2014 – Right and Responsibility of Franchise

Resolution on the Right and Responsibility of Franchise

 

Whereas “there is no power but of God” and “the powers that be are ordained of God” (Rom. 13:1), and whereas this axiom of biblical theology reveals the sovereignty of Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords, above all other forms of authority, including the separate realms of civil governments and local churches;

And whereas civil governments so ordained under the lordship of Christ are responsible to Him as His ministers for good, to render praise to those who are good and the threat of the sword over those who do evil (Rom. 13:2-4);

And whereas the form of civil government, which the providence of God has ordained for our nation, is a constitutional republic, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, one in which each citizen has the right and responsibility to cast his vote and elect his leaders, making the people with their right of franchise the ultimate authority of our land as ordained by God;

And whereas the God of heaven, who ordained the people of this land to be her ultimate authority, has blessed her with manifold benefits issuing from political doctrines that promote the cause of freedom, such as the endowments of the Creator—certain unalienable rights, government’s need for the consent of the governed, separation of powers, federalism, and constitutional limitations on the power and reach of government;

And whereas this same God will hold the people of this land accountable for how well they execute their responsibilities and care for their privileges as the land’s God-ordained authority, just as He will hold Nero of Paul’s day accountable for how he ruled;

And whereas the people of our nation, among whom we stand as salt in the earth and light in the world (Matt. 5:13-14), possess a singular tool for executing their responsibilities and caring for their privileges as the God-ordained power of the land—the right of franchise;

 

Therefore, be it resolved that we, the members of the Independent Baptist Fellowship of North America, gathered in our Annual Conference in Gettysburg, PA, June 17-19, 2014, determine to faithfully, prayerfully, and thankfully cast our vote, that we recognize in the fear of the Lord the account we will have to give some day for how well we served the role God has ordained for us as part of the highest civil authority of this land, and that we will hold accountable our elected leaders with our vote, assessing whether they have remembered to serve the cause of freedom, and whether they have recognized their subservience to the King of kings and Lord of lords, Who ordained that they should lead, and Who judges the nations of men with righteous judgment (Psalm 2).