Because of the vote, no fear. The real work begins again!
In all things, we as Christians know that God is at work in the world His two ways: to preserve and ultimately to save. This was a year where the Church’s public voice was under attack like never before. Cleary, “religious liberty for committed Christians” was on the ballot. And, if the last few years taught us anything, it taught us that going forward, the Church needs to be ready to fight for our right/responsibility to be a public voice of the Scripture so that all might hear and believe. We’ll need to better learn when to fight and when to serve. But, knowing that God is already at work in the world, we know that no matter the outcome of any vote, the real work always begins again.
As one who has been in Washington D.C. now for some three years, I can tell you that the laws of the land (even the best ones) can’t accomplish what we hope for if we hope for justice, peace, and unity that truly binds us together. The laws of the land can prevent the really bad stuff from happening (if the bad guys are afraid of the punishment). The best laws of the land can protect our God-given freedoms and give everyone a fighting chance to have a good life in this country, but they can never deliver what only God can give: abundant life in Him, changed hearts full of of forgiveness, mercy, and salvation that gives us power to live life boldly no matter what the circumstance of the day. Ironically, the very Founders of our government realized that when they sought to secure liberty for its citizens, not power for themselves. They understood the dangers of the tyranny of government, whether the tyranny of one or the mob of many. They knew the depravity of humanity and the futility of being a godless people. They knew that the American experiment depended on people being a self-governing people. And they knew that faith in God was the key to all of that. Today, we prepare ourselves for citizenship like that and more.
So, as important as this last election was, win or lose, the work of being God’s people is still the same. It is always more than the politics, more than the vote. We instinctively know that freedom isn’t without cost, that sin always gets in the way, and that real peace and unity are going to have to come from something “more than our best efforts (politically, technologically, personally). We get to be Christ’s people empowered by His real-presence, wise through His Word, and motivated by His Spirit. We are very much aware that going forward, we, as Christians, must become more prepared to defend our right to be the Church in this country. We must be ready for the “cost” of sharing the whole counsel of God with others, especially the saving work of Jesus as pure gift by grace through faith in Him alone. Struggling to know when to fight and when to serve, we now realize what many who came before us have known. There’s a price to be paid to share the truth of the Scriptures with others. But Jesus reminds us even in that struggle, “that if we abide in His Word, we will know the truth. And, the truth will set us free” (John 8).
When I voted this year, I voted for a platform that would keep the secularizing impulses of our culture at bay a little while longer. I voted for the sanctity of all life to be honored and for the religious liberty to worship our Savior in freedom without fear. I voted for people who said they would defend such things. But, no matter who won, I never believed that any of the leaders in government were the ones in whom to place my faith. Today, in full view of the results of Nov. 3, we are called to be who we will always be, people of God for the sake of others. For believers, now is especially the time to hold on to the only thing that really holds, our common faith in Jesus Christ. Now’s the time to recommit ourselves to knowing and sharing the “whole counsel of God,” to proclaim, even defend His created ordering of the world for its preservation, and to proclaim His unique salvation of the world now more than ever. And, whether your person won or lost, whether the next few years will be better or worse, God’s people are not only safe in His hands, but called to a boldness especially now for the sake of all. Since things are “well in Him,” no matter the challenges we face at the moment, it’s time to resourced anew in Him, it’s time to get to work for others on His terms alone!
The Rev. Dr. Gregory Seltz is the executive director of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty.
