One-Issue Voters

Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent[b] of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. (Genesis 6:5)

The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (Genesis 6:11-13)

“Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God, He made man. (Genesis 9:6)

God established human government. It is not the invention of humanity.

God’s purpose in establishing government was to protect the sanctity of human life and life itself because all human beings are created in God’s image—we are all His image-bearers. Genesis 9:6 is a command for all humanity to hold individuals responsible for the taking of human life with consequences up to and including capital punishment. Any other interpretation of this verse flies in the face of the context and many other passages of scripture that demand such punishment for murderers.

Strategies may differ on the path to best accomplish that purpose, but when a political party consistently and blatantly espouses the outright taking of human life, especially the lives of the most innocent and vulnerable among us, it has defied the very purpose of government under God and has picked a fight with the Creator.

There is no way around this biblical fact. God judged the world with the flood because of the violation of this principle. There is no division between the secular and sacred here. God judged the entire planet—all of humanity. God hates violence, murder, and along with that injustice. He hates when the strong abuse the weak–when the rich take advantage of the poor. Abortion is the most blatant example of such abuse in our country today.

Recently, some evangelical leaders have admonished their followers to not be “one-issue voters” in an effort to allow Christians the freedom to vote for pro-choice candidates. There are other issues, but this one issue is absolutely essential. Positions on economic policy, gun ownership, health care, and even immigration pale in comparison.

After 27 years of Roe V Wade, most people in our country have an intimate relationship with someone who chose to abort a baby. In order to allay the cognitive dissonance of the reality of that choice, many have tried to argue that the life of the baby in the womb is not true life, or that somehow the potential for low quality of life (however that may be defined) justifies taking a human life. Arguing away the offense will never solve the problem. There is forgiveness in Christ for sinners and that forgiveness is the only path to heal a heart torn by guilt. However, the sin itself is still an offense to God.

As Christians and citizens we hold in our hands the power of the vote, we have a responsibility before God to exercise that power in a way that pleases Him. He will hold each of us accountable for that vote. Elections do matter. Policy matters. Judges matter.

Be a good steward of your vote.