trusted online casino malaysia
Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
ReVision

The Church is not the Civil Magistrate

The Church does not act in civil matters.

Law in the Kingdom (3)

I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! 1 Corinthians 6.5, 6

Justice in the civil arena
We’re examining some of the criteria which must guide contemporary believers in applying the Law of God to life in the Church and the Kingdom economy today. We have said that the Church is not ancient Israel. Rather, as the new Israel, living in the age of grace and the Spirit, church leaders will need to reflect carefully – following the example of Jesus and the Apostles – on how the statutes and precepts of ancient Israel are to be obeyed in our own day.

We do not keep the Law in order to earn our salvation, but to realize our salvation, prove our discipleship, and thus make progress in spreading the grace of Jesus Christ to all people.

Just as the Church is not ancient Israel, so it is not the civil magistrate either. The statutes and precepts of the civil law of Israel are still binding today – as Paul, James, and Jesus indicate. But they must be interpreted into the life of the new Israel, which, while it is built on the foundation of ancient Israel, faces altogether different historical and cultural contingencies.

The Law of God includes many guidelines for achieving justice and restoring order to a community. Believers should study the Law, live by it, and teach it to one another, submitting to the shepherds of their church and the protocols of disciple-making in order to embody the principles of love they are learning. Where necessary, the local church has sanctions it can apply to help those who are faltering in obedience.

But the ultimate responsibility for ensuring justice in the civil arena lies with civil governments – local, state, and federal. The Church must not presume on the prerogatives of the state in seeking justice between its members.

The Church and the civil magistrate
Thus, where an infraction has been committed against the Law of God by a member of the Christian Church, believers must apply the principles of church discipline in seeking to restore justice. We shall have more to say about this in due course.

However, where church discipline fails to bring about a proper resolution of disputes, members should expect that the civil government may be invoked or appealed to for a just outcome, just as Paul appealed to Caesar in seeking justice in his case. But the courts should be the final bar of appeal for believers in civil matters, not the first.

The state, as Paul and Peter remind us, has been established by God to accomplish His good purposes (Rom. 13.1-4; 1 Pet. 2.13, 14). God’s Law is good and wise, and it proves to be beneficial when communities abide by principles derived from God’s Law, even when they do not acknowledge the provenance of those principles and practices. Thus, believers must work within the civil structures of society to ensure that governments act in accord with the teaching of God’s Law. The Church must not presume to enact civil judgments against its members or others. Rather, because the state also is subject to the righteousness and justice of God’s Law (Ps. 9.7, 8: Dan. 4.27; Matt. 14.1-4), believers must labor to persuade civil magistrates of the essential wisdom, goodness, and justice of the Law of God.

This we do through the political process, by electing leaders who fear the Lord, and working for laws and other forms of public policy that reflect the character and purposes of the Law of God.

But even in this arena believers must remember that, in the age of grace, not even the vilest offender is completely cut off from the reach of God’s Spirit and truth. Penalties for violating the Law of God must, therefore, leave room for grace to work; they must not be so harsh as to harden hearts, but they must be sufficiently harsh as to achieve justice, encourage behavioral change, and deter other would-be offenders.

There is a role for civil government to fulfill in overseeing a just society, where neighbor-love obtains through submission – even grudging submission (Ps. 81.15; Ps. 66.3) – to the standards and sanctions of the Law of God. It is the duty of local churches to support the civil magistrate and even to encourage magistrates to enact policies consistent with the teaching of God’s Law.

But in the Church, no actions must be taken against offenders of God’s Law to which they do not willingly submit or which go beyond the church’s purpose of making disciples. The local church appeals to the Law of God to right wrongs within the community, but it has no power of retribution in its decisions. The single exception would be in the Church’s authority to excommunicate unrepentant offenders, leaving them to the wiles of the devil and the pleasure of the state until they repent of their wickedness, make all due restoration, and return to their proper place in the Body of Christ.

For reflection
1.  What is church discipline? When is it appropriate? How should church discipline be related to the Law of God?

2.  What are some ways Christians in your community might work to help local government be more a channel of God’s grace?

3.  The church does not wield the sword of punishment, but the sword of the Spirit: Explain.

Next steps – Conversation: Does your church practice church discipline? Ask a pastor or church leader to explain to you how your church uses this important tool.

T. M. Moore

This week’s ReVision study is Part 8 of a 10-part series, “The Kingdom Economy.” You can download “Law in the Kingdom” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here. For a background study of Kingdom economics, order the book, The Kingdom Turn,  from our online store, and learn what it means to enter the Kingdom, not just talk about it.

Start your day in the Word of God. Study with T. M. in our daily
Scriptorium newsletter, as he walks us through the ongoing work of Christ in the book of Acts. You can subscribe to receive Scriptorium each day at 5:00 am Eastern, or go to the website to download each week’s study in a free PDF.

Your gifts to The Fellowship of Ailbe make this ministry possible. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Dr., Essex Junction, VT 05452.

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

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

Subscribe to Ailbe Newsletters

Sign up to receive our email newsletters and read columns about revival, renewal, and awakening built upon prayer, sharing, and mutual edification.