When Israel demanded a king other than God, the Lord warned that human government after the fall tends to overreach; Israel’s king would draft her men into armed service, and force other citizens into hard labor. He would confiscate the people’s land (1 Sam. 8:10–18). So it is today. This is the reality of life in a fallen world. It will not be so in the age to come. Then, as in the garden, God will be our God and will rule with satisfying goodness. Until then we recognize that government is inescapably imperfect, sometimes radically so. But God still uses it.
The topic of civil government is complicated; not so much because of what the Bible says about it but because of our disparate political opinions and experiences. The civic convictions of Christians seem to depend on which party is presently in office. When our party is in control we have a more vigorous view of government; when our party loses power we are more skeptical of authority.
This is not good. Scripture doesn’t change. Neither should our basic convictions change based on the political regime in power. We honor God best when we submit to his rule even when he uses unjust people to lead us.
A Theology of Government
Scripture presents four big truths on the topic of government.
God Ordains Civil Magistrates
There is one supreme Lord and King of all the world. Christ has “dominion from sea to sea” (Ps. 72:8). So “There is no authority except from God” (Rom. 13:1; cf. John 19:11). If we miss this point either we will claim independence from the state or we will ascribe autonomy to the state. But God’s delegated leaders are under him and over the people (Dan. 4:25). The state is not autonomous. Nor can we refuse to be governed. God’s appointed leaders must rule for his glory and the public good, reflecting the general character of God who is just and merciful (Ps. 82:3, 4).
God Arms Governments with the Sword (Rom. 13:4)
God is for peace. But in a fallen world peace is maintained by strength. This is why government can be simply defined as “legal force.”[i] Under God a just government will use lawful means to protect its citizens against domestic and foreign threats. Governments should use the sword to defend the most vulnerable, whether children in the womb, the poor, or strangers and immigrants (Deut. 24:17). The state should use the sword to punish evildoers, firmly and swiftly. Governments may also use the sword to wage war. As we would relate to any extreme remedy, Christians should be both generally anti-war and supportive of war when necessary and just.
Believers May Serve as Soldiers and Magistrates
Throughout history some Christians have viewed government so negatively that they believed it sinful for believers to be civil servants or soldiers. But Peter assumes that some “masters” will be “good and gentle”—essential Christian qualities. In Scripture godly people exercise civil authority (Acts 10:1, 2). John the Baptist didn’t tell converted tax collectors and soldiers to change professions but to fulfill their callings christianly. Part of how believers serve as salt and light in the world is by living like Jesus in every noble occupation.