Election season is upon us, and you may already be tired of text messages, TV commercials, and mail pieces — all trying to get you to vote for a certain candidate. How do you sort through the slick messages and hype to make the best decision? The answer may be in that Bible in front of you.

First, we know the Bible speaks directly or indirectly to so many issues. Whether it’s marriage, gender, abortion, religious liberty, or even fiscal policy, there are scriptural principles that can be applied. But we have to know those to recall them. Voters often get swayed by the latest commercial or social media posts. Many churches teach verse-by-verse through the Old and New Testament these days, and that gives ample opportunity to apply scriptural principles to modern day issues. Whether it’s Nehemiah, Esther, Daniel, Joseph, Paul, or Jesus, biblical characters interact with government and policy, often taking strong stands for God and His word — sometime at great peril. 

Second, the person you vote for could be impactful. “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn,” says Proverbs 29:2. Taking time to discover the character of a candidate matters. We often only think about bigger offices, but many positions appear on ballots: think county supervisors or commissioners, district attorneys, tax commissioners, energy commissioners, school superintendents, and many more.

Once these people are elected, they tend to stay. And before you know it, they’re running for an even higher office. It is best to evaluate them early on. As a part of that process, try to meet up with candidates and let them know the values that matter to you. It is entirely appropriate to ask a candidate to support a certain position on an issue. I know after 15 years in statewide office. You might be surprised by what they will tell you.

Third, we have a duty as people of faith to exercise our citizenship. Jesus invoked Caesar’s name, because the government and its leaders mattered to Him — and they should matter to us. In America, we’re blessed with the freedom to choose our elected officials, and as Christians, we have an obligation to vote for men and women who most closely align to a biblical worldview. In places like Russia or China, people don’t have that privilege. I fear that we have grown apathetic; many Christians are not even registered to vote. Take time this fall to get registered and urge your church to offer a voter registration table before it is too late.

Finally, Christians need to be engaged in the larger culture war raging across America. At Family Research Council, we believe the best place for that to happen is in the local church. There, Christians can gather, build relationships, and pray for officials. They can equip themselves to speak out when something egregious happens in the their community. This kind of small group can help others in a fellowship be more informed and serve as a resource to the church staff. Proverbs 29:2 states, “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.”

At FRC, we urge Christians to pray, vote, and stand. We’ve established chapters by the same name and provided churches with the tools to help people grow in their understanding of public policy, citizenship, and political choices. We teach them to vote with their Bibles open. This year, the stakes could not be higher.