Issue

Government & the Rule of Law

We look to the government to educate our children, sponsor the arts, and provide healthcare. No wonder it is referred to as the “savior State”. The question is: Should the government be fulfilling these roles?

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.

- Thomas Jefferson

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 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. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

- Romans 13:1-4

As citizens living in the modern world, we tend to expect our governments to solve every problem we face.

When a natural disaster devastates our community, we ask for government funding to rebuild. When our neighbor drops below the poverty line, we encourage him to seek aid from government programs. We look to the government to educate our children, sponsor the arts, and provide healthcare. No wonder it is referred to as the “savior State”.

The question is: Should the government be fulfilling these roles? According to Scripture, the government is responsible for maintaining security and preserving liberty. It has been given authority to punish evil and uphold good, but it has not been empowered to raise children, determine Church doctrine, or otherwise interfere with the sovereignty of the other social spheres. Its purpose is to provide the protection necessary for people operating in the other spheres to execute their roles and responsibilities before God.

By improperly expanding its authority, the government creates a number of problems in society. As citizen statesmen working in the realm of law and government, we must be diligent about pursuing policies that confine the State to its God-established jurisdiction.

Prayer Guide

As we seek to set apart Christ as Lord, we invite you to join us in praying and seeking the Lord’s will in different spheres of life. Please explore and share the following prayer guide(s).

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