A Theology of Government
Faith and Politics: Session 2
Where does a government derive its authority?
- Power
- Whoever carries the biggest stick makes the decisions.
- Consent
- “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” – Thomas Jefferson
- Divine
- 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. – Rom 13:1-2
Government: God’s Idea
- In the Garden
- Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. – Gen 1:28
- Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth. – Gen 1:28
- After the Fall
- Cain and Abel
- And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth…And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.
6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image.
7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it. – Gen 9:1, 5-7
- God provides a human right to punish the shedding of human blood. This is the germ of government.
What is the Purpose of Government?
- To punish evil and uphold justice
- Gen 9:6—God authorizes human beings to provide proportionate, reciprocal judgment.
- Lex talionis, “But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe,” (Ex 21:23-25).
- 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, 4 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. – Rom 13:3-4
- Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. – 1 Pet 2:13-14
- A king who sits on the throne of judgment winnows all evil with his eyes. – Prov 20:8
- The case of Solomon and the baby: “And all Israel heard of the judgment that the king had rendered, and they stood in awe of the king, because they perceived that the wisdom of God was in him to do justice,” (1 Kings 3:28).
- What is the point of punishing evil? To establish justice so that human life may be preserved.
- What does this look like today?
- Police officers, courts, military, prisons, fines, etc.
- Police officers, courts, military, prisons, fines, etc.
- To build platforms of peace, order, and flourishing
- Gen 9:1, 7 “be fruitful and multiply”
- We need the sword of the state to establish justice so that human society can fulfill its dominion mandate.
- We need the sword of the state to establish justice so that human society can fulfill its dominion mandate.
- 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 (epainos) – Rom 13:3
- … governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise (epainos) those who do good. – 1 Pet 2:14
- Government does not exist solely to punish, but to govern with such wisdom that the society under its rule is “fruitful” and “multiplies.”
- When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, 4 he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth. – 2 Sam 23:3-4
- Think of
- Joseph in Egypt
- Daniel in Babylon
- Solomon in Israel
- In Paul and Peter’s day this looked like the Roman roads and Pax Romana
- For us today, this looks like first-time home buyer grants, public parks, building codes, street lamps, community sports leagues, subsidized health-care, etc.
- The state not only punishes bad behavior, but wants to incentivize good behavior that leads to more just, peaceable, and sustainable communities; they are “praising” the good.
- Thus government exists simply to preserve human life—to punish evil with proportionate judgment, and to promote human flourishing and order.
- Gen 9:1, 7 “be fruitful and multiply”
- To establish a platform for the mission of the church
- First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. – 1 Tim 2:1-4
- Pray for kings we may live peaceful lives God desires all to be saved.
- Pray for kings we may live peaceful lives God desires all to be saved.
- We do not want a government that thinks it can offer redemption or perform the mission of the church. What we do want, however, is a government that knows that it has a very limited role in (1) establishing justice (2) promoting peace and societal good, so that (3) the church is now free to pursue its mission of discipling the nations.It is difficult for the church to exist when the government fails doing (1) and (2).
- First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. – 1 Tim 2:1-4
“We don't want a government that thinks it can offer redemption, but a government that views its work as a prerequisite of redemption for all its citizens. It builds the streets so that you can drive to church, protects the womb so that you can live and hear the gospel, insists on fair-lending and housing practices so that you can own a home and offer hospitality to non-Christians, works for education so that you can read and teach your children the Bible, protects marriage and the family so that husbands and wives can model Christ's love for the church, polices the streets so that you are free to assemble as churches unmolested and to make an honest living so that you can give money to the work of God.” – Jonathan Leeman, How the Nations Rage, p. 126
