The Indigenous Believer and Politics

“Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” Matthew 22:21 (NASB) There is always a political cycle where we vote on civic, tribal, and even national candidates who want to lead us as a people. As believers in Christ, we must follow a different grid in evaluating who we consider the best candidates to vote for. It is the believer’s responsibility to not sit on the sidelines when it comes to these important issues. Jesus reminded us of our civic responsibility in Matthew 22:21 (NASB), where He Himself says, “Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” This indicates His desire for us to fulfill our civic responsibilities. We must understand that it is God who ultimately sets up kings, presidents, and all other leaders, whether they be good, bad, evil or godly — to accomplish His purposes in the world. Romans 13:1 says, “Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God” (NASB). We learn this lesson from the Old Testament and what it says about the human leaders that led God’s chosen people. When you look at all their 44 kings, it defines them as either evil, wicked, depraved, godly, good, or righteous. Mankind evaluates effective leaders by whether they promote the political party’s platform they associate themselves with. But for God, it’s clear they are either evil or good, based on biblical standards. And we should think no less when choosing who we will vote for in the next election cycle. As Indigenous followers of Christ, it’s not towing the party line, but following the Bible that matters! — Craig Stephen Smith   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org