During this election cycle many Christians and evangelicals have decided to vote based on anger, emotions, and political ideology over obedience to the Bible’s criteria for electing the right person. I am not an evangelical. I am unapologetically a truly Bible-believing Christian.
What this means is that I believe that the Bible, composed of the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is the divinely inspired infallible Word of God, without error in the original manuscripts, our final authority for all matters in life, faith and practice.”
The Bible guides me in how I live my life, how I practice my faith, and also how I vote. Yes, I know what you’re thinking. This pastor is too political. Actually one or two members of my church have said as a much.
Perhaps I am, yet it would be ungodly of me not to be. I believe that Jesus my Lord, has supremacy over all things and this includes politics. Hebrews 1:3 tells us “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
I will talk and write about politics because of Jesus’ supremacy, but also because we are at a crucial point in our nation’s history. I firmly believe that this election has major implications for both our political and spiritual future. While I am not endorsing a candidate, I do believe that truly Bible-believing Christians like myself must engage in the political arena and vote in accordance with what the Bible, the Word of God, says.
The Bible is our final authority in all matters including politics. We have in the Bible very specific guidelines for who should be elected to public office. In Exodus 18:21, when Moses is having a difficult time presiding over the people of God, his father-in-law, Jethro, gives Moses some timeless advice. He says “But select capable men [people] from all the people — men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain.”
While the primary purpose of these men was both administrative and spiritual, the same qualifications should be used by Christians today in selecting or electing those who would serve in public office. Since America is not a church (spiritual) these qualifications are extended to women as they are for men. (As a side note, it would be great to see more godly women in public office and one day as president of this country.)
We should then vote for and elect people who are capable. This means someone who knows what they are doing. As much as people want to ride this wave of outsider insurgency, we still need people who understand the system and culture to then change the very system and political culture. Secondly we need men and women who fear God.
America was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. (To read more on this please see “The Legal Basis for a Moral Constitution” by Jenna Ellis, Esq.) The settlers in Jamestown believed in God and the Pilgrims at Plymouth clearly came to establish a nation that would be founded and grounded on the idea of religious freedom, which begins and ends with the God revealed in the Bible.
America is a great nation. We don’t need to make it great again, what we need is to return it to the basics that founded this great nation and that requires more people who fear God in government. These people, in fearing God, must also be ones who believe that the Bible is not just a book, but the very Word of God. Without this understanding one cannot uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States.
Finally, those we vote for should be trustworthy and hate dishonest gain. Trust is not built overnight. Consistency is the key in building trust. We need people who have demonstrated, throughout a substantial period of time that they are consistent in their fear of God and in their ability to govern and lead.
So this April and this November, when Pennsylvania and Delaware vote, truly Bible-believing Christians will have an opportunity to vote the right people according to the Bible, which we claim to be our authority.
In the words of founding father Noah Webster: “In selecting men of office, let principle be your guide. Regard not the particular sect [party] of the candidate–look to his character…It is alleged by men of loose principles or defective views of the subject that religion and morality are not necessary or important qualifications for stations. But the scriptures teach a different doctrine. They direct that rulers should be men [or women] ‘who rule in the fear of God, able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness.”
* The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of Chadds Ford Live. We welcome opposing viewpoints. Readers may comment in the comments section or they may submit a Letter to the Editor to: editor@chaddsfordlive.com
Rev. Marcos O. Almonte is senior pastor at Brandywine Baptist Church, the oldest Baptist Church west of Philadelphia. Pastor Marcos is a graduate of Palmer Theological Seminary with more than 10 years working with families with an expertise in theology, trauma and addictions. Pastor Marcos and his wife Mary have three children, Carmen, Joseph, and Lincoln.
