As though not voting

This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.

—1 Corinthians 7:29-31 (ESV)

John Piper’s election message on this text, “Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting,” has been cited all over the blogosphere this last week, and rightly so; if you haven’t read it, I strongly recommend you go and do so, because what he has to say is both true and important. It’s also worth reading his sermon from this time twenty years ago on “Believing God on Election Day,” because while the names have changed, the truth of his points in that sermon hasn’t.

To this, I would only add a point that my wife has been talking about quite a bit lately (I thought she’d blogged on it, but I haven’t found the post): we as Christians are called to do things for the value of the thing itself, not in the expectation of results. Thus, for instance, we are called to evangelism, not in order to improve the attendance and giving numbers at our church, buteven if we don’t, simply because telling people about Jesus is a good thing and one of the tasks to which he calls us as his disciples. Similarly, we are called to vote, but if the candidates for whom we vote lose—if we don’t get the desired results—that doesn’t mean that our votes are “wasted.” God has commanded us to seek the welfare of the communities in which he has placed us, and that gives us the responsibility to vote, as wisely as we can; the results of that, however, are not in our hands, but God’s. We need to do our part, not to try to do his.

Posted in Faith and politics, Scripture.

4 Comments

  1. Eh, despite your blathering, it really doesn’t matter any more. Spoiler alert!: Obama wins!Your foolish pick of Palin cost you guys the election. Rickey says good riddance. Have fun losing the Presidency and the entire legislative body. Your own party betrayed you. You sad silly fool.

  2. Yes, Obama’s going to win; I’ve been saying so for a while. No, Palin didn’t cost McCain the election–without her, it wouldn’t have been close. Yes, the GOP betrayed its supporters.

    In short, your comments are good and original–but those which are good are not original, and those which are original are not good.

  3. It’s been Obama’s to lose for a while. The fact is, the GOP may have a great experience in 4 years if the Democrats mess things up.

    The demo’s hope is that they get the 1 trillion return on the investment they are whining about. If that happens it will be harder for the GOP.

    Palin was a breath of fresh air in a stale, sound clip campaign without her we’d probably have seen the last of SNL.

    BTW I got a load error on the links to the sermons.

    Alan

  4. Huh . . . the links are working fine for me. And I don’t think it will be four years, but two–I think 2010 is going to be a truly unpleasant year for Democrats in Congress. (Nancy Pelosi will keep her seat, but I’d bet that when January 2011 rolls around, it will be Steny Hoyer who’s House Minority Leader, not Rep. Pelosi.)

Leave a Reply