Personal Testimony of Faith

Personal Testimony of Faith

Personal Testimony of Faith"Is a personal testimony of faith really necessary from the candidates?"

All Christians - presidential candidates or otherwise - have a Biblical duty to share their personal testimony of faith "always":

"Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." (1 Peter 3:15)

A 'Christian testimony' actually isn't about what the person has done; it about what Christ has done for that person. To a true Christian, testifying about what the Lord has done for him or her isn't just a duty; it is also a tremendous privilege to which to look forward.

All Christian testimonies are written by sinners and read by other sinners. All Christians are work-in-progress and we recognize that the candidates are running for political office, not the pastorate. All that we expect is the honesty and courage, as well as loyalty, to testify about the One who gave His life to save us and warned:

"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)

Any concern over the candidates' testimonies potentially alienating non-Christian voters during the general election should recognize that the one to be concerned about alienating is God, who controls election results:

"Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." (Romans 13:1)

In the past, too many politicians have claimed to be Christian to court our support and votes during the primaries, only to veer away from us and the Lord in the general election, and then all but ignore or even turn against us and the Lord after moving into the White House.

True and exaggerated claims of relationship with Christ should be discerned before we extend our support and certainly before we go to the polls, and a Biblical way to achieve this is to invite the candidates who profess faith in Christ to share their Christian testimony in response to pointed but fair questions.