Political parties update their platforms every four years. Sometimes, the changes are minor, while other times, they are significant. Over time, these changes add up. The differences are drastic when comparing a current platform with one from the same party sixty or seventy years ago. Parties change policies, alter their moral standings, and choose to emphasize or deemphasize certain issues. The political party you support today will look different in twenty or thirty years.
God's word does not change. Christians do not come together every four years to make adjustments to the word of God. The Bible we have today is the same one Martin Luther read. We study the same Scriptures that Francis of Assisi, Augustine, and Justin Martyr studied. The words Jesus read aloud in synagogues in his lifetime are still read aloud in churches today. Because of this, no political platform aligns perfectly with Scripture. Some may align more with Scripture than others, but there is a vast difference between political platforms and the word of God. Political platforms evolve. The word of God does not.
We should learn two essential lessons from this. First, whatever political platform a person supports is not perfect. This is a hard truth for some to acknowledge because we have become so politically partisan that we want to believe our side is right on every issue. How can a platform be 100% right when the party will change it again in four years? There are disagreements between every political platform and the word of God. We should want to know what these disagreements are. We should ask ourselves, "In what ways does the party I support not align with God's word?" We should ask the same thing of party leaders. How do the words and actions of these candidates compare with Scripture? Political platforms and politicians do not fully and adequately represent the faith we Christians confess.
Second, Christians are not united by who we vote for. We are united by our faith in Jesus Christ. We are not united by platforms that change. We are united by the word of God that does not change. We are not united by politicians who come and go. We are united by a table that we commune around every Sunday. Our faith is bigger than any vote. It is greater than any politician, and we need to remember these things, especially in an election year. We have more in common with our brothers and sisters in Christ who vote differently than we often realize. Our bonds in Christ are stronger than any political differences we may have.
Political candidates pop up and fade away, political parties are created and remade, nations form, and nations end, but the kingdom of God is forever.
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