Instead of representing God and stewarding the created order under God’s rule, humans rebelled and established their own rule (Genesis 3:6; Romans 1:21-23). Separated from God and estranged from the source of all true goodness, humans, and the created order are placed under a curse (Genesis 3:14-18, Romans 1:28-31).
Yet, humans still retain the image (or likeness) of the God that they were created in (Genesis 5:1-3). It is however, a terribly flawed image. We hence have great potential for good, and yet, also a scary potential for evil. So much beauty, mixed with so much ugliness.
How does this affect our voting?
The very best parties have the potential for so much good, and yet, so much evil – You will not find a party, this side of heaven that meet all of God’s perfect standards. Yet, you still have the duty and privilege to choose. Seek to understand what the rival parties in your constituency stand for and compare them against God’s standards. You will not find the lines falling neatly. Yet, seek wisdom, compare the parties, place your faith in God, and vote the one best aligned to these standards.
The very best candidates will be moral and talented, and yet imperfect and flawed – It is reasonable to expect a certain level of morality and capability in your candidates, but, it is probably unreasonable to expect perfection. The issues are complex, and you must be under no illusions that simple, snappy, ‘quick fix’ conclusions will do. The choice may not be between a good candidate and a bad candidate, but rather a choice of the lesser of two imperfections. You will find good and agreeable things in your candidates, coupled with bad and less than savory things. Yet, with God’s wisdom, upon balance, you must vote the one best aligned to God’s character.
Your very best choices will be flawed – The parties are under the curse of sin, the candidates are under the curse of sin, and the voter, that’s you and me, are under that very same curse. Hence, even if you and I applied the very best of ourselves to the task of discernment and weighing, our final conclusions may still be flawed. Hence, while we put forth our conclusions with courage and conviction, we do so with sober self judgment. We respect that, this side of heaven others may come to a different set of conclusions on the candidates and parties, even with the same set of data and faculties, and we respect that. Yet, this is no excuse to sit on the fence. You must vote, you must choose, it does make a difference! As John Piper says, “The ambiguities are many. The complexities are great. The possibility of political miscalculation is real. But Christ came into the world to save sinners. Therefore we do not panic at the possibility of error. It is worse to run than to risk.”
Let’s make our sinful votes for sinful candidates and sinful parties count for good, in this sinful world, by God's grace!
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