Q. (1) It is often said by some believers that our citizenship is in heaven and this is justification for abstinence from politics as earth-bound Christians. Historically, however, some nation's revolutions occurred on Christian principles and values – the best example of which is the United States. Were the Christians, acting on conviction back then, wrong in their political convictions? (2) How can we separate our earthly testimony from politics; or is it not necessary? (3) Today, if all liberty-minded Christians abstain from taking part in the political process, policies that make daily life more evidently sinful will be put into place. (4) Can voting in a process, that used to be Christian, be a testimony or is it human weakness seeking to alter God’s will.
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A. The question as it is given consists primarily of comments rather than questions. We have therefore broken it into parts. Four of these we'll address in our answer.
- This part really relates to the revolutions, which were generally accompanied by bloody wars. We follow a Master who has told one who was ready to defend Him: “Return thy sword to its place; for all who take the sword shall perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). The Lord’s instruction seems plain enough! Peter’s conviction to take up the sword flowed from genuine love for His Lord, there was nothing amiss with that, but genuine godly conviction can nevertheless very easily lead to a totally wrong action. And so we see this very frequently in history. Yet the Lord used it, but this does not excuse those who should have known better.
- The answer to this question is really simple: Do not take part in politics and you will have the separation that is needed. Lot tried to help control Sodom’s town council; he had no success in that, but his entire family life was a spiritual disaster! The Lord Jesus has been cast out because the world did not want this Man to reign over them. Are we now to appoint another one in His stead? Did our Master ever take part in politics? He bowed in everything to the authorities (there is no authority except from God) even to the evil ones as long as He Himself was not asked to do anything that would dishonor God, His Father.
- Your remarks show that you consider that your country has been established on Christian principles. Yet its basis was in rejecting the God-given authority of the English crown. True, those men spoke a good deal of God, but they showed by their actions that they greatly misunderstood what God wanted from them. Yet, here again, God used it for good, but also: that did not excuse those who should have known better.
- Your question assumes that the voting process was originally a Christian testimony. That which we wrote before already shows how questionable your assumption really is. But let me address the last part of that sentence. It would be wrong to say that all those who vote are knowingly seeking to alter God’s will. Whatever the outcome, good or bad as we might think it to be, it is allowed by God and He will use it to bring about a world condition that is ripe for judgment and the introduction of Christ’s millennial kingdom, the great ultimate event of God’s purpose with this sinful world. His reign will begin by severe judgment of all that man has set up – just as God took king Saul, the choice of the people, away in His wrath.