Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Instituted by God: A Christian Look at Civil Government, Politics, and Voting
    Instituted by God: A Christian Look at Civil Government, Politics, and Voting
    Instituted by God: A Christian Look at Civil Government, Politics, and Voting
    Ebook69 pages57 minutes

    Instituted by God: A Christian Look at Civil Government, Politics, and Voting

    By Adam Murrell

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    How would Jesus vote?
    That's the one question people ask repeatedly, and folks on both sides of the political aisle think they know the answer. Into this overwhelmingly complex political question, Adam Murrell brings a concise, compelling, and nonpartisan exploration of what God's Word has to say on a myriad of issues ranging from the role of civil government and single-issue voting to the ethics of voting and a woman's role in politics. Instituted by God isn't intended to tell you which candidate to support; rather it offers you a wholly biblically centered way of looking at candidates to help you draw your own political conclusions.
    This election season, don't cast an uninformed vote that fails to reflect your Christian values. Instead, learn how to apply the teachings of the Bible, your faith, and your obedience to God to your ballot. This timely, helpful, and daring book will enable you to do just that.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherResource Publications
    Release dateMar 16, 2012
    ISBN9781621891802
    Instituted by God: A Christian Look at Civil Government, Politics, and Voting
    Author

    Adam Murrell

    Adam Murrell is a graduate of Columbia College and Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He serves as the president of a non-profit organization, a Bible teacher, and a United States naval officer. He has authored several books including Concise Fundamentalism, Essential Church History, and The Essence of the Christian Faith. In addition to his writings, he maintains an international Internet ministry at www.stanmurrell.org. He currently resides in Virginia with his lovely wife, Laura, and four children, Emily, Elizabeth, Luke, and Caleb.

    Read more from Adam Murrell

    Related to Instituted by God

    Related ebooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Future Glory

      Mar 16, 2021

      For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. ROMANS 8:18 (ESV) SCRIPTURE TELLS US that we are to glory in our sufferings. Because of faith, we can see the blessing in ev

      1 min read

    • Article

      Truth You Can Trust

      Apr 27, 2021

      If we’re faced with confusion or deceit, it can seem hard to know what truth is. But understanding God’s nature as infallible Truth itself empowers us to discern between what’s true and what’s false.

      3 min read

    • Article

      FAMILY TIME with God

      Aug 25, 2023

      FAMILY TIME with God
      3 min read

    • Article

      Sodom And Gomorrah As Examples Of Judgement

      Jan 1, 2021

      God’s judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the most-used ed examples of judgement in the Bible. It is used to speak against foreign nations like when Isaiah declares God’s judgement over Babylon (Isa 13:19) and Zephaniah over Moab and Ammon (Zep

      1 min read

    • Article

      Fake News, Fake Gospels!

      Dec 31, 2021

      Fake News, Fake Gospels!
      5 min read

    • Article

      Stepping Into The Book Of Romans

      Oct 2, 2020

      The New Testament book of Romans is a copy of a letter written by the Apostle Paul to the church in Rome, sometime around the end of 58AD while he was in Corinth. He had never been to the Roman church before, although he had desired to do so for a lo

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Anglican Church’s Controversial Political Stance On Israel

      Oct 27, 2023

      A decision by the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) to declare Israel an apartheid state “is highly concerning” as it “portrays a false view of the conflict between the Palestinians and Israel,” says Bafana Modise, head of communications at S

      3 min read

    • Article

      Every And All

      Oct 3, 2019

      The debate about political power and authority among those who profess the Christian faith has raged since the 1st century. In modern America, the debate raged throughout Jimmy Carter's presidency and more recently through the presidencies of Bill Cl

      2 min read

    • Article

      Cal Thomas: Where Should Evangelicals Go Now?

      Nov 12, 2020

      Evangelical Christians have unquestionably been a loyal and largely unmovable base of support for President Trump since he has been in office and in some cases before. Should the election results not be overturned by recounts or court decisions, wher

      2 min read

    • Article

      Cal Thomas: Where Should Evangelicals Go Now?

      Nov 12, 2020

      Evangelical Christians have unquestionably been a loyal and largely unmovable base of support for President Trump since he has been in office and in some cases before. Should the election results not be overturned by recounts or court decisions, wher

      2 min read

    • Article

      Cal Thomas: Southern Baptists: Repent!

      Jun 15, 2021

      Cover-ups of sexual misconduct, allegations of racism and intimidation of those who wish to speak their minds but can’t for fear of losing their jobs. It sounds like the dysfunctional ways of the world, doesn’t it? These are just some of the problems

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Conversation

      May 17, 2018

      The Conversation
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Fanatic

      Sep 24, 2020

      The Fanatic
      14 min read

    • Article

      Cal Thomas: Christian nationalism

      Oct 13, 2022

      The subject of “Christian nationalism” has again appeared in our political life, establishing residence in the Republican Party. It is nothing new, though, having taken many forms in the past, including Moral Rearmament, Prohibition, Christian Recons

      2 min read

    • Article

      PROOF TEXTS & POLITICS

      May 20, 2022

      PROOF TEXTS & POLITICS
      3 min read

    • Article

      The Rebel Evangelical

      Aug 23, 2019

      The Rebel Evangelical
      9 min read

    • Article

      Following Jesus, Or Following Trump?

      Apr 24, 2018

      "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other." (Matthew 6:24) The verse refers to money, but in light of today's debate about the unaccountable devotion many C

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Museum of the Bible Is More Than a Museum

      Nov 21, 2017

      The Museum of the Bible opened in Washington, D.C., last weekend, and not a moment too soon for a city (and nation) plagued by scandal. In addition to ongoing investigations by a special counsel and various congressional committees, sexual harassment

      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Instituted by God

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Instituted by God - Adam Murrell

      Introduction

      Benjamin Franklin once remarked nothing in the world can be said to be certain except death and taxes. To that short list I think one could reasonably add another submission: change in politics. By the time you read this book, the political illustrations I have used certainly will be passé, and new political issues will take center stage. But that’s okay. While the names and faces are constantly changing, the core of the issues I discuss herein remain constant. Here, for example, are a few items that are unchanging according to the Bible: the basic function of government; Christian duties and responsibilities in a free society; requirements for electing civil leaders; the ethics of voting; and even perhaps the eligibility of a candidate running for political office. These are just a few of the issues I set out to explain to voters in this short work, reminding the public that they have an awesome responsibility in their nation and a duty to approach government, politics, and voting from a biblical perspective.

      This small book sets out to assist Christians in pursuing that endeavor in this year’s presidential election and beyond. It is a work designed to help Christians understand why they should gladly serve America and exercise their patriotic responsibility on Election Day. However, it doesn’t advocate for any one particular party since all parties evolve in belief sets at different stages and not all within the parties share monolithic ideas. What’s more, this is also a book that seeks to provide an answer to the fundamental inquiry: for whom should we vote?

      I am reminded of the story in the book of Joshua where the title character has an encounter with the pre-incarnate Son of God. Joshua approaches the stranger standing before him with sword drawn, and Joshua wants to know: Are you for us or for our enemies? To this the man responds, Neither; but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come (Josh 5:13–15).

      Much like Joshua, we want to know if God is on our side—if he is for our particular political candidate. Inquiring minds want to know if Jesus would vote Democrat, Republican, or third-party. Throughout the history of this nation, many people aligned the name of Jesus with their political objectives, suggesting that God was exclusively on the side of revolution from England, slavery, prohibition, pacifism (and vice versa), or any other number of monumental moments. But all of these speculations about which side the divine is on miss the mark because such language about God choosing sides approaches the topic from a faulty perspective of how God operates. We are asking the wrong question.

      Again we return to the story of Joshua when we are confronted with the issue of determining God’s candidate. For starters, we must properly phrase the question. Otherwise the answer will always be the one given by the pre-incarnate Jesus to the inquiry of Joshua: Neither. Politically speaking, the Lord is neither on the side of any particular Democrat nor any specific Republican, just as he was not on the side of Joshua and the Israelites as we understand it. Jesus explained to Joshua that if he was to be victorious, he must obey the commands of the Lord. In essence, when the Israelites later proved victorious in the Battle of Jericho, it was not because God was on their side per se but because Joshua and his men were on the side of God. Likewise, we would do well to discover which candidate is on the Lord’s side, so to speak—the one who most faithfully (yet imperfectly) obeys the divine commands. In this manner, we can better judge how to cast our ballot properly and according to the dictates of Scripture, ensuring we are truly on the proper side. And that, in a nutshell, is how we should focus our efforts in knowing how to vote.

      Time is short, and the 2012 presidential election cycle is nearly underway, so let’s begin to discover how best to view the role of government in our society and make an impactful contribution on society while voting your conscience.

      1

      The Function of Civil Government

      Capturing the mood of the American electorate during his first inaugural address to the nation, President Ronald Reagan lamented, "Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem."¹ This sentiment—one that is increasing notably by the day, according to a recent Gallup survey²—in recent years has spawned political movements seeking to limit, reduce, or modify the scope of authority and power exercised by the federal government. Citizens are growing more distrustful of civil authorities and are mobilizing to oppose authority rather than submit to it, serving it joyfully with a pure heart and a clear conscience. Everything from Tea

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1