(This article is available at www.pheofca.org for your use.)
The Bible teaches that Christians are in the world but not of the world (John 17:15-16). Our true citizenship is in Heaven (Phil. 3:20), and we are “aliens and strangers” on Planet Earth at this time (1 Peter 2:11). Because we are different, we are to be different, living our lives not according to the philosophies and attitudes of man but according to the will of God (1 John 2:17).
In the light of this truth, many have wondered if Christians are ever to be involved in community or societal affairs. Do we completely leave the world to its own devices, or do we try to make things better? Put another way, is it a violation of spiritual integrity to exhibit a sense of social responsibility?
While much Scripture bears on this subject, I find one passage in particular very helpful. Nearly 600 years before Christ, the prophet Jeremiah sent a letter to Jews who had been taken into exile in Babylon. Those Jews were being told that their exile would be short-lived, and they would be home soon. But it was Jeremiah’s task to tell them that their captivity was from the hand of the Lord as a result of their unfaithfulness to Him, and they would not be returning home soon. Therefore, as God’s people in exile, they were to settle down for the duration, raise their families, build their houses, plant their gardens, and in general, live out their lives until God’s appointed time for their deliverance had arrived. To these aliens and strangers in Babylonian cities, Jeremiah’s letter included these instructions from God:
“And seek the welfare of the city where I (God) have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare” (Jeremiah 29:7 NASB).
The Hebrew term for “welfare” in this verse is shalom, which in this context includes all things related to peace, prosperity and well-being. In other words, they were to be involved in and praying for the communities in which they lived, for not only would this be pleasing to God but their own temporal welfare (peace, prosperity and well-being) would rise and fall with that of their community as well.
This principle also applies to Christians today, for it teaches that it pleases God for His people to be a blessing to their communities, and that as a result they would share in the fruit of their efforts by having a more blessed society in which to live. This is not the “social gospel,” nor does it preclude our responsibilities for worship, witness, and other so-called “spiritual” activities. But it is a pattern for Christian involvement in those community endeavors that would benefit society at large. Rather than being a violation of spiritual integrity, a sense of social responsibility is an important expression of spiritual integrity, totally consistent with being salt and light (Matthew 5:14-16) and with doing good to all “as we have therefore opportunity” (Galatians 6:10).
One good opportunity to apply this principle will be the General Election this November. In a free society, where we have the right to vote, we as Christians need to exercise that right, and we need to exercise it carefully, thoughtfully, and knowledgeably. We cannot claim to be serious about desiring the peace and well-being of our society without entering into the process that God has provided for helping to maintain that peace and well-being. Each single vote may seem to make little difference, but in the final analysis the real issue for Christians is faithfulness to God, not political power.
For all these reasons and more, I urge everyone reading these words to study the issues and the positions of the various candidates, pray, and then vote as you believe God would have you vote. If ungodliness is to reign in our land, let it not be because we failed to obey God by taking time to pray for and seek the welfare of our society.