Today there are many opinions among believers as to how we should view our relationship with government. Some teach that we should have nothing to do with government and politics, but should concentrate only on “spiritual matters”. Others believe that Christians should become very politically active and “claim our government for Jesus” by reforming it from within. Still others see a virtual “holy war” of revolt against our government as the only way to rid ourselves of what they perceive to be the root of all evil in our nation. Obviously, all of these widely differing viewpoints cannot be correct. The Bible has much to say about the believer’s relationship to government. We need to not be confused about how we should relate to the governmental authorities that rule over us.
WHERE DID GOVERNMENT COME FROM?
The basic principles underlying human government were revealed by God to Noah after the flood.
And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. Genesis 9:5-6
In the above passage, God introduced the principle of human government by giving man authority over man. This authority extends all the way to actually taking the life of another human being. This system is in stark contrast to the system that had existed before the flood, when man was specifically forbidden to take vengeance on those that took human life. The curse that God pronounced on Cain for slaying his brother, Abel, also contained a warning that Cain’s life was not to be taken to avenge Abels’s life. In fact, God promised to protect Cain from such a fate.
And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. Genesis 4:11-15
As the principles of human government began to be put into place, it led to the creation of nations. After the flood, man was no longer one large, monolithic entity. Mankind was now divided into small, self-ruling, autonomous entities called nations or countries.
Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood. By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations. These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their tongues, in their countries, and in their nations. And their dwelling was from Mesha, as thou goest unto Sephar a mount of the east. These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their tongues, in their lands, after their nations. Genesis 10:1,5,20,31-32.
God’s desire is for man to function in a nationalistic system. In fact, the reason that man got into trouble at the Tower of Babel is because he rejected god’s plan and sought instead to be “one” (See Genesis 11: 1-9). At the very heart of God’s plan of nationalism is the right of government to rule the lives of others, even to the extent of taking their lives.
At this point, it would perhaps be well to note that while God has ordained the principles of human government, He is not in the business of picking the specific leaders of those governments. In general, governments operate on a “survival of the fittest” basis. The governments and leaders with the most power and cunning survive and thrive. Others are eventually overcome and defeated. The notable exception to the above “kill or be killed” principle is the nation Israel.
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. Genesis 12:1-3
The nation Israel is a nation that God built and it is the only nation that He ever gave specific laws and commandments. God’s intervention in Israel also extended to the Gentile nations that had contact with Israel. Nebuchadnezzar learned this lesson in a very pointed way. (See Daniel 4:30-37). God has ordained the existence of human government, and with the notable exception of Israel, he allows the governments of the world to function without His direct intervention. Government is not an evil, manmade invention designed to make our lives miserable. While government is sometimes filled with corrupt people, the institution itself is ordained by God and should be viewed and respected as such.
WHAT IS GOVERNMENT SUPPOSED TO DO?
As we understand that government is ordained by God, we must next consider the question of why God ordained government. Why did God give fallen man the authority to rule other men, even to the extent of taking their lives? The answer to this question can be seen in the conditions that existed before the flood of Noah.
And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Genesis 6:12-13
Before the flood, when individuals had free reign to do as they pleased, the result was an earth that was “corrupt and filled with violence”. Government was instituted after the flood as a means of preventing the violence and lawlessness that had existed before the flood. This principle of restraining violence can be seen in God’s instructions to the government of Israel.
Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die. Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. And ye shall take no satisfaction for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he should come again to dwell in the land, until the death of the priest. So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it. Numbers 35:30-33
Notice that only the blood of the perpetrator of violence can cleanse the land of that violence. Before human government there was no vehicle to exact that penalty, to cleanse the land, and consequently violence ruled the day. We also see the purpose of government detailed as Paul instructs us how to pray for our government leaders.
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.1Timothy 2:1-2
Our desire and prayer for government should be that it provides a quiet and peaceable life for its citizens. God instituted government to restrain the violent tendencies of man and prevent the kind of corruption and violence that marked the days prior to the flood. Because government’s purpose is to restrain man’s actions, there will always be tension between the individual’s desire to be independent and the government’s desire to restrain what it sees as undesirable actions.
THE BELIEVER AND GOVERNMENT
How should believers respond to the authority of government? Should we be subject to the laws and regulations of government or do we have a “higher calling” that exempts us from the mundane ordinances of men? The people of Israel were to obey their leaders, even when those leaders were not necessarily “practicing what they preached” (more on this later).
Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. Matthew 23:1-3
Paul gives us similar instructions for the Age of Grace.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Romans 13:1-7
It is interesting to note that while Paul makes clear that the purpose of government is to be “a revenger to execute wrath” in the chapter just prior to this, when instructing individual believers, he had a very different admonition.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Romans 12:19
Clearly, vengeance is the role of government, not the individual. Individual vengeance is what produced the violence that existed before the flood. Peter, in his instructions to the little flock of believers in Israel, gives a clear admonition to submit to the authority of government. This passage is all the more meaningful when we realize that it is written to people who will be living in Daniel’s Seventieth Week, under the brutal reign of antichrist.
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 1 Peter 2:13-18
There is clearly no support in Scripture for believers rebelling against the authority of government. To the contrary, Scripture consistently teaches that believers are to submit to human authority as they submit to divine authority.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOVERNMENT IS EVIL?
The above verses about the believer’s submission to government seen to be very clear and unambiguous. There is, however, a question that we must still deal with. What is the believer’s responsibility when government demands that we do something that is contrary to God’s will, or prevents him from doing something that is clearly God’s will? The twelve apostles seem to have set forth a principle for believers in all ages to follow when they answered the leaders of Israel concerning their preaching of the resurrected Christ.
But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. Acts 4:19-20
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29
Some have taken these and other similar passages to mean that believers have the right to defy the authority of government, and to have a very unsubmissive spirit and attitude. While it is certainly clear that the twelve apostles defied the decrees of government, it is equally clear that they did not defy the authority of government. This can be seen in their willingness to accept willingly, even joyfully, whatever punishment the government saw fit to administer.
And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ. Acts 5:40-42
Notice that the apostles did not march in the streets and demand their “rights”. They did not set about to overthrow the leadership of Israel. They did not make speeches railing against a “repressive” government. They simply accepted the government’s punishment, submitted to the government’s authority to administer it, and went on serving the Lord. We see a similar pattern in the Old Testament, in the accounts of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and Daniel (see Daniel 3:14-20 and 6:8-16) Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego were cast into a fiery furnace because they refused to obey the king’s order to bow down to his idol. Daniel was cast into a den of lions because he defied another king’s decree. In each of these cases, the believers involved never questioned the king’s authority to punish them. In fact, they always gave proper honor and respect to the monarch that was judging them. They submitted willingly to God’s authority and the king’s authority. Our apostle for this Age of Grace, Paul, displays a similar attitude in his dealings with human government.
Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar. Acts 25: 10-11
In the passage above, Paul acknowledged the authority of the Roman government and expressed his willingness to abide by that government’s decision. This submission extended even to the point of willingly giving his life if the government so decreed. History tells us this is, in fact, what eventually happened to Paul. It is clear that believers have the right, even the responsibility, to “obey God rather than men”. It is also clear that in doing so we must be willing to submit to whatever punishment the government sees fit to impose for our disobedience. We have no right to demand that the government allow us to serve the Lord. We are to serve the Lord whether the government allows it or not, and accept whatever consequences that service may bring.
A PROPER VIEW OF GOVERNMENT
Believers should view government as the vehicle ordained by God to provide order and justice on the earth, and as such we should willingly submit to government as unto the Lord. Even when government does evil, we are still to give it the respect and honor it deserves while continuing to faithfully serve the Lord.