With Election Day approaching, Andy takes a break from the regular devotional series to reflect on politics, Scripture, and Christian faithfulness in a deeply divided world. He explores the danger of proof-texting—using the Bible to defend opinions we already hold—and considers how passages such as Acts 5, Romans 13, and Hebrews 11 can help us think more faithfully about political life. Drawing on the image of Christians seeking a better, heavenly country and John Wesley’s practical advice during a contentious election in 1774, Andy encourages listeners to let their faith shape their politics without allowing political disagreements to harden their hearts. Our ultimate allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ, and that allegiance calls us to vote thoughtfully, serve our communities, pray for our leaders, and love even those with whom we disagree.
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Good morning! It’s good to be with you on this Tuesday morning. I hope you’re doing well and that this has been a good beginning to your week. Things are going well here at Starkville First, and it’s always good to spend a little time with you early in the morning.
Today is Tuesday, October 27. And do you know what that means? We’re just one week away from Election Day! I don’t know if you’ve heard anything about an election happening this year, but apparently, there’s one coming up.
So today, I want to deviate a little from our regularly scheduled programming. We’ll pick up with Philemon tomorrow, but this morning, I want to take a few minutes to talk about politics, Scripture, and how we navigate this season faithfully as Christians and as the church.
I know. You probably didn’t expect me to go there this morning, did you? If you know anything about me, you know that politics isn’t necessarily my favorite subject to talk about. And if you’ve heard me talk about these things before, you probably won’t be surprised by where I’m going to land. It might not be where some preachers on the internet end up, but I think it’s an important conversation for us to have.
Before we get into politics, though, I want to talk about a concept you may have heard of called proof-texting.
For those who may not be familiar with the term, proof-texting is when we start with a position we’ve already decided is right and then go to Scripture to find verses that support it. We already know what we believe or what we want to argue, and then we search the Bible for a text to prove our point.
We say, “Here’s what I believe, and here’s my biblical defense of it.”
The problem is that this is a pretty poor way to read Scripture.
We need to allow the Bible to speak for itself. We need to allow Scripture to inform us, shape us, challenge us, and even change our minds. Scripture is living and active. It is inspired by God and is meant to form us as disciples.
We should be discipled by Scripture, not simply use Scripture to defend the opinions we already have.
And I think we sometimes get this backward. We allow our media choices, our news sources, our political affiliations, and the voices we consume in the culture to shape how we see the world. Then we turn to Scripture and look for verses that support the worldview we’ve already adopted.
But it ought to work the other way around. Scripture should shape how we understand the world.
So how do we do that when it comes to politics? How do we navigate the political climate in which we find ourselves while remaining faithful to Jesus?
One mistake we make is allowing our feelings about whoever is in office to determine which parts of Scripture we emphasize.
For instance, when the person in office is someone we dislike, someone whose policies we oppose, or someone whose decisions we believe are wrong, we might turn to Acts 5:29, where Peter and the apostles declare that they must obey God rather than human authority.
And that’s a powerful statement. Our ultimate allegiance is to God. There are circumstances in which obedience to God requires us to resist human authority. We cannot simply assume that whatever a government tells us to do must be right.
But then something interesting happens when the person in office is someone we like.
When the elected official is someone whose policies we support, we may turn to Romans 13, where Paul instructs Christians to be subject to governing authorities. Paul writes that governing authorities have been established by God and speaks about the importance of respecting authority, paying taxes, and giving honor where it is due.
So, when we don’t like the person in office, we turn to Acts 5:29: “We must obey God rather than human authority.”
But when we do like the person in office, we turn to Romans 13: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.”
Do you see the problem?
We can end up using Scripture to justify whatever political position we already hold. We emphasize the passages that support our preferred candidate and conveniently overlook the ones that might challenge us.
We’re not allowing Scripture to shape our politics. We’re using Scripture to defend our politics.
I think there’s a better place for us to begin. And I want to suggest that we turn to Hebrews 11:13–16.
Hebrews 11 is often called the Hall of Faith. It tells the stories of people who lived faithfully because they trusted in God’s promises. They left behind what was familiar, endured hardship, and made difficult decisions because they believed God was leading them toward something greater.
And in verses 13 through 16, the writer of Hebrews describes these faithful people as strangers and foreigners on the earth. They were looking for a homeland. They desired a better country, a heavenly one. And because of that hope, God was not ashamed to be called their God.
I love that passage.
The writer is reminding us that these people were able to live faithfully in the world because they knew the world, as it was, was not their ultimate home. They were looking toward something greater. Their deepest hope and highest allegiance were not tied to the kingdoms and powers of this world.
Now, let me be clear about something. I’m not saying that Christians shouldn’t have political beliefs or opinions. Quite the opposite. I would strongly encourage you to have them. Our faith should shape the way we think about public life, the responsibilities we have toward our neighbors, and the kind of communities we want to build.
But we need to remember where our ultimate allegiance belongs.
Our true home is the kingdom of God.
And when we remember that, it changes how we live here and now.
Because our hope isn’t ultimately dependent on who wins an election, which political party controls the government, or whether our preferred policies become law. We believe that God is at work in the world, that Christ is Lord, and that God’s kingdom is our ultimate hope.
That doesn’t mean we withdraw from public life. It doesn’t mean we stop caring about elections or the decisions our leaders make. It means we can participate in the world without asking the world to be our savior.
We can vote. We can advocate for the things we believe are right. We can work to make our communities better. We can disagree passionately about policies and decisions.
But we do all of that as people whose deepest loyalty belongs to Jesus Christ.
And that means our politics should be an outgrowth of our faith, rather than our faith becoming an outgrowth of our politics.
We should ask ourselves whether our political beliefs reflect the teachings of Jesus. Are we concerned about our neighbors? Are we seeking justice? Are we caring for the vulnerable? Are we telling the truth? Are we treating people with dignity? Are we loving our enemies?
Those are the kinds of questions Scripture should lead us to ask.
And there’s another implication of this that I think is important.
Sometimes, we hear people talk about political developments as though they pose an existential threat to the church. We hear that this election or that political decision could destroy the church or bring the whole thing crashing down.
And I want to remind you of something Jesus says in Matthew 16: he will build his church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
The church belongs to Jesus Christ. Its future does not ultimately depend on any president, political party, or government. The body of Christ has endured through empires, persecutions, political upheavals, and generations of change. It will outlast every one of us.
One day, God will bring about a new heaven and a new earth. Our hope rests in that promise.
So let’s stop acting as though the future of the church ultimately rests on the outcome of an election. We should care about what happens in our country. We should care about justice and the well-being of our neighbors. But we should never confuse the fate of a political movement with the fate of the kingdom of God.
Our true home is a better country. And remembering that gives us the freedom to live faithfully in the country where we are right now.
Now, I want to close with some wisdom from John Wesley.
In 1774, England was preparing for a contentious parliamentary election. Wesley met with members of a Methodist society and offered them three pieces of advice about how they should participate.
First, he advised them to vote without fear or favor for the person they judged most worthy.
Second, he told them not to speak evil of the person they voted against.
And third, he told them to be careful that their spirits did not become hardened against those who voted on the other side.
I love that advice. It’s practical, it’s faithful, and it’s as relevant today as it was in Wesley’s time.
Vote for the person you believe is most worthy. Take your responsibility seriously. Think carefully about the issues. Let your faith inform your decisions.
But don’t speak evil of the people you vote against. And don’t allow your political disagreements to harden your heart toward the people who disagree with you.
That last part is especially important.
We live in a deeply polarized world. It’s easy to begin thinking of people who disagree with us as enemies. It’s easy to assume the worst about their motives or to believe that anyone who votes differently from us must be a bad person.
But we are Christians first.
We belong to Jesus Christ. And Jesus calls us to love our neighbors, to pray for our enemies, and to treat other people with the same grace we have received from God.
That doesn’t mean we pretend our disagreements don’t matter. It doesn’t mean we stop speaking up for what we believe is right. It means we refuse to let those disagreements take away our ability to love.
And how can we do that?
We can do it because we know that our ultimate home is somewhere else. We know that our highest allegiance belongs to God. We know that the kingdom of God is greater than any political party, national identity, or earthly power.
So we can participate fully in this world without allowing it to consume us. We can work for what we believe is right without treating our political opponents as people beyond the reach of God’s grace.
Friends, as we approach Election Day, I want to encourage you to pray for one another. Pray for our leaders, including the ones you disagree with. Pray for the people who will make decisions that affect our communities. And pray especially for those with whom you have political disagreements.
And love people. Love your neighbors. Love your political opponents. Maybe even love them most when it’s difficult to do so.
Because that’s the path Jesus calls us to walk.
Our politics should be shaped by our faith. Our faith should lead us toward justice, compassion, truth, and service. And our ultimate allegiance should always remain with Jesus Christ.
So keep your eyes on Jesus. Remember that we are citizens of a better country, and let that hope shape the way you live in this one.
I hope this has been helpful as we seek to live out the good news in these challenging times.
Thanks for being with me today. Tomorrow, we’ll return to our regularly scheduled programming and pick up with Philemon.
Have a great day, friends. I’ll see you tomorrow!