“For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good…Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience.” Romans 13:3-5
June 8, 2023
God has established human government to restrain the tide of evil that is an ever present threat to the safety, order and freedom of its citizens. The value of a just government for Christians, by God’s grace, is the provision of a peaceful and quiet life (2 Tim. 2:2). This is an environment for the spread of the gospel. We are seeing a troubling increase of anarchy, anger, and anxiety in our nation. Political officials are servants of God and are appointed to reward the good and punish evil. There is a transcendent moral authority. There is a moral authority in the universe to which government must conform. Doing what is good involves obeying the laws, participating in civic affairs, paying taxes, and serving in the defense of the country. The Bible does not declare what form of government under which we should live. However, a constitutional republican democracy provides freedoms and opportunities unrivaled in human history. We need to be praying that the forces of evil will be exposed and rejected by a God-honoring conscience among our citizenry. As Christians we must not retreat into passivity and allow the normalizing of idolatrous folly rule our vision for the future.
H
“When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan.” Proverbs 29:2