The Christian and Government
#1 - Understanding the Role of Government
Romans 13:1-7
May 23, 2004
Introduction
It was not my intention to talk about this whole issue of government at this point of the year. I was going to talk about it in October, a week or two before the elections in November, but after thinking about what I wanted to share, I realized that this week would be just as good a time as any.
My original hope was to cover all this in one message, but there is too much to cram into one message, and we are coming up to an election that will have world-wide impact, even the races taking place in South Dakota.
My intention today is to give you a Biblical view of the role of government, and how you can be involved.
I will draw some conclusions that I think are Biblical. Some of you may not agree with me on this, but that¡¦s okay ¡V I¡¦m sure you¡¦ve been wrong about other things as well!
This is serious business, but I¡¦m hoping that it won¡¦t come across as dark and oppressive, because that¡¦s not my intention. I¡¦m not an anti-government conspiracy theorist or anything like that.
I also don¡¦t hold unrealistic expectations of what government is or what some think it should be.
But the Bible has a lot to say about civil governments, and the idea today is to explore some of that. We¡¦ll also take some time the next two weeks to look at the issue of what should influence your vote and the idea of mixing your religion with your politics, which is a hot item nowadays.
But let¡¦s move into the first part of this series.
The passage that will guide our time today is Romans 13:1-7, which is printed in your note-taking guide. Rather than read the whole passage now, we will refer to it during the message.
I want to give you two very important principles regarding the role of governments, and then offer some suggestions for involvement. Let¡¦s go.
First¡K
1. God has ordained civil governments.
Look at verse 1 of our passage in Romans:
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.
Circle the phrase, ¡§established by God.¡¨
Government, including civil government was God¡¦s idea in the first place. And not only was it God¡¦s idea, He¡¦s the one who puts people in power, or at least allows them to be in power.
And yes, that includes such people as Hitler, Stalin, and whatever president you don¡¦t like during the history of the United States.
Listen to Isaiah 40:22-25 ¡V
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
23 He brings princes to naught and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
24 No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner do they take root in the ground, than he blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.
25 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One.
The civil authorities, ultimately serve the purposes of God. Scripture notes a number of examples where God raised up a certain king in order to accomplish a specific task that would bring God glory among the nations.
Wouldn¡¦t it be just lovely if we didn¡¦t need civil government, where we could just rely on God and His Word to keep us in harmony?
Sure it would, but God, knowing how stiff-necked we are, and knowing that most people don¡¦t care to live under the laws of God, put civil governments in place, for our own protection if for no other reason.
But what is the main function of government, according to the Bible? Let¡¦s look at that now, under point number 2 because, believe it or not¡K
2. Government has Biblical Functions.
Civil governments are not given permission by God to just run rampant. They have limits.
Here are the main functions of government from a Biblical perspective. Ready?
- Provide for civil protection (laws and enforcement).
1 Peter 2:13-14
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.
Did you get that? God uses the government to punish wrong and reward right.
Unfortunately, at times, our government is so busy trying to regulate everything, they forget to reward those who do right.
My point here is that God intends government to be His tool to provide for our civil protection by punishing wrongdoers and rewarding good.
Before I go on, let me go on a bit of a tangent when it comes to legislation. There are good laws and bad laws. The challenge for governments is to make laws that actually make a difference morally.
There is a huge myth that says you can¡¦t legislate morality. But let give you another theological term that applies here ¡V bunk.
All laws are legislated morality. Why do we have stop signs and speed limits? Just to irritate people? No! It¡¦s because it is morally wrong to endanger people with your vehicle because you¡¦re in a hurry.
Why do we have laws against murder? Because it¡¦s morally wrong to take the life of an innocent person.
Why do we have laws against rape? Because it is morally wrong to force yourself on someone like that.
Why do we have laws against bigamy? Because it¡¦s morally wrong to be married to more that one spouse at a time.
We legislate morality all the time. This argument comes up generally when we¡¦re talking about such things as gambling, strip clubs, or pornography. But it¡¦s a false argument.
Okay, enough of that. The first purpose of government is to offer us civil protection. The second purpose of government is to¡K
- Provide for military protection.
This is implied by the command of God to form armies to protect Israel, etc. He expects countries to protect their citizens by forming a military presence.
Now let¡¦s review for just a moment: according to Scripture, government has two purposes ¡V civil protection and military protection.
So this also means that civil governments do not have Biblical authority for such things as:
„h Education ¡V nowhere in Scripture do you find God demanding that civil governments provide free public education.
Why is this a big deal? Because many government-sponsored school systems, are demanding that non-Biblical lifestyles and viewpoints are celebrated, while Biblical lifestyles and viewpoints are denigrated and scorned. And our tax dollars are paying for it.
Another area that has no Biblical mandate is:
„h Welfare ¡V The Bible says that taking care of the poor and those unable to work for their food is the responsibility of the church. Unfortunately, the church has given this over to the government, and now we have programs in place that were never intended by the constitution or the Bible.
And so I say, ¡§Thank God,¡¨ for such organizations as the Salvation Army, who take this seriously.
The last area I want to mention today where government has no Biblical mandate is in the area of¡K
„h Religion
It¡¦s very important to understand that while God has ordained government, He did not ordain it to be His instrument to mandate or regulate religion.
You will find no Scriptural support for the notion that the church should subject its teachings to government approval.
In Canada, right now, it is conceivable for a pastor to go to prison for using the Bible to support a position against homosexuality, because portions of the Bible are viewed by the Canadian government as hate speech. True.
The intrusion of government into religion is horrendous.
Should there be some involvement at times? Yes, if that religion advocates immoral activity ¡V human sacrifices, theft, whatever.
But if that religion is practicing peacefully within the laws, the government should stay away.
And I thank God that in America, that is the case, for the most part, although it is not as free as it once was.
Okay, so government has a purpose, and government has limits, Biblically, but let¡¦s turn the corner and ask the question¡K
What is the Christian¡¦s role in government?
I think it¡¦s a mistake for Christians to isolate themselves from involvement in government affairs.
The United States is the greatest country in the world, and one of the reasons for that is because it allows the average person to participate in one form or many forms.
I want to give you four ways for anyone to be involved, if they will take the time. Here we go. First, we need to¡K
- Understand it
Learn the processes involved. Learn about how our national, state, county, and city governments work.
Learn what it takes to introduce legislation, petitions, and elect or recall elected officials.
When you understand it better, it becomes less scary or mysterious.
Go to legislative sessions or watch them on TV, interview elected or appointed officials.
Get to know your elected officials so you can approach them with questions about the processes of government. Most are more than happy to answer questions.
The next part of our role in government is to¡K
- Participate in it.
Vote, be a candidate, or whatever.
We need godly men and women to be legislators, etc. I think the more people of Biblical conviction that are involved, the better.
And folks, you¡¦ve got to vote. I can¡¦t stress that enough. Next week I¡¦m going to dedicate the whole message to how to be a responsible voter. You need to be here for that ¡V and bring your friends.
Take part of petition drives for candidates or issues, call your legislators and write letters. And not just when you disagree with something, either.
Volunteer to help at the polls, or even participate in a candidate¡¦s staff or something.
The more you participate, the better chance you have of influencing it toward a more Biblical end.
But let me caution you about something, and I¡¦m going to address this in greater detail in two weeks. Don¡¦t look on government as the cure-all or the savior for social and moral ills.
You know what the cure for all that is? Redeemed people living redeemed lives in love with Jesus and other people.
But if you don¡¦t participate in the governmental process, you have no right to complain when it doesn¡¦t go the way you want it to. It¡¦s that simple. So participate. The third part of our role in government is to¡K
- Obey it.
Some of you may not have wanted to hear that, but it¡¦s the truth. Look back at verse 2 in our passage from Romans 13:
2 Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4 For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.
Remember one of the main purposes of government? To punish those who do wrong.
We have a command from Scripture that we are to obey the civil authorities.
We have a great model for that in the life of Jesus. Jesus never broke a civil law. In fact, when He was brought before Pilate, the temple rulers had to fabricate stuff about Him, and play Him against Caesar in order to get Him crucified, and even that didn¡¦t really work because Pilate was more worried about preventing a riot than about justice.
But Jesus was not a lawbreaker.
Should we ever disobey the government? Yes. And let me give you the criteria ¡V when it commands us to break the known commands of God.
Now before I get too far, let me just say something very quickly: there is a difference between what the government commands and what it allows. And you need to know the difference.
For instance, the government allows abortion on demand. But it does not command abortions, as some countries do. Therefore, I cannot condone ¡§civil disobedience¡¨ by blocking abortion clinics and such.
If the government began forcing people to have abortions, I would have to disobey that, because of the Scriptural sanctity of innocent life.
If the government prohibited us from worshiping, reading the Bible, or talking about Jesus, I would have to disobey, because I have a Scriptural mandate from God to do those things.
The bottom line here is that Bible is a higher authority than the civil government.
Another aspect of obeying the government is to show respect for government officials.
When I see Mayor Hopper, I don¡¦t say, ¡§Hey Tom, how¡¦s it going?¡¨ I call him, ¡§Your Honor,¡¨ or Mayor Hopper.
I don¡¦t call police officers ¡§pigs,¡¨ the ¡§fuzz,¡¨ or anything like that. It¡¦s Officer so and so, or Deputy so and so. They are there for my protection, and I¡¦m grateful. Can you imagine what life would be like without law enforcement?
This extends to every branch of government. If a state senator calls me on official business, I address him as Senator, Congressman, or whatever.
Why? Because the office is part of the civil government ordained by God, and I am to obey them.
I have mentioned in the past that there is a certain former president that I thought did a horrible job as president. Aside from his policies, I felt that he was a horrible example of morality, and that his actions gave the impression that what happens in his private life is of no importance, which is a farce, both logically and Biblically.
But as wrong as all that is, I would still invite him into my house. Why? Because I respect the office. And as much as I disagreed with almost everything he did as president, he is still the former president, and worthy of honor.
In the book of Daniel, notice that every time Daniel or his buddies addressed their pagan king.
¡§Oh King, live forever!¡¨ It was never, ¡§Get lost, loser.¡¨ Even when they had to disobey the king in order to obey God, they treated him with respect.
Be respectful of our government officials.
The fourth role we play in our government is to¡K
- Pray for it.
Look with me at 1 Timothy 2:1-4; it¡¦s printed in your note-taking guide.
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- 2 for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.
Notice the two main reasons we are to pray for our government: so we can live in peace, and because it pleases God.
I think those are some pretty powerful reasons to pray for our government. And remember, we are supposed to pray for our government, not against it!
Pray for the president and his cabinet ¡V they make decisions that have national and world-wide implications.
Pray for our legislatures, both national and state, that they would pass legislation that reflects Biblical priorities.
Pray for our state and local governments, because they make decisions that affect our day to day living here in our county, city, and state.
Pray for our government. It leads to peace, and it pleases God.
Conclusion
As you might have guessed by now, I think government is a good idea, as long as it follows Biblical guidelines.
God is the one who puts them in place, and He is the one who brings them down. God has a place for governments. Some of you might be thinking, ¡§yeah ¡V and it¡¦s a very HOT place!!¡¨
And Christians in America are in a very unique and wonderful position to be able to influence our government toward Biblical values and priority.
So take part. Learn to understand it, participate in it, obey it, and pray for it.
Many people look at this country and see us heading down the tubes. The problem is that all they do is rail against the darkness, rather than shine the light of Biblical truth.
Don¡¦t fall into that same trap. Do something. Do what you can, trusting God to have His way, ultimately, in our government, in all the governments around the world.
God is the sovereign King, and one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. And this will include all those leaders from around the world who called on Christ on earth, and those who refused.
Remember, governments are tools of God, not the other way around. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Let¡¦s pray.
