Christians and Public Service (1)

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

What’s that smell?
In the minds of increasing numbers of Americans, all things political and governmental are beginning to smell rather foul.

When was the last time you participated in a conversation or discussion extolling the many virtues and positive accomplishments of people in public office, or of the government as a whole? The distance between Americans and those who govern them is growing greater day by day, and for many of the electorate, I fear, this is a matter of “good riddance.” Doubtless the same is true of people in other nations as well.

Which, to the extent this is true, especially of believers in Jesus Christ, it represents a colossal mistake and forfeiture of our Kingdom calling.

Governments, of course, can be evil. They can do horrible, terrible things, enact grotesque and abominable policies, and exercise oppression and the aggrandizement of power more than any institution on earth. But why does this happen? Is it because government is inherently evil? Is there no escaping the putridity and odium which are so often attached to politics and government?

Well, not if the Scriptures are to be believed. In the Biblical worldview, government is a far cry from a necessary evil; indeed, Paul insists that government is the servant of God for good (Rom. 13.4).

A servant for good
God created the world and all things in it “good,” as we have seen. His design was that beauty, goodness, charity, abundance, prosperity, and wholesomeness should abound to every creature, because such things are consistent with His eternal character and will.

But the advent of sin at the fall of humankind injected a mean spirit of self-centeredness into the race of men. Unless this is checked, there could be nothing like a just social order, for every man would seek what was right in his own eyes, and the weak and vulnerable would always be prey to the wily and strong.

Governments were instituted by God to aid human beings in realizing as much of God’s justice and peaceas is possible in a fallen world. Paul taught Timothy to lead men to pray for rulers and governors, so that they might be able to rule in just this way, and so that the peace and justice of God might be the common possession of all (1 Tim. 2.1-8; cf. Jer. 29.7).

Governments have the power to suppress whatever is wicked, encourage all that is good, promote liberty, dignity, industry, creativity, and prosperity. But for this to be the case, governments must conform their practices to the ends and will of God. There has never been a perfect civil government in all the annals of human history, even in those places and times when the Gospel prevailed in a nation or state. Men are always prone to sin and not always keen to restrain their selfish desires.

When the power to rule falls into the hands of sinful people, God’s purpose for government can become corrupted and government can be used in a manner wholly contrary to His good and perfect will.

The call to public service
This is why, as The Westminster Confession of Faith explains, “It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate, when called thereunto” (XXIII.II). The Confession continues by saying that those who enter into the arena of public service “ought especially to maintain piety, justice, and peace, according to the wholesome laws of each commonwealth.”

We can imagine that civil governments, manned by men and women devoted to such demeanor and focused on achieving God’s peace and justice for the people they serve, might be altogether different, in many ways, from what is, sadly, becoming familiar in our own nation.

Christians can and must accept a calling from God to serve in the public realm. Two excellent Biblical examples – Joseph and Daniel – can help us understand just how believers in public service might expect to contribute to bringing the peace and justice of God to those they are called to serve. In this series we’ll look at each of these men in order to discover what we can learn from them about serving King Jesus in the public squares of this world.

For reflection
1.  How many different opportunities for serving in the public sector can you identify?

2.  As you think about the public sector and the role of government, what are some of the primary obstacles to government serving as God’s agent for good?

3.  Meditate on 1 Timothy 2.1-8 and Jeremiah 29.7. What do we mean by God’s “peace and justice”? What are some ways you might expect to see that in your community?

Next steps: Reflect more deeply on 1 Timothy 2.1-8. Who are the civil authorities for whom you should be praying? Put a list together, and share it with some Christian friends, encouraging them to join you in this most fundamental aspect of your duty in public service.

T. M. Moore

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This week’s study, Christians and Public Service, is part 4 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 books The Kingship of Jesus  and The Ground for Christian Ethics 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.