Transcript:

Hello! This is Pastor Don of Christ Redeemer Church. Welcome to The Kingdom Perspective!

When engaging in political discussion, we must always seek to be considerate of our brothers and sisters who may have differing perspectives, born of differing personal experiences. Do not stand in judgment of one another.

Human politics are always messy. Our options are never perfect, and our perspective is never quite clear. In a real sense, whenever we enter the voting booth, we are always settling for some compromise. Therefore, when we fulfill our civic duty to vote, we must have the freedom of conscience to make the choice we think is best, before the eyes of God. It is before God that we will give an account, not before one another!

Certainly, we have the freedom to persuade one another as to which choice would best facilitate the common good. But we do not have the freedom to judge one another’s consciences—disdaining others by casting their motives and intelligence in the worst possible light.

Inevitably, we are going to have differing perspectives, differing consciences, and therefore, we may come to different conclusions. Our responsibility is not to sit in judgment, but to love, understand, and serve one another under the kingly authority of Jesus. Jesus commands us to love our enemies; how much more so our brothers and sisters with differing opinions!

The true and final Judge has commanded us to understand and accept one another. He does so precisely because He has already been judged for us all.

And that’s something to think about from The Kingdom Perspective.

“So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

~ Philippians 2:1-8 (ESV)