By Andrea Guachalla
Honoring God as Christians extend to all areas of our lives. A true-life of worship means that we will seek God’s counsel and Wisdom for everything that we do, we will look into God’s Word, approach Him in prayer, and seek godly advice from our Christian fellows to fulfill our responsibilities as God’s servants, family members, church members, and as citizens. The latter involves making a wise decision in regards to voting for a presidential candidate.
The day in which we will elect a new president for Bolivia comes closer and closer, and not only for us but also for millions of people spread in 12 different countries where presidential elections will be held between September and December of 2020, the most unpredictable year we’ve yet had this century. With all the uncertainties surrounding the general medical and economical crisis around the world, we are also subdued to a degree of uncertainty regarding political affairs.
Though in some countries people might have to choose among 2 or 3 political parties and presidential candidates, some other countries have to choose among more than 5 – as in the case of Bolivia where 8 political parties are running for office – which rightly makes people ponder and doubt. We ponder not only because we tend to focus on the flaws of each candidate but also because it’s been decades since the general feeling is that we are voting for the lesser of evils. Uncertain or not, we still need to make a decision.
Soon.
Or at least before October 18th, when the elections have been scheduled to take place.
In the meantime we are left to wonder: who would make the best option for president? Who would be more ready to respond to the country’s social convulsion and medical crisis? More importantly, as Christians, we wonder: Which political party/president would be more aligned with Christian faith though we know most of the candidates are not professed Christians?
The truth is: even with all the analysis we can make, we cannot be sure about what the future will hold if we choose this candidate or the other, only God knows. But there are things we can do as Christian citizens who live in this finite world: weigh each candidate/political party with the Word of God, and make the wisest decision possible knowing that our real heavenly King has placed us on this country not to be indifferent to what takes place in it, but rather to love, and serve.
Part of loving our neighbor and serving our country is to make the wisest, most objective, and caring decision possible in the eyes of God, not man. This implies that we ought to take the time to inform us about each candidate, political party, and their proposals and see if they align with God’s Word, even as we recognize many of them do not profess Christianity.
In God’s Word, we see guidelines and patterns of what the role and responsibility of governments and leaders are in society, and what they should stand for. We also read in the Proverbs what the character of a leader (king) should be. Though the character of a presidential candidate is difficult to know, because we mostly see them on TV or general press and the personality they show does not necessarily portray their genuine self, it is still valuable to know this and try to identify these traits in the aspiring leaders and the willingness of their political party to stand for what the Bible says is right.
Join me as we go through 7 key points that we ought to consider as we choose who’ll get our vote in the coming elections:
1. A potential leader will be competent in politics: According to Proverbs 24:5 where Salomon gives instructions to the future king, a wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increases its power. In this regard, an aspiring leader ought to be prepared academically and experientially for the job. Their giftedness, readiness, knowledge, and previous experience is what ensures that they are at least trained to rule a country knowing its context and the best ways to respond to the different needs of the population.
Let’s ponder on Proverbs 10:14 “The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.” Someone who is well prepared, and keeps seeking knowledge and instruction, will most likely make wise decisions and respond as best as his capacity can to the problems and needs of a country, as opposed to an unprepared person whose lack of knowledge could lead a country to ruins.
2. Humility will be a mark of his character: though subjective, humility is still one of the most important character traits in a leader and it should be considered. A humble character will have many implications in the way an aspiring leader conducts himself. It means he will be willing to empathically identify himself with the people and be aware of the shortages, problems, and circumstances that they face. It means he will willingly seek to interact with people that are “inferior” to him (Luke 22:25-27), with a caring attitude, seeking to be of service to them, and become acquainted with their needs (John 13:5-17).
3. A political party/leader will seek justice: his sense of justice should be so strong that he would rightly and wisely identify the groups that are in greater danger of being wronged (the poor, the needy, children, unborn babies, etc), and would take action towards protecting them and making justice when they have been wronged (1 Peter 2:13-14). Having a leader/government that makes justice and punishes the evil doers as Proverbs 19:9 and 20:26 say, and does not show partiality towards the wicked (Proverbs 18:5) will ensure that the wicked, and the wrong-doers fear for their lives when they commit crimes because they know that the authorities will do justice and that they’ll not come out of their wickedness unharmed (Proverbs 21:15). Seeking justice also means that a leader and his policies will not respond hastily to conflicts, but rather will take the time to listen carefully to all parts implicated and respond in an unbiased way (Proverbs 18:13, 17).
Implied on this seeking justice, a good government/leader will never oppress those who are weaker and have no means to protect themselves. A leader will never afflict unrighteously those who are poor, those who are in need, those who can’t defend their rights as in the case of children, unborn babies, disabled people, and even minorities (Proverbs 22:22-23).
4. He will see all as equal: this is a part of being humble too. A leader has his eyes set on the humanity of people, and sees all of them as equally deserving of honor, protection, opportunities, and help. An aspiring leader should value everyone regardless of their place of birth, level of education, social status, economical status, privilege by birth, etc (John 7:24). Though the world and the people might see others according to all things mentioned because human thinking is sinful and man tends to desire to rule over others, an aspiring leader should be unbiased and impartial, and see every group of peoples as equally valuable (1 Peter 2:17, 1 Timothy 5:21).
5. A potential leader/political party stands for our God-given gifts of living, working, and speaking truth: A government will courageously and firmly seek to give everyone the right to live and won’t ignore the people who are unjustly killed (Proverbs 24:11-12). This is why is so important to note that for us to consider voting for a particular party, we must be sure that they stand for the life of babies yet unborn, a government that supports life rather than baby murder (abortion) is the clearest sign that they actually stand for the lives of all.
God has also given us the right to work with our hands and earn a salary for it (Leviticus 19:13, Romans 13:7, Colossians 3:23, Proverbs 12:11), which is why a government should allow the people to earn a salary for their work and protect their private property as something that was earned by them. Though we have examples in the Bible of Christians sharing everything, and even selling their properties to meet everyone’s needs, it is clear that they willingly did so out of love, and compassion, never out of coercion (1 Corinthians 9, 1 Peter 5). Finally, it is a mandate from God for us Christians to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) for it is His truth what set us free (John 8:31-32), so a government that allows us to profess our faith, embrace God’s design for marriage (between a man and a woman), family, sexuality, and the church is aligned with the Word of God in that regard.
6. A leader will associate with the right people: A key factor for the success of a ruler is accountability, counsel, and guidance from his peers. This means that if a leader has unrighteous, greedy, knowledge-lacking men in his inner circle, their ways and ideas will pollute his thinking (1 Corinthians 15:33), and there is a great chance the leader will be doing wrong rather than good. There is a reason why Proverbs 22:24, says it is not wise to associate with evildoers. For instance, a leader who associates with politicians, organizations, activists who stand against God’s design of marriage, and sexuality could result in him adopting these policies and force them into the population.
As opposed to bad company, an aspiring leader should be surrounded by people who are well-prepared for the job, and that will offer good guidance, counsel, and accountability. Having knowledgeable people around will set a good environment for a good ruling and a wise decision-making process. Associating with organizations, entities, etc. that hold God-honoring values regarding life, justice, freedom of speech, etc., exposes his own views on morality.
7. Lastly, a potential leader should be gracious in speech: The Bible says not only that a “king” will delight in truthful lips (Proverbs 16:13), but also that he will speak graciously and keep silence when the time is right (Proverbs 21:23). The fact that an aspiring leader can speak what’s pertinent and necessary, and choose his words tells that he is someone who has a certain degree of self-control.
The opposite: foolish speech, brings about destruction (Proverbs 10:19, Proverbs 18:21). We know that foolish words often discredit people, and give the impression of unpreparedness, and foolishness. And not only that, but unwise speech also reveals underlying problems, that may cause people to be anxious and doubt the preparedness of leaders.
We know that there are not perfect leaders/governments and that we will rarely find any that fulfills all of these criteria in our eyes, and even less in the eyes of God. But we can pray for God to have mercy upon us and give us the best ruling government possible so He can be honored. In some cases that means that we will have to vote for the lesser of evils, but even in those circumstances we can trust is ultimately the Lord who puts the governments in place as His servants and for them to place order, and justice (John 19:10-11).
We can be comforted in knowing that a government, a president, or a leader is not our savior, Christ is, and as Christians, we know that our greatest problem is not a “bad” government, rather sin is. And the only one who rules over sin is our gracious Father. Our trust does not need to rely on ma}en but on God.
Let’s take time to reflect and analyze objectively and in the light of the Word of God, which political parties are more in line with God’s Word and which presidential candidates have some of the essential traits of character a leader should have. This and coming to God for wisdom and counsel will lead us to honor God with our vote.
Finally, I urge you to not wait to be served by these aspiring leaders now. But rather choose to serve them in this critical time by praying for them: pray for wisdom, transparency, perseverance, and honesty, but most importantly pray that they will see leadership not as a privilege, but as a loving sacrifice.
In all this God is and will be honored.
Other sources:
- Pascal Groby. 2018. What the Bible really says about government. The Week.
- Stan Patterson. 2010. A Synthesis of Leadership Principles Emerging from the New Testament.
- David Mathis. 2016. True Leadership Is Sacrifice, Not Privilege. Desiring God.
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