Civil Responsibility Pt. 1

by Mac Hammond | Articles, Christian Living

As Christians, we should all have a basic understanding of the importance of voting. I believe that Christians are not part of the stats which state that only about 30 percent of the American populace votes in any given election.

It is clear that voting is not just a responsibility as an American citizen; it’s a Christian responsibility. God has given us the privilege of electing our government officials to office and it’s a privilege we must exercise if we’re going to walk in the blessing of God.

I’m not going to spend a lot of time talking about the need to vote. I believe you’re convinced of that need. I’d rather deal with the second consideration as Christians and as Americans how we vote. As Christians and Americans, we need to exercise our right to vote in a way that will produce the kind of change—positive change—that we all want to see in this nation.

How do we do that? How do we go about that process? Basically, I will give you a big picture understanding regarding the process that we can go through rationally and intellectually in order to determine who to vote for.

Of course, my perspective is taken from scripture; but unfortunately, a lot of people will say faith and politics don’t mix. I would argue you can’t separate the two.

When it comes to voting, we need to use our faith. Faith, of course, is believing that your actions are vested in the Word of God. For example, everyone has a belief system. A lot of people believe a lot of things, but it only becomes faith when you invest it in the Word of God.

Therefore, when I say “vote according to your faith,” I’m saying vote according to the principles of God’s Word.

It’s amazing how many people are offended at the idea that faith and politics should mix. Faith, however, needs to permeate every aspect of life, so why should it be any different when it comes to voting? Naturally, faith needs to be a part of your participation in the civil responsibility we are talking about called voting. So vote in line with your faith.

Let me give a quick review of our moral faith.

We believe in the three person Godhead: The Father, The Son, & The Holy Spirit. We believe that Jesus is Lord, the very Son of God, the second Person of the Godhead. We believe that a person must be born again and receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We believe that marriage is from the Lord and between a man and a woman. We also believe that every baby in the womb is a precious child of God and we defend the life of the unborn.

Our Government Based On Christian Principles
I’m sure there are others who say, “No, what’s important is the constitution, not anybody’s faith.” Well, let me remind you for a moment that our constitution and bill of rights—our founding documents—are rooted in scriptural principle. And this isn’t just a vacant assertion from a pulpit interested in promoting God’s Word.

A lengthy study was completed by the University of Houston over 30 years ago; it was two to three years in the making and it focused on the source material for our founding documents. At the end of the study, it demonstrated clearly that over 60 percent of the source material for our constitution and bill of rights came directly from the Bible. And the percentage was larger if they included indirect references to the principles which come from God’s Word.

So it’s indisputable what our founding fathers used to draft our founding documents and launch the greatest nation in the history of humanity. Greatest not only in terms of our power and influence throughout the world but great in the sense of the level of prosperity its citizenry has experienced. Never in human history has that been done before.

It all began with the formation of a government based on Christian principles, based on what we called the Judea/Christian ethic. And that’s the precedent for the prosperity we’ve experienced nationally and the success we’ve seen occur in a fairly short span of national history. It’s all rooted in the Word of God.

It’s interesting to me that people who run for office take an oath to support and protect the constitution. That’s what they do. They’re going to protect, support, and defend the constitution. And since the majority of the constitution is Bible principle, a lot of these people—without even realizing it—are taking a pledge to support the Word of God because that’s what our constitution is made of. Interesting, isn’t it?

But the point is that we vote our faith. In doing so, we are voting according to the constitutional intent of our founding fathers. We are continuing the groundwork, the foundation of the greatest national experience in recorded history.

Therefore, as believers, we should strive to vote in line with the Word of God. We know from Proverbs 29:2 that when the righteous are in authority the people rejoice, but when the wicked bear rule the people mourn. So obviously our goal should be to get the righteous in office.

Don’t give a casual definition to “righteous” and “wicked” as it’s used in the Word. It’s simply referring to people who live according to Godly principles…and those who don’t.  That’s the only distinction used in that particular verse between righteous and wicked. In other words, one group bases its leadership and governing authority on the Word, and one group doesn’t.

Which one do you believe deserves your vote?

Source: Civil Responsibility by Mac Hammond
Copyright © Mac Hammond Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission

Mac and Lynne Hammond are senior pastors of Living Word in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, which they started in 1980. Many outreaches and ministries have launched from Living Word since that time, including Maranatha Christian Academy, a Pre-K through grade 12 school with nearly 900 in attendance, and Living Free Recovery Services, a licensed outpatient treatment program.

Most recently, Mac and Lynne have launched a vision to plant fifty churches across the globe in the next five years. As of August 2024, nine churches have been planted in the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Venezuela, Bolivia, Colombia, and Guatemala with construction underway for seven more churches in El Salvador, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Prior to becoming a pastor, Mac was a pilot. He served in the Air Force, served two tours of duty in Southeast Asia, and was honorably discharged in 1970 with the rank of Captain. Between 1970 and 1980, Mac was involved in varying capacities in the general aviation industry, including ownership of a successful air cargo business serving the Midwestern United States. A business acquisition brought the Hammonds to Minneapolis, where they ultimately founded Living Word. Currently, Mac is the host of The Winner’s Way and The Winner’s Minute broadcasts and the author of several internationally distributed books. Mac is broadly acclaimed for his ability to apply the principles of the Bible to practical situations and the challenges of daily living.

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