It's 2016. Election year. Looks like it's going to be Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump. I am not going to get into this particular election, but every so often - and now is one of those times - I get thinking about what the Bible has to say about government. As a Christian, the Bible is supposed to inform my view of...everything, really. There are issues it speaks to directly, and on issues it doesn't directly address, it usually offers principles that can be applied. In the case of government, no the Bible doesn't tell us what the minimum wage should be (or if there should even be one), or whether we should have peace agreements with certain countries, or what our trade policies should be. But it does give us a foundational understanding of what the purpose of government is. As a Christian, it's imperative that I look to Scripture for perspective.
It's important to note that even though the form of government today is different than it was in Israel or Rome back when Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, the purpose of government remains.
We need to start in Romans chapter 12, verses 9-21. We read:
"9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Paul here is talking about what should characterize a Christian. As we get to the end of the chapter, he's talking about the notion of how we should respond to people who mistreat us. What should we do when people do harm to us? A typical response is to get them back for what they've done, but Paul has a completely different perspective. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. And later on, he says that we should overcome evil with good.
Ok, so that's the charge to the individual Christian. When we've been wronged, we need to not seek revenge, but instead do good. But there's the question of what should happen to the person who wronged us? Should they get away with it? No, says Paul. It is God's job to avenge. Ok, fair enough. But how is that vengeance to happen?
To answer that, continue the train of thought to chapter 13, verses 1-7:
This may seem like a new thought, and here's where the chapter breaks are unhelpful. This is actually a continuation of the previous discussion. Remember, God says He will avenge us when we've done wrong, and now Paul explains what that looks like.
First, he says we need to be subject to governing authorities. It doesn't say be subject to them only if we agree with them, or only if they come in a form we like. And the reason why, is because governing authorities are established by God. Now this is important, because the obvious next question is: Even Hitler?
Yes. Even Hitler. That may sound controversial and bring up all kinds of other questions, and no, I don't know the answer to those questions. But just remember that Paul was no stranger to evil despots. Paul wrote this to Christians in Rome around 64-65 AD. At that time, they were going through horrible persecution under the evil Roman emperor Nero. Nero was one of the most wicked men to ever rule over a nation. If he had the technological means that Hitler had, he certainly would have committed atrocities on the same scale. He had Christians killed for sport in the arena, for crying out loud. So Paul wrote this during the terrible, horrible, nightmarish reign of Nero. With Nero in mind, Paul said that God establishes governing authorities. Therefore, to disregard them is to disregard God.
Here's the thing: human government is designed to be an agent of God to administer justice in the world. If we do right, we have nothing to fear from government - at least from government that is doing its job properly, acting as righteous agents of God's justice. But if we do wrong, we should fear, because, as Paul says, government is God's agent of wrath on the wrongdoer.
So to take it from the beginning, when we are wronged, we are not to seek personal revenge, but rather keep loving people. And we are to let God get vengeance and administer justice, but the way He does it is through human government, the agency He establishes to honor good and punish evil. So government is designed to promote righteousness and justice, and to punish evil and injustice.
It is interesting to look even further back in Scripture to see the origin of government. In the creation story, God always interacts directly with man, until after the flood of Noah. In Genesis 9:6, God is explaining that man will need to govern himself, and He says in 9:6, "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God has God made man."
Notice that the prime directive of human government is to protect innocent human life. Not guilty human life, however. This passage serves as the ground for both the pro-life position on abortion, and the death penalty for capital criminals as well. For anyone who suggests that those positions are contradictory, I would suggest that quite clearly they are not. There always has been a distinction between taking an innocent life, and death being a just penalty for murderers.
As the Bible describes it, human government has the role of serving as God's instrument of justice, with the prime directive being the protection of innocent human life.
When I think about how government should be structured, I first think about the purpose for which government exists, at least from a Christian perspective. And then I look at where the candidates stand with respect to this purpose. Which candidate, first and foremost, is a strong pro-life candidate? Which one seeks to protect innocent human life? And then, which one seeks to honor and lift up what is good and right and just? And which one discourages what is bad and wrong and unjust?
Sometimes it's not so clear. Other times, it's pretty plain to see. But those principles serve as the foundation for my understanding of what government is supposed to be about. How that is done, and the format it takes, the Bible doesn't really say, and it's there that we leave it up to things like our founding documents like the Constitution.
This year, when I'm faced with a choice, this is the first thought that will come to mind before casting my vote.
