Scripture does indeed teach us how we ought to relate to human governments. For the most part, we are uninvolved, with the same degree of detachment we face all worldly concerns.
It's no secret the thirteenth chapter of Paul's Letter to the Romans has been much abused. On the one hand, those seeking support for oppressive regimes use it to bludgeon believers into a love affair with the ruling regime. For them, let's be clear the passage says "submit," not "support." On the other hand, the same passage has been read by others as describing the requirement of governments to ensure they are enforcing actual good. Frankly, this is not supported by the grammar. Twisting it around backwards to provide an excuse for active resistance to that same regime won't do. However, while I reject the most common understandings of this passage, I agree it's often taken out of context, at the very least.
The context begins with Genesis 8 and 9. Take a quick look, and you'll see where, after Noah emerges from the Ark, Jehovah promises there will be a predictable weather pattern. In other words, there will be a natural order. In return, He demands all humanity keep a civil order. The nature of His command calls for a government, and it must bear the sword, forcing those under its authority to obey on threat of death. Without this, we would see a return to the awful conditions which justified the Flood. Given there is nothing here of spiritual redemption, we rightly deduce this Covenant of Noah applies broadly to all humankind. As such, it's primary actors will be fallen beings, unredeemed sinners. In case you aren't paying attention, this is about regulating the behavior of those who don't love the Lord.
Back to Romans. Verses 1-7 pretty much echo this context of the Covenant of Noah. If you resist human government established under that covenant, the government can kill you. That's what governments do, in part because they are fallen. Paul is making a broad statement of principle applicable to all humanity, primarily those fallen sinners. Christians in Rome who knew their Old Testament, the Bible of that day, would recognize the reference.
Hidden in this is a sarcastic remark which would have made Romans chuckle. Then Emperor Nero liked to brag often he was the ruler "in whose hands the sword is idle." It was pure propaganda, and most folks realized it. Thus, "he does not bear the sword idly." Paul is mocking Nero.
In the process, he reminds the Romans they are forced to operate in this climate of violent oppression because there are so very many sinners in the world. Were it not for some harsh rulers bearing the sword, it might be well nigh impossible to get the gospel message out. Were it not for Roman hegemony, Roman Citizen Paul might not have so easily voyaged all over the Mediterranean with the message of Christ. Rome was useful, if unpleasant. And surely Nero, soon after Paul's letter, became quite the persecutor of Christians. Still, Christians had no business interfering in the process God left in place for sinners governing sinners. Pay your taxes and try to stay out of the way, because in the broad general sense of things, civil law is good.
Of course, in the previous chapter, Paul made it clear we do not live by that fallen viewpoint on life. We have a totally different orientation. We are not of this world. We turn worldly instincts upside down, because we care little for what belongs here. That is, Christians view all things in this world with a sense of detachment. All God's creation is a tool for the revelation of Eternity. So when you are abused, take no vengeance; God has a plan for that. He has a fallen world government system which He uses.
After describing that system, starting in verse 8 Paul reminds his Roman brothers and sisters they don't belong to it. They are stuck in it, and must respond to it, but it doesn't own their souls. It can take their stuff, and even their lives, but those aren't that important to Christians compared to the treasures of the Kingdom. Indeed, by our focus on following and obeying Jesus, we are relieved of our responsibilities under the Covenant of Noah, as far as God is concerned. Indeed, even under the Law of Moses, it was a matter of dealing with the things of this world. However, we are under the Lord of all Creation (Matthew 28:18). His power is love, and "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." That "law" is a reference to both the Law of Moses and the Covenant of Noah.
If we keep our minds on obeying Jesus Christ, God does not hold us accountable to Him for whether we obey Noah or Moses. That's not to say consequences of bad law won't cause us distress, but we aren't required by God to please earthly masters when we have pleased Him. Take His viewpoint, and let go the part of you belonging to this world: "Make no provision for the flesh" (v. 14). We do what we must do to bring His presence to earth in our bodies. If that means breaking some man's law, we do so with the courage of His approval.
That means neither are we part of some resistance, nor do we slavishly obey civil law. We don't campaign for either side. For the most part, we are detached from such things. They aren't eternal, and what we see today is subject to change tomorrow, unlike the things of the Kingdom of Heaven. Stay out of politics. Oh, sure, go ahead and vote, but don't ever act as if these things matter in the long run. By no means should Christians expect to accomplish much by governing. True believers will be too merciful, and invite chaos. On the other hand, anyone capable of effective ruling will have a very limited opportunity to promote the gospel. You can engage one realm or the other, but not both.
Now turn to Matthew 25, and drop down to verse 31. It's a parable, with an extended explanation added on, running to verse 46. Notice how Jesus follows the very Eastern pattern of blending the parable with the explanation, to the irritation of Western minds. Maybe that helps to explain why so very many people don't understand this part of Matthew. The parable is rather simple:
But when the Son of man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He shall sit on the throne of His glory. And all nations shall be gathered before Him. And He shall separate them from one another, as a shepherd divides the sheep from the goats. And indeed He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats off the left. (vv. 31-33)
Indeed, the parable is just two sentences out of that. First, understand there is nothing inherently bad about goats; they were then, and are today, an important herd animal in the economy. But they aren't sheep, and don't provide what sheep provide. Sheep are generally less trouble for pretty much the same reason goats are put in a sheep herd: sheep are stupid. Goats are aggressive and independent minded. So you put a few goats in your herd of stupid sheep to pay attention to threats. Sheep will keep their heads down and eat if a quiet predator snatches one or two of their number. If the predator is noisy, they'll run away, but will pay no attention whatsoever where they are going. Goats will either attack a threat or run from it, and will run to a safe place. They are first to run, and where they run, the sheep will follow. This is a parable, a metaphor for the bigger picture. Jesus chose carefully. The very point behind using the image was to call attention to the very important difference between the righteous and the sinners.
The righteous are like sheep. Not in the sense of being stupid, but of being preoccupied with the sort of things Jesus discussed in the following verses. We, the Redeemed, tend to see the world differently than sinners. We see human need as an opportunity, a calling upon our very lives to extend His love and kindness. He uses us that way for a reason - love is the primary manifestation of His glory. We have a peculiar power to love the unlovely, the unlovable, and to sacrifice to Him the things we offer those in need. By our living His love for a lost and dying world, they become conscious of God, and learn something about Him. We have a focus, and we aren't much good at paying attention to other things in this world.
The goats are smarter, hardier, and don't really care about the sheep. Still, they are useful, because their focus on their own needs is a clue to the sheep it's time to do things differently. It may take the sheep away from the best grass, but also away from predators, or away from the cliff face. Sheep will stumble right over a cliff face. Shepherds know goats will tend to move out to the far perimeter of the herd, their blind spot, because they enjoy neither the company of sheep nor of humans very much. Goats will respond to the shepherd rather indifferently at times, but won't care to be left completely behind when the much more obedient sheep move to another pasture. They will fight with the rams from time to time, as even rams can be rough if aroused. Generally the goats will win because they are tougher, and have more effective tactics. They'll do things rams won't do.
God's goats are needed until the Final Harvest. When the End comes, they won't even comprehend why they can't be included in the sheep. They were just taking care of themselves as goats do. The sheep may not even realize just how much good they've done, not recognizing when Jesus called to them from the dark recesses of human misery. The Holy Spirit compels so mightily, it seems natural. How could one not care? Goats will do some good, only as a by-product of their self-interest. Yes, it's messy, but it's the only way things can work out; there have to be goats. We humans have chosen the Fall, and God's answer was the Covenant of Noah: There shall be a civil order enforced at the point of a sword. This will inevitably lead to attacks on God's sheep by the goats, but He is the One to bear the losses. Our focus is feeding on His Word and Spirit, and making more sheep.
In this world, we hold to a higher purpose: We are building a kingdom not of this world. The affairs of this world are in the hands of God, and we should hardly be interested in how fallen men run this fallen world. If we get too involved, we will get hurt, and hurt others greatly. Better to let the goats take care of these matters, however poorly they may do it. It's their calling, and God rules their minds for His purposes. We have a different mind, a different purpose.
In our examination of Romans 13, we noted there is appointed by God a burden of responsibility on fallen humanity to provide a civil government. While the solution is hardly perfect, such government bears the sword for the sole purpose of preventing the mess Noah faced before the Flood. In the sense Our Creator mandated such a thing, civil law is "good." Jesus also explained it by the parable of Goats and Sheep. Paul's explanation to the Romans comes in a certain context, which is found by examining the previous chapter, Romans 12.
For our purpose here, we note 12:1 says in part, "Present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." Whatever else you might make of that, you must include the idea our earthly existence is forfeit, a part of the covenant we make with Christ (Galatians 2:20). He owns your flesh, and all your worldly possessions. "Do not be conformed to this world" (v. 2) means we don't adopt the motives of sinners, so that we don't behave as they do. Instead, we adopt humility, especially among the Heavenly Family (v. 3). We understand that to mean accepting in Christians the variations we would never have to face in a family of mere blood kin (vv. 4-8). Just getting started on such a path requires serious attitude adjustment away from worldly ways (vv. 9-16). We show the definition of "goodness" to a watching world (v. 17).
Indeed, not just among our fellow believers, but to sinners as well, we should show the face of peace (v. 18). There are plenty of things God has commanded, and you don't have a choice in those aspects of your life. However, at every point where there is no specific command, we choose the path of maximum peace. That means yielding every place we can when our fellow humans push, as sinners do. Nobody is suggesting you must tolerate every threat and attack, but you must prepare your heart to withhold violent defense when God requires you wait for His hand. Absorb all you can. In the Law of Moses, this is reflected by the principle of "delivered into your hand" (Exodus 21:12-13). There are times the interests of the Kingdom mean someone else gets hurt or dies, but we should assume that's not typical. Surely, dear reader, you can think of obvious examples, such as defending your family, etc. Otherwise, let it go.
Most of all do not seek revenge (v. 19). This is so bluntly stated, there is no way around it. In the heat of battle, trust the Lord to show you what to do. Once it's past, it's passed. There may indeed be a compelling reason to file suit for recovery, but you had better spend some solid time in prayer with God because your loss is His loss, and His to decide whether it matters. Your entire net worth in this world is at His disposal, and you must accept up front He may well dispose of it all. Simply getting back at someone, in an on-going battle against an enemy is not God's way. It matters not at all who is right, but what is right in the Kingdom. Many of us will struggle over the manhood issue, but that's the world's way. Christian manhood is not stooping to the sinner's level.
Instead, be prepared in advance to keep on treating your enemies as if they were any other person in need (v. 20). The promise is the Lord uses such to change hearts. Would it not be far greater to win a soul to the Kingdom, and gain a new brother in Christ, than simply to get your just due? Our victory is not in getting even, but in overcoming their puny effort to provoke and cause us sorrow (v. 21).
Thus, the explanation in chapter 13 reminds you there is a system in place which is God's provision for sinners' justice, such as it may be possible on this earth. Sure, file a police report if you are victim of a crime, but otherwise stay out of it. If the police get the fools, fine. If not, it's not your problem. You are responsible for forgiving sinners for the simple reason they are sinners. You should expect them to sin. If they are fellow believers, the church stands to hear your complaint, and don't you dare take it to a civil court (1 Corinthians 6:1-11). The only other consideration is whether a professing Christian commits such an egregious sin, you are required by Scripture to regard them as lost. Thus, we are back to where we were before: Forgive them, pray for their salvation, but otherwise try to move past it. Commit that one to Satan for correction.
In John's Revelation, "The Beast" is rightly associated with any human government, but especially those which rule over large areas and large populations.
The biblical model of proper human government splits defense and enforcement on the one hand, from more mundane daily human concerns on the other hand. Thus, your government would have both a warlord and a council of chiefs. There is no provision for a central government over massive collections of humanity. That's because the assumptions are no ruler of any type should hold sway over more than his own kind of people. That's not strictly defined, but a "nation" is pretty well understood to be a rather homogeneous ethnic group, and any significant presence of some other ethnic group deserves their own chief in the ruling council. The choice of chief is mostly hereditary, but assumes a certain amount of demonstrated ability. The average male is assumed to be reasonably competent, but some are simply better. Over mundane human needs, the social concerns outside emergencies, family and blood relations are the best protection, and diversity is a threat to human survival. It's fine to make peace across ethnic boundaries, and have cultural exchange, and biblical assumptions include a peaceful and loving co-existence, but living among your own kind is the very best lifestyle for the bulk of humanity. On the balance sheets of history, the dangers of being clannish are minuscule compared to the dangers of cosmopolitan mixing.
I make no apology for how backward that may sound to modern ears, especially Western ears. Feel free to give it all the ugly labels you like, but this is God's way. Western civilization is great for hard sciences, but it really stinks as a means to understanding life. As long as we can sensibly differentiate between Western inductive analysis about tangibles, and Eastern deductive analysis about ultimate truth, we are doing fine. However, we must never forget Western Civilization is a bigger threat to Christian faith than just about any Eastern culture. Thus, where the Bible speaks to, or makes assumptions about, human society, it is revealed as absolute truth, and we are obliged by our mere existence to accommodate that. A long and careful examination of Scripture shows modern democratic theory is baloney, based on a hopelessly flawed understanding of fallen human nature.
However, the greatest threat to human life and safety in this fallen world is centralized government of any kind. As a primary example, I will note the absolute truth no government exists without corruption. Give people power, and some of them inevitably dip their hands into the stream of organizational revenue for personal use. Even in the very best church organizations, at one time or another someone embezzled, and it most certainly will happen again. When power over larger and larger groups is concentrated into fewer hands, the corruption increases in scale and depth, and humanity will suffer needlessly. The greatest hope of tyrants is each man isolated from his neighbor, unable to unite against the tyranny. Even better is having each citizen alienated from himself. Anyone who is fully self-aware and self-reliant is a problem for oppressors. A country filled with shallow-minded children is much easier to rule and milk.
Thus, by its very nature, Christian faith is the greatest threat to all oppression. First, it demands of the individual more than mere rote observance of behavioral rules. Christ requires you to join with Him in keeping an eye on your very motivations and thought processes. He requires you to examine the very depth of human nature so you can properly reveal Him in daily becoming more like Him, and less like the rest of unregenerate humanity. Second, Christian faith demands we bond together across all human boundaries with a kinship which transcends mere DNA. Our "clan" is not one of blood kin, but of faith kin. This is utterly impossible without the presence of the Holy Spirit. Knowing intellectually man should be able to do this is no help when taking down the wall of human sin nature. No man, no device, no method of human design can do this. People cannot be reconditioned to offer much more than lip-service and an eternally guilty conscience for a failure which is unavoidable. Only the very real presence of the Holy Spirit can empower such love.
Fellow Christian, you who are truly regenerate in the Lord, we together are the one greatest threat to every human government. We are a far lesser threat to a tribal leadership among our own kind (one kind by Christ's blood, not by human blood), but a threat nonetheless to any lust for rule. When our hearts are on obeying the King of Heaven, no earthly king can threaten us sufficiently to force obedience to sin. If we do not realize human government inevitably runs to sin, we do not yet understand the Word. Serve Jesus first, and you will be the most free of all humanity, regardless of laws, restraints, even chains.
By Ed Hurst
revised 27 February 2007
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