The following was a letter written from the eldership to members of New City Fellowship. We chose to repost it because it does a great job of reminding where our unity rests. As the Church continues to be divided by politics, COVID restrictions, and ideological polarization, it is more important than ever to remember who we are as the church:
The ballot box should never determine Christian righteousness or unity.
Elections are very complex in America. We are basically a two- party system: Democrats and Republicans. Each one of these parties has a basic platform that they adhere to. Their candidates don’t stray too far from them. We do speak of the far right and the far left. Most Americans tend toward the middle, but still right or left of center.
As Christians we should find this two-party system frustrating. Because there are things we find morally good in each party but also morally wrong. These issues are not minor ones. So it becomes very simplistic to suggest that a vote for one party or candidate is more righteous than another.
For instance: Some would say President Trump is a rich racist. So to vote for him means you don’t care about the poor, Black people and Mexican immigrants in particular. Others would say if you vote for Biden you don’t care about the unborn, the sanctity of marriage or religious freedom.
Are these fair criticisms? The answer is a resounding “No!” They are actually very naive criticisms, simplistic. Just flip it around. To vote for Trump would mean you do care about the unborn, the sanctity of marriage and religious freedom. Shouldn’t he get the Christian vote? Then a vote for Biden would mean you do care about the poor, Black people and immigrants. Shouldn’t he get the Christian vote? In this way of thinking, no party or candidate fits our Christian ideals totally. To vote for the good we see in one ends up canceling other good things we hold dear. For instance, to vote for Trump stands up for the unborn but it also pierces the hearts of most African Americans who view him as racist. This tells me that I must not allow the ballot box to determine another person’s heart and/or righteousness, nor church unity.
Then what do we do? We can vote for third party candidates for one. If enough people start doing this, the two-party system stranglehold could be defeated. But for believers in Jesus that is not the most important way for establishing unity. Our unity and righteousness must be grounded in the Holy Person and work of Jesus not the ballot box. HE does not fit in any of these political parties. Just as HE did not fit in groups of His day. HE was too conservative for the Pharisees and too Liberal/Progressive for the Sadducees. HE was actually more violent than the Zealots. His weapons (Revolution) destroyed His enemies, sin and Satan. HE was no sellout like the Herodians. HE probably had sympathies for each of these groups but HE did not fit in either so none of them could claim. What claimed His allegiance was His Father and the Kingdom of God which will never pass away. This must be our way too. We are allowing smaller allegiances to govern us and overlooking our greater allegiance which unites us. Luke 14:26-27 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” In this greater allegiance, we can give each other the benefit of the doubt and stop assuming we know each other’s heart by a vote. We can experience true unity in our diversity of political priorities because we are unified in love concerning our spiritual priorities; living for Jesus and making Him known.
This does not mean we don’t have practical work to do allowing God’s Word to sanctity us in our views of race, class, marriage, and life. Pursuing unity is not easy or comfortable to sinners. So we need the Spirit’s enabling transforming grace to help us to surrender to God’s truth and put away worldliness in these areas. Iron must sharpen iron in our churches. We need people in our churches who in humility don’t think the same. This should take us to our knees in repentance and heart felt cries to God for His divine intervention. But we must do it together. We are so quick to seek the easy and more comfortable way of division. We act like we have given up so much. Even if we have been fighting for unity and grace for years, our suffering is small when compared to His. None of us has suffered like Jesus at the hands of sinners. HE refused to give up that HE might save us. HE is the Suffering Servant. We must follow Him. We must refuse to give up, so that we might be His agents to preserve what HE died to give.
Who do you think wants to keep us judging one another in self-righteous indignation? It certainly isn’t the Lord who died that we might be one. When we judge one another by the ballot box we surrender to the devil. He gets our vote.
As we continue to struggle through the difficulties of this year, let’s do it together (we desperately need one another). Our unity in Christ is what we share; everything else submits to this.