In California, representative government extends a step further - citizens directly access lawmaking through ballot initiatives or propositions. This makes the application of Romans chapter 13 a little more personal: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God . . .For he is God's servant to do you good." Romans 13:1, 4 In the Romans 13 sense, God delegates to each of us the authority to do good in the political process. If we fail to faithfully participate, we fail as stewards of our delegated authority - we fall short or miss the mark of God's intentions for us - we sin.
To hit the God's mark, we must first participate - go to the polls and vote. Second we must apply faithfulness to our participation. This means spending a little time figuring out how we can vote to do good by God standards. Voting alone will not cut it.
To keep pounding a point, that's worldview in action. Each of us possesses a worldview - a core set a beliefs about God, man, and the world which determine how we live our lives. As Christians, God's revelation of Himself in Scripture ought to significantly form our worldview. If my worldview is Theo-centric or biblical or Christian, when I vote for propositions, I will determine my yeses and nos by the standards God reveals in Scripture.
Sounds simple enough, but the application can get a bit messy. Stay tuned for more info on how to put a biblical worldview into action at the voting booth.
No comments:
Post a Comment