In parts I and II of this series, we looked at a couple of reasons why the civil government in America keeps growing. We looked briefly at the failures of the Republican party to stop government growth, and we looked at how the main ideology of many Christians (Conservatism) can’t stop government growth either. Now I want to look at another reason: the fact that Christians don’t like what the Bible has to say about government. I don’t say this out of a spirit of rudeness, but because I know that the only antidote to big government is biblical government. And therefore, I want to challenge my fellow Christians to learn (and like) what the Bible says about the civil government. Because if Christians don’t promote biblical government, who will?
But don’t Christians want a biblical government? When it comes to things like abortion and homosexual marriage, they can have fairly biblical views. This is good. But most Christians rarely even attempt to find out the rest of what the Bible says about the civil government. In some cases, Christians simply don’t know what the Bible says. In other cases, Christians can get downright angry at what the Bible teaches. They would never say that they disagree with the Bible, of course, but I’ve seen many a conservative evangelical get upset when confronted with what the Bible says. Furthermore, many Christians are actually embarrassed of the Bible. This is why they appeal to science and history, not the Bible, when making a case for their views. They’ll say: “Abortion is bad because science has shown that a fetus can feel pain.” Or: “Homosexual marriage is wrong because it goes against thousands of years of history.”
Sorry, but God will not bless those who are ashamed of His word. We must get our views from the Bible, and we must openly declare that Scripture is the authority in all areas of life, including civil government. I’m not claiming to have it all figured out myself, but I do believe that the only infallible source of information about government is the Bible.
Any discussion of biblical government must include what the Old Testament has to say about the topic. This is where it can get tricky. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell which OT laws carry over into the New Testament. But, since most of the instruction about civil government is found in the OT, it cannot be ignored. Of course, if the NT teaches that a law is annulled, then that law is no longer binding on us.
So, do you believe what the Bible says about government? Let’s briefly examine a few topics.
Sometimes, when talking about a criminal, I’ve heard Christians say “They ought to lock them up, and throw away the key.” But the Bible never imposes a prison sentence for a crime. There are examples of prisons in Scripture, but these were run by ungodly nations. There are no crimes in Scripture that were to be punished with a prison sentence.
When it comes recreational drug use, the Bible does consider that to be a sin, but it isn’t a crime. The government cannot punish every sin, only those sins that also qualify as crimes. Furthermore, the government doesn’t have the right to regulate what people own (possess), so under biblical law, the government couldn’t prosecute anyone for possessing marijuana. Please don’t get me wrong, I’m not advocating drug use. I believe it is a sin. But I’ve also seen how the “war on drugs” has not only been a dismal failure, but has been one of the biggest destroyers of our Constitutional rights. Even if that were not the case, it is still a violation of God’s law.
The Bible gives the death penalty for several crimes. Again, it can be tough determining which laws carry over from the OT into the NT. But many Christians think of these penalties as being too barbaric. While it’s debatable if all of these laws are still in effect, it shouldn’t be debatable that these laws were not unjust. Remember, God is the one who gave these laws to Israel. To say that those laws were unjust, is to say that God is unjust. Many talk about how those who kidnap and sell children into sex slavery ought to be “locked up, and have key thrown away.” The Bible says that those who commit those crimes are to be put to death (Ex. 21:16). That’s one OT law I’ll gladly stand behind!
When you look at what the government is to do, you won’t find very many, if any, of the free stuff or services that our government gives us. In the Bible, the government isn’t to provide welfare to anyone, not even as a “safety net.” God prescribed other safety nets, like families, individuals, and churches. God doesn’t want the government providing retirement programs either (i.e., Social Security). And, believe it or not, He doesn’t want the government providing health insurance, medicine, education (college or otherwise), subsidies to farms or businesses, and a whole host of things that our government has been providing for generations.
I know we’ve only scratched the surface on this topic. But let me ask you: how do your views on government line up with Scripture? If you doubt that my views on government are actually biblical, I’ll gladly listen to your opinions, if you’re getting your opinions from the Bible. We are all sinners, and therefore, we all have errors in our thinking about government. But we cannot be lazy in finding out what God thinks about civil government. The Bible has something to say about the military, gun ownership, courtroom procedure, immigration, etc. And what the Bible teaches is far better than what talk radio does. His word is the only perfect source for a government that has the right balance of law and liberty.