(Todd A. Smith)
Concordance not included my Bible contains 2063 pages of God’s Holy Word.
But if you leave it to some, mainly White evangelical Christians, the Bible only speaks on two issues, abortion and same sex marriage.
As Americans and Christians, we must stop the narrative that a particular political party truly represents Jesus Christ while the other is the anti-Christ.
Politicians and political parties truly represent Romans 3:23 in the fact that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Before the midterm elections, Pastor Jentezen Franklin of Free Chapel in Georgia urged his social media followers to vote their Bible.
But what does that mean?
Is that even possible when no political platform or politician truly lives up to the values of Jesus Christ?
My answer is an unequivocal no.
I do not profess to know Franklin’s politics and I enjoyed watching his sermons during the pandemic.
But I have seen him thank former President Donald Trump for the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
While a true Christian cannot condone abortion, especially if it is not in the case of rape, incest or to protect the life of the mother, a true Christian cannot condone much of what Trump did while in the White House either.
One cannot condone what he did to encourage the Jan. 6 insurrection and attempt to overthrow America’s beloved democracy.
While many MAGA (Make America Great Again) supporters, said that Trump was in the White House because God put him there, there were many who believed that President Joe Biden had ascended to the White House because of fraud.
Therefore, true “patriots” had to resort to violence to put Trump back in his “rightful place” in the Oval Office.
Many, especially the QAnon supporters, said their fight was biblical and they were doing the Lord’s work.
But if Trump was the 45th President of the United States because God put him there, isn’t President Biden the 46th president because God put him there too?
And doesn’t the Bible instruct us to respect our leaders?
Doesn’t the Bible tell us not to rebel against the government?
Romans 13:1-2 reads, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.”
Therefore, all the Republican politicians who tried to steal Biden’s presidency and fraudulently give it back to Trump are not living up to the standards of the Bible.
Therefore, one cannot vote their Bible and vote for politicians who support government insurrections.
Many MAGA Republicans have even stated that resisting Trump is the equivalent of resisting God.
To some MAGA supporters, Trump has become a cult of personality, and some treat him like he is their lord and savior, not Jesus Christ.
But didn’t God say that He is a jealous God (Exodus 20:5)?
Didn’t He say that you should have no gods before Him (Exodus 20:3)?
Therefore, if people put Trump on that type of pedestal, they are placing Trump on a throne reserved only for God Almighty.
Some QAnon followers have even said that Trump is the son of God.
Then some of those same people have the nerve to call themselves followers of Jesus Christ.
They even call their fight to reinstall Trump biblical even though the Bible tells us to respect authority because any leader in authority is there because God put them there, as stated earlier in this piece.
Therefore, how can anyone vote their Bible and vote for QAnon election deniers?
Many White evangelicals (88 percent) in Georgia supported Herschel Walker’s United States Senate campaign because of his pro-life stance on abortion even though he allegedly paid two women for abortions and allegedly has a history of domestic abuse.
The former football star has touted his faith in God throughout the campaign, despite falling short of the glory of God when it comes to abortion, allegedly.
Those same supporters of Walker supported him because of his Christian values but did not support Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) who has dedicated his life to serving Christ as the pastor of the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta.
No one is claiming that Sen. Warnock is perfect.
But how can a person vote their Bible and not vote for a person that God has called to preach the gospel every Sunday morning?
In 2017, Franklin Graham said that immigration is not a Bible issue when speaking in favor of Trump’s immigration ban.
Jerry Falwell, Jr. of Liberty University echoed Graham’s sentiments.
However, Leviticus 19:33-34 reads, “And if a stranger dwells with you in your land, you shall not mistreat him. The stranger who dwells among you shall be to you as one born among you, and you shall love him as yourself: for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”
As a result, how can people like Graham and Falwell vote their Bible when they do not understand their Bible?
The Democrats have also fallen short of biblical principles when it comes to abortion and same sex marriage.
However, it seems that not as many Democrats are pretending that their political policies represent the moral policies of Jesus Christ.
However, many Republicans seem to be confusing arrogance with faith.
It seems that many who claim to be full of Christ are full of their own desires, opinions and ambitions.
Those people need to be corrected.
You cannot follow some of God’s rules and call yourself a Christian.
You cannot call out someone else for their sins and ignore your own sins if you are truly a Christian.
And you cannot exalt a man to a place that is reserved for God unless you do not know God and His Word for yourself.
