God’s Servant for Good (3)

For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to executewrath on him who practices evil. Romans 13.3, 4

“Good” government?
Politicians talk a great deal about “good government.” They extol the virtues of “good government” and promise that, on their watch, “good government” will once again return to the land.

But “good government” is a most plastic idea, and that, at least in the political arena, is strictly by design. “Good government” these days can mean whatever people want it to mean, until we the people begin pressing our politicians and public servants for more concrete details concerning just what they mean by “good government.”

But let us not miss the point that everyone wants “good government.” No candidate would be elected to office by running on a platform of “bad government” or “wasteful government” or “corrupt government.” We all know that “good” government is what we require and deserve.

We just can’t seem to agree on what we mean by that concept.

The meaning of “good”
When Paul wrote that government is God’s minister, or servant, for your good, what did he have in mind? The Biblical word, “good,” is a most important word, which makes it all the more tragic that it has been fairly emptied of all real meaning in our day.

For most of us, “good” means simply, “good for me.” We define “good” in terms of what satisfies our tastes, fulfills our needs, and agrees with our agenda. Politicians can campaign boldly and outspokenly on the idea of “good government”, but they need to be very careful to define their meaning in terms of the electorate, rather than any enduring value or ideal.

When Paul wrote about “good government” he meant something radically different, something that did not even exist in his own day. He meant that government should be committed to establishing and overseeing society in a way that reflects the pleasure and purposes of God.

In Genesis 1, as God is working His way through the creation week, we see Him pausing every so often to inspect the work He has created. At such points God examined His creation and pronounced His satisfaction with His work by saying that it was “good.” God’s work expressed God’s desire. God’s desire derives from His character, and God, we know, is good.

Good government
Government is good, therefore, when it is pleasing to God, when it reflects His design and intention for human beings. And what God desires of governments and the people they govern can be summarized in the words, “justice” and “love.”

Governments serve the good purposes of God when they sustain a social order where justice is maintained and love is allowed to flourish.

But these terms – “justice” and “love” – must not be left to the vain imaginations of sinful, self-serving human beings. Justice and love are not what we say they are, but what God says. If we want to see what justice and love look like we must turn to the Word of God, to study and contemplate His revelation and the ways it guides us in thinking about right social order.

But we must also consider the life and work of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, for in Him we find the purest manifestation of divine justice and love that we can expect to know.

Government is good and serves God when it governs in and for justice and love, reflecting the self-denying, others-serving, truth-directed ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What kind of government do we seek? Good government, government God’s way. Tell your public officials.

Next steps: How do your unbelieving friends understand what is meant by “good government”? Ask a few of them.

T. M. Moore

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This week’s study, God’s Servant for Good, is part 2 of a 5-part series on The King’s Heart, a Biblical view of government and politics, and is available as a free download by clicking here. We cannot understand God’s view of government, or how to function in a political environment apart from faith in King Jesus and His rule. Order T. M.’s book The Kingship of Jesus  to supplement our studies of God and government..

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.