Temptations to Avoid During the Election Season

Election season is gearing up for the final stretch before Presidential elections this fall and political ads and endorsements are quickly populating our screens and sides of roads. There is excitement, urgency, fear, and hope in the promises politics offer. And there can be a danger in them, as well, if we put politics in a place it doesn't belong. God has chosen his church to continue Jesus' mission to reveal the kingdom of God on earth. But there's a temptation to elevate human politicians up as saviors who will solve our nation and world's problems. There is also a temptation for Christians to give up their calling and look to politics to be their hope for God's kingdom come on earth. To get through the election cycle, we must remind ourselves that God is always sovereign and he is the one who places humans in power for his purposes. So let's vote with seriousness and purpose while avoiding the temptations of political power.

The first temptation is to follow individuals with the same dedication as Jesus. There is only one human in history who has lived a life worthy of being followed. That's Jesus. Every other human is flawed and will ultimately let you down if you expect them to lead you to goodness and peace. Furthermore, many of the traits put on display by politicians this time of year, such as brashness, haughtiness, and putting down political opponents, are behaviors Christians should not cheer on because they indulge our inner pride and desire to be placed above others. We should recognize when politicians act out of line with Jesus' example and call it out. Even if a candidate claims the badge of being a Christian, they don't get a free pass at uncritical support. In fact, Jesus taught his disciples to look to the actions of those who claim faith to discern if they are false or true.

The second temptation comes with an infatuation (and maybe an obsession) with power, displayed in both political parties and even desired by some Christian supporters. The campaigns of political candidates rarely demonstrate any sort of humility or recognition of any sort of higher power necessary to answer to. And politicians often set themselves up as a hero and champion to defeat opponents who are portrayed as enemies. All of this runs counter to how Jesus taught his followers to pursue leadership. In the Bible, God says he opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble (Proverbs. 3:34, Matthew 23:12, James 4:6, 1 Peter 5:5). The political process in the US looks less like something God favors and more like something God opposes.

Our salvation doesn’t come from giving a preferred human more power; it comes from God alone.

All political parties and candidates, both left and right, campaign on promises of a better future. They claim this future can only come if their candidate is elected. It is easy to see great potential in the power of politics and maybe we even agree that the answer to our problems is to give the right person more power. But our salvation doesn't come from giving a preferred human more power; it comes from God alone. And oftentimes, God chooses to eschew power to provide his salvation. When Jesus came as the Savior, he frustrated and disappointed many people because he was unwilling to seize power for himself. What's more, he even willingly submitted to the political powers to be put to death by them! We must choose to wait on God for his salvation and goodness and not be tempted to compromise for goodness brought by only human hands.

So, how should Christians view Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, and all the other politicians running for office? If we want to attach them to Bible characters, look at the kings in 1 and 2 Kings. The kings present a very muddled and ultimately empty attempt to lead the nation to success through rule of power, yet they were still held accountable to God for their leadership. Like the kings, politicians are humans with tremendous political power who sometimes say and do things in line with God, but also sometimes don't. Regardless of who you support or vote for this year, challenge yourself to see all politicians as mere humans. Because God is the one to whom they are all accountable for their leadership, look at the candidates' actions and practice discerning both where they align with God and where they do not.  And during this election season when the power of the Oval Office becomes more and more tempting, we should prepare our hearts to look to God for our hope with more worship of God in his greatness, more reflections on his sovereignty and power, and more prayers that God's kingdom would come here on earth as it is in heaven.