any particular issue is, because there is no truly good candidate and no truly good platform. I don’t pretend things are going to get easier, no matter who’s elected. I don’t pretend nothing could happen to change my mind. I don’t pretend to know all the things, or even a lot of the things. What I do know gives me pause wherever I look. 

So I direct my eyes and my heart back to the One who DOES know all the things. The One who knows the issues, the hearts, and the meanings underneath the spin; the One who sees every hidden intention and every skeleton in every closet; the One who knows and holds the future and who is not worried, not one little bit. I direct my deepest allegiance back to our unshakeable Kingdom, and I search for the best ways to shine the light of that Kingdom here and bring more people there with me.

Having a voice in our government is no easy task. But we who belong to Jesus have the ultimate Resource. When searching for wisdom in any matter, we know where to go. He gives wisdom to all who ask sincerely (James 1:5). He has provided His unchanging wisdom for us in His written Word.

Read and ponder Proverbs 2:1-15 (ESV), especially verses 6 and 9 (in bold): 

My son, if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver
and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD
and find the knowledge of God.
For the LORD gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,
guarding the paths of justice
and watching over the way of his saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
discretion will watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
who forsake the paths of uprightness
to walk in the ways of darkness,
who rejoice in doing evil
and delight in the perverseness of evil,
men whose paths are crooked,
and who are devious in their ways.

If we humbly seek for truth, understanding, and wisdom, the Lord will provide it to us. He will enable us to truly understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path – even the right path to take on November 5. Every word of the Lord is true. We can trust Him to help us. Let us humble ourselves before Him, seek His wisdom and His understanding, and submit ourselves fully to that.