“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.”
Isaiah 9:6
In the past several years, Christianity has taken a more prominent position in American politics. Evangelical Christians have become a large voting block while at the same time secularists continue to call for the removal of anything Christian from our public society. Both Republicans and Democrats have publicly used Scripture or Biblical references to support their policy initiatives or beliefs. We saw this most recently in the immigration reform debate with regard to refugees, illegal entrants, and securing our borders. Unfortunately, Scripture is often taken out of context or applied inappropriately to justify a political position. So it is essential that we know and understand what God really said about government in the Bible and how He expects us to govern our nation.
First, though, we need to begin by discussing God and what Americans believe about Him and His Word. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center shows that about 24% of Americans are either atheist or have no religious affiliation (Religious Landscape Study, 2018). They do not believe in God or His Word. In addition, a recent Barna Research survey shows that only 38% of Americans believe the Bible is the inspired, inerrant, and accurate Word of God (State of the Bible: 2017). That means that for about 62% of Americans, God’s Word is not applicable, accurate or reliable. So I find it very interesting that there are politicians who would use God’s Word to justify a political position when most Americans do not believe it is 100% true and accurate. God never intended for His Word to justify man’s actions but rather to explain His own!
But God’s Word does speak to our humanity and His desires for us as His creation. We are made in His image (Genesis 1:27) and we are called to obey His Word (Luke 11:28). Yet He also gave us freedom to do what we choose. But His desire is that we seek His wisdom, rely on His Word, and trust in Him for all things. For the serious Christian and follower of Christ, we are to read, study and apply the Bible to seek God and His ways. But for those who do not believe in God or have no real faith, the Bible becomes a weapon to be used for personal or political gain.
So how does this relate to government and how we govern our nation? In our Republic form of government, we as citizens elect our leaders and give them the responsibility to govern us. We must remember, however, that government is a human institution. It was not created by God but was created by man to govern our affairs on earth. In the beginning, God appointed the first leaders on earth (Adam, Moses, Joshua, Noah, Abraham, Samuel, etc.) and governed His people through them as they were instructed by Him! That was His plan until the Hebrews, against God’s advice, decided they wanted to elect their own leaders like the other societies of their day (1 Samuel 8:4-5). In other words, they thought they knew better than God how to run their affairs. And unfortunately, that attitude continues to this day.
In reality, the Bible does not have much to say about the institution of government. In Romans 13:1, God does declare that He is the one who establishes all authority. In Isaiah 9:6, God refers to Jesus as the one He has appointed to take the government upon his shoulders. And Jesus, when asked about God and government, said we should “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). There are a couple of other Scriptures that also call us to govern justly (Job 34:17) and govern diligently (Romans 12:8). What these passages imply is that God is sovereign and we should look to Him for guidance on how to govern our nation.
Throughout the Bible God sets forth the standards on which our behavior should be based (Psalm 1:2), whether it is how we conduct ourselves or govern others. So, when we exercise our system of self-government and don’t look to God’s standards, we are basically putting ourselves in charge of setting the rules by which our citizens must live. Failing to govern by God’s wisdom ultimately leads to sin, injustice, corruption and deceit (Proverbs 14:12). In other words, when we set the standards, the people usually suffer!
George Washington, in his Farewell Address in 1796, said, “Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” Religious principles, he’s suggesting, are necessary for our ability to govern ourselves. Frenchman Alexis de Tocqueville, in his book Democracy in America, also made the same observation when he wrote, “The freedom we cherish rests upon religious foundations. Modern democracy could not have emerged but for the influence of Christianity on the Western world.”
So, the truth is that self-government really can only be successful when those who govern do so according to God’s Word. That was God’s design from the beginning – that we look to Him on how to govern! The proof that this is still true today is that we hold our leaders accountable in America for their personal behavior in addition to their governance. When those who govern are dishonest, corrupt, uncaring, or unfair personally or in the discharge of their duties, they are usually removed or forced out of office. So in effect, Americans do want their leaders to govern by God’s standards of honesty, integrity, fairness and compassion whether they realize it or not. And when they don’t, our system of self-government breaks down and fails everyone.
So what does this all mean for how we should govern ourselves in America? It means that those who govern must seek God’s wisdom and lead others according to God’s principles. It also means that they should not use God’s Word as a tool or weapon for political debate, but rather use it to let God’s Word change them as individuals and influence how they govern and treat those they are elected to serve. And only when our leaders live and govern others according to God’s guidance will our government truly work effectively for the benefit of all Americans!