Delving into the Messy World of Politics and Governing

Remember the old adage that two issues are off-limits at dinner conversations – religion and politics? Well, because that’s the case, I advise you not to read this section aloud at supper tonight or you risk being pelted with an olive. In this section, you explore how Christians believe they’re called to relate to politics and government.

Looking at what the Bible says about government

The Bible may not be a book about politics, but a distinct political subplot running through the Old and New Testaments is quite obvious. That’s because God’s faithful have never lived in apolitical ivory towers, but rather in the midst of a world filled with political intrigue, scandal, tyranny, and social reform. In the Old Testament, the Israelites were slaves in Egypt and faced the dilemma of rebellion against an unjust ruler. Later, after the Israelites were freed and formed their own nation, they had to deal with politics of a monarchy and issues concerning how to govern justly. In the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles operated their entire ministries within a society that was dominated by a foreign occupier. Therefore, after you explore the Bible’s pages, you discover principles God gave concerning how his followers should interact and be involved with politics and the government.

Although many ideas stem from the Bible’s teachings, four of the most significant are as follows:

God ordained government. The need for government doesn’t seem to be something God thought of as an afterthought or a consequence of sin. Instead, government seems to have been a natural part of Creation. From the very beginning, God invited humans to share in the ruling of the world (Genesis 1:28). Paul seconds this idea in Romans 13:1 when he says that the authorities that exist have been established by God, though that certainly doesn’t mean that God approves of what a particular government may do with its power.

Christians are to submit to a just government. A consistent theme throughout the Bible is that, although exceptions exist, God’s faithful are to be submissive to the government. Paul says this most explicitly in Romans 13:1-8:

Let every follower be in submission to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those who exist are ordained by God. Therefore he who resists the authority, withstands the ordinance of God; and those who withstand will receive to themselves judgment... Therefore you need to be in submission, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For this reason you also pay taxes, for they are servants of God’s service, attending continually on this very thing. Give therefore to everyone what you owe: taxes to whom taxes are due; customs to whom customs; respect to whom respect; honor to whom honor.

Jesus backed up Paul’s teaching when the crowd questioned him about paying taxes to the Roman occupiers (Matthew 22:21): “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Therefore, although at times a Christian may need to support civil disobedience or outright revolution (see the next bullet), the foremost call is simply to submit.

Christians are to obey God first, government second. Although Paul focuses on the importance of submitting to the government in Romans 13 (see the preceding bullet), Christians may run into situations where they must be willing to step away from specific acts should the government go against the higher authority of God.

The Old and New Testaments show several examples of civil disobedience. In the Old Testament, Moses disobeyed Pharaoh and demanded the release of slaves. The Old Testament prophet Daniel refused to obey a law that said he couldn’t pray to God. King Nebuchadnezzar threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into a fiery furnace after they refused to bow down before a false god. (Don’t sweat it – God rescued the trio. Read the story in Daniel 3.) Similarly, the New Testament apostles were law-abiding citizens, but when the authorities told them that they couldn’t preach the gospel to others, they felt a moral obligation to disobey earthly rulers and serve the Lord instead by continuing to preach. In each of these instances, the motivations weren’t selfish, but were responses to laws that were direct offenses to God.

Political reform is important, but transformed, godly lives are always most important. God demonstrated many times in the Old Testament that he’s concerned with oppression, social ills, and the needy. The ministry of Jesus parallels this concern as he healed many people and cared for them. But, at the same time, Jesus and his apostles weren’t political activists or political revolutionaries. Frankly, from what the Bible says, they actually talked very little of politics. Therefore, although Christians disagree on the extent to which reform should be sought after, the Bible indicates that Jesus’ and the apostles’ foremost priority was working to transform individual lives with the gospel.