A Challenge in Light of the Election Results

Election 2020.

A divisive phrase if i’ve ever heard one.

I hesitate to even touch this topic. It’s an incredibly divisive topic. But something needs to be said. I see Christians on every conceivable side of this debate, but i’ve yet to see much by way of fixing the focus where it needs to be.

Those who voted for Trump think the election was stolen; those who voted for Biden tell those who voted for Trump to stop worshipping him; those who voted for Trump bounce back with similar charges toward Biden voters.

It’s been seven weeks since the election.

Joe Biden will be the 46th president of the United States. There is likely nothing that will change that.

And here’s why:

Everyone must submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves.

Romans 13:1-2

God uses means, and the means He chose to use are the United States’ election system, regardless of so-called tampering. And even if the election was “stolen,” God is sovereign over that as well. As the Psalmist states:

Our God is in heaven
and does whatever He pleases

Psalm 115:3

So the President has been chosen, and on January 20, 2021 he will be sworn into office.

Our response must be neither worship of him, nor vitriol against him. Rather, we must look to God. We must fix our eyes on Jesus–the King of kings (and presidents) and Lord of lords (and vice-presidents).

The prophet Isaiah (surprise, surprise!) has a word for us, no matter where we fall on this debate:

On that day you looked to the weapons in the House of the Forest. You saw that there were many breaches in the walls of the city of David. You collected water from the lower pool. You counted the houses of Jerusalem so that you could tear them down to fortify the wall. You made a reservoir between the walls for the waters of the ancient pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or consider the One who created it long ago.

On that day the Lord GOD of Hosts
called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads,
and for the wearing of sackcloth.
But look: joy and gladness,
butchering of cattle, slaughtering of sheep,
eating of meat, and drinking of wine—
“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”
The LORD of Hosts has directly revealed to me:
“This sin of yours will never be wiped out.”
The Lord GOD of Hosts has spoken.

Isaiah 22:8-14

For the historical context, this text is situated in the crisis of 701 BC, when Asyria surrounded Jerusalem. The rest of Judah had essentially fallen but Jerusalem (being at a higher elevation) was surviving. It was at this time that King Hezekiah’s tunnel was dug, providing water to the city. The crisis was averted when “the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and left. He returned home and lived in Nineveh” (Isaiah 37:36-37).

At which point, the message of Isaiah 22:8-14 was probably proclaimed.

If you were happy with the election results

I worry that for many people (including Christians) who voted for Joe Biden, their hope was that Biden would solve the problems in our nation. They wanted racism to die, poverty to be eradicated, sexism to be done away with, etc. As such, they trusted their own votes to solve these problems.

The problem, though, is that these problems have existed since the fall of mankind. As such, no new president can undo these things.

We need to pay attention to God. We need to turn back to Him. We need to “vote” for Him. We need to seek Him! The solution to our troubles is the Gospel.

Christ breaks down racial divides (cf. Galatians 3:28).
Christ enables us to love others enough that poverty disappears (cf. James 2:15).
Christ breaks down gender divides (cf. Galatians 3:28; also Matthew 19:4).

Hope is in Christ. Healing is in Christ. Give Him the credit He is due, and stop worshipping a man.

God is calling this nation to repentance; stop rejoicing that your man got picked. Joe Biden cannot save your soul; don’t treat him like he can.

If you were upset with the election results

I worry that for many people (including Christians) who voted for Donald Trump, your hope was that peace and security would be achieved by his winning the White House. You wanted our Constitutionally guaranteed Christian freedoms to remain in effect for four more years. The freedoms that are being threatened at this point in our country.

In other words, you were trusting a man to accomplish what God says you must do regardless of what the Government tells you.

God says to gather as the church; gather as the church.
God says to love one another; love one another.
God says to read the Bible, pray, and abstain from sin; read the Bible, pray, and abstain from sin.

It doesn’t matter who is in the White House, God is on His throne. Christians were persecuted in Nero’s day–and all down through church history for disobeying the government–why should Americans be forever exempt? Take refuge in God, live in His Word (cf. Psalm 1:1-6; 2:12).

And let’s be honest. It likely won’t get as bad as the fearmongerers say. I remember when Obama was supposed to be the AntiChrist. It always gets blown out of proportion when the other candidate gets elected.

But here’s the thing: No matter how things turn out over the next four years, there will be another election in 2024. Trust God! Don’t rejoice that things didn’t get as bad as they could have. Trust God; give Him the credit He is due.

Otherwise:

The LORD of Hosts has directly revealed to me:
“This sin of yours will never be wiped out.”
The Lord GOD of Hosts has spoken.

Isaiah 22:14

Failing to give God credit for His acts of mercy and grace is “the unforgivable sin.” As J. Alec Motyer explains:

The sin of unbelief—no looking to the Lord (11), no penitence (12), total reliance on human saving works (8–11)—is the unforgivable sin.

J. Alec Motyer, Isaiah: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 20, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 176.

Don’t let the results of this year’s election–or any election year–betray that your faith is not founded on God.

Trust Him today!
Trust Him tomorrow!
And trust Him every day!

“The joke this year was 20/20 Vision. But since March we’ve forgotten that mission. The thing though is that it’s not too late to achieve. And it wasn’t a joke–God wants us to see. Fix your eyes on the One in the sky!”

In this with you.

Soli Deo Gloria
Solus Christus
Sola Scriptura
Sola Fide

Thanks for reading.