As I write this, we are right in the middle of a hotly contested presidential election. This election season also features other races that vie for our attention in this deeply divided nation. The rhetoric is heated and emotional, and some may wonder if we should even use those two words together— “God” and “government”. However, the Bible speaks of government in relation to God, so we must address the issue.

Romans 13:1-7 is one of several New Testament passages that deal with this important subject. It says that we must be subject to the authorities because they have been established by God. Simply put, the government’s job is to protect its citizens; the citizens’ duty is to submit to the authorities.

Now we must note that the government does not always protect its citizens well. When the apostle Paul wrote this Scripture, Rome was the governing authority. It was this government that crucified Jesus and persecuted Christians. Yet Paul says that we must subject ourselves to a government that is far from perfect. In the U.S. today, we have a government that allows for babies to be murdered in the womb, ignores God’s definition of marriage, permits some of the worst criminals in the world to cross our border unchecked and attempts to spread the wealth around by robbing from the workers and giving to those who refuse to work. Yet we are supposed to submit to such a government.

Now, there are some notable exceptions. When the government told Daniel he was forbidden to pray to the one true God, he disobeyed the authorities and prayed as usual (Dan.6:10). When the religious authorities commanded the apostles not to speak about Jesus anymore, they refused. “But Peter and John replied, ‘Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.’” (Acts 4:19-20). We are not to blindly follow every edict that is issued by the authorities, but our duty is to submit to them unless it calls for us to disobey God.

Living in a democracy is an interesting situation because we can choose our elected officials. This is a scenario that the early Christians could not have imagined! What a blessing it is to be able to select godly men and women to make important decisions! Sadly, millions of Christians do not exercise their right to vote. What greater opportunity do we have to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world that Jesus calls us to be!

Many Christians are thinking about sitting out this year’s presidential election because of the obvious character flaws of both candidates. They can’t imagine throwing their support behind either of these deeply flawed individuals. However, choosing a candidate is not necessarily endorsing their character. Making a decision in this political race is choosing what kind of nation you want to live in. If you can’t vote based on the candidate’s character, make your decision based on the policies that the candidates propose. From this perspective, the Christian voter has an option, and perhaps a duty, to participate in this year’s election.

Some people will make the decisions for the nation. If Christians opt out of the process, those decisions will be made by people whose worldview is vastly different from ours. So, let’s do our duty, not only as citizens of the U.S., but citizens of the kingdom of God. Let’s vote for godly principles!