Jeff Schreve - God, Government, and Christians
- Watch
- Audio
- Buy this sermon
- Donate
- Store
We have been in a series called «Foundations» based on Psalm 11:3, «If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do»? And we’ve talked about the fear of the Lord. It’s the beginning of wisdom and the beginning of knowledge. We’ve talked about the issue of abortion, when life begins. God says very emphatically that life begins at conception.
We talked last week about marriage and family and how God designed marriage and family, one man, one woman to be married for life and to have children from that union. And today, we want to talk about another foundation stone. It’s the foundation of government. And God alludes to government in Genesis chapter 1 at the very end of Creation, when He creates Adam, and then He creates Eve, and He brings them together, and it’s very good. He says to them, «Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and over the beasts that crawl upon the earth».
Rule, rulership is something given from God to man. Government is a good thing because government is a God thing because God is King. He’s King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and God is the Ruler of all. He is the Ruler of the universe, and when He created man, He gave man the job and the responsibility of rulership of government underneath God’s direction. Now, we know that when man fell, everything changed and man’s desires became not God-centered but self-centered, and that’s how man knew that he was naked. You know, that was the thing with Adam.
When the Lord said, «Adam, Adam, where are you»? And he «said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself». And the Lord said, «Who told you you were naked? You’ve been naked since I created you, but you didn’t know you were naked because you didn’t have a self-consciousness, you had a God-consciousness. And when you ate of the tree, that’s when your eyes were open and you became self-conscious». And then sin entered into the world, and sin tainted marriage, and sin tainted every aspect of life, and sin tainted government. But government is still a good thing. It’s still a God thing. It’s still the way God set it up to be, just as marriage is still a good thing. It’s still a God thing. It’s still an institution that God set up for good and not for evil.
So we want to look today at «God, Government, and Christians». What does the Lord have to say to us about these key issues related to governing authorities? Romans chapter 13, Paul is writing from Corinth, and the year is AD 57. He’s writing concerning his government. He’s under the government of Rome. Nero is the Caesar. In about ten years, Nero is gonna be the one that presides over his execution, along with the apostle Peter.
Paul says this: «Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers or servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom taxes due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor».
The Lord is talking about our attitude toward government. And Paul, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, living under a corrupt regime, the regime of Rome, and Nero was a rotten guy. He is Caesar. He is king. And Paul says this is how a Christian is supposed to act and react in response to government. Now, I want to share with you three truths from this passage that will help us to understand government, to understand God’s attitude toward government, to understand what we’re supposed to do as it relates to government.
Truth number one: God establishes government for a purpose, for a purpose. Look at it again in verse 1: «Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God». God establishes authority, and He establishes it for a purpose. Verse 4 says, «It is a minister of God to you for good». That is government. It’s a minister of God. Now, that’s a pretty amazing statement. That word «minister of God,» the Greek word is «diakonos,» from which we get our word «deacon». And God is saying that rulers and government, they are deacons of God. They are servants of God.
Government is God’s servant. They do His bidding. They do His will. And whether it’s a good government or whether it’s a bad government, you know, we have examples in history of good governments and bad governments, examples in Scripture, good governments and bad governments. And God says, «Whether it’s a good government or whether it’s a bad government, I have set up the institution of government, and no government comes into being without it being established by God».
Now, that’s quite a statement when you think about it, because people immediately, they go and they say, «Adolf Hitler, Adolf Hitler, what about Hitler? Surely God didn’t want Hitler to do what he did». No, God didn’t want Hitler to do what he did. Hitler was a terrible, horrible person. He’s a picture of the Antichrist. And when the Antichrist comes, he’s gonna make Adolf Hitler look like a Boy Scout. But Hitler pictures what the Antichrist is going to be when he hits the scene, killing millions and millions of people.
Well, people say, «Well, how did that come about? How do you reconcile that with a good God? Why would He allow Hitler to come to power and establish Hitler as the power»? Well, we may not know the answers to lots of those questions. It’s kind of like the question, Why does God allow suffering in the world, evil in the world, those kind of questions. It’s called the «Odyssey» in theological circles, and there are books and books written on that stuff. But the thing that you need to remember is if Adolf Hitler came to power in some other way and God didn’t know about it, or God couldn’t stop it, or God was somehow saying, «Whoops, that got through the crack. What are we gonna do now,» that’s not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible is in control of all things.
The Scripture says a sparrow doesn’t even fall to the ground unless God allows it to happen. Government is God’s servant, and government is designed to work for our good. What’s the purpose of government? It’s to serve the purposes of God, and God says, «I set up government for your good». And He makes that very clear in verse 4, «For it is a minister of God to you for good,» for good. You know, government brings order to chaos. If you don’t have government, you have no one in charge. Things are a mess if nobody’s in charge. It says the last verse in the book of Judges says, «And in those days in Israel there was no king. Each man did what was right in his own eyes».
If you have a society where there’s no governing authority and each person does what’s right in his own eyes, that’s very, very subjective, because it might be right in someone’s eyes to say, «Hey, I want your wife. Hey, I want your car. I want your house. I’m gonna take what I want because that seems right in my eyes,» and everything becomes chaotic. Well, the Lord set up government to set up laws and set up rules so that people could live, so that it could be a safe place to live. You go to other countries that don’t have good government and don’t have good laws and it’s whosever got the biggest army and the biggest gang. Then they rule, and nobody is safe in that kind of an environment. Government is given for our good.
Now, the government can be bad. The government can be corrupt. And God can have purposes that He doesn’t share with us of why He’s allowed this ruler to come into power, this government to come into power. But know that God is over it all, and the principle of government is designed for our good. So God established government for a purpose. Secondly, God commands us to submit to governing authorities. Now that is very, very clear. «Let every person,» verse 1, «be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God». «If you resist authority,» it says in verse 2, «you’ve opposed the ordinance of God,» you’re setting yourself up opposite of God, and if you do that, «they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves».
Verse 5: «Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this, you also pay taxes, for rulers or servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor». God makes it clear. What are we supposed to do as it relates to governing authorities, whatever that governing authority might be, what are we supposed to do? We’re supposed to submit.
The word in Greek is «hupotasso,» which means «to rank under». It’s a military term which means you get underneath your commander, and in that case, the commander is the governing authority. I’m going to rank under you, and I’m going to be obedient to what you’re asking me to do, be in subjection. Peter said the exact same thing in 1 Peter chapter 2. He said, «Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution». We do that for the Lord. You know, that’s the Lord’s way. It’s always the Lord’s way that you submit, always the Lord’s way. You know, the way of the devil is to rebel, rebel. That’s why it says «rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,» and it’s a terrible sin when you rebel. The devil’s a rebel. What did he want to get Eve to do? Rebel against God’s command.
«You shall surely not die. For God knows in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God. Take the fruit! Eat the fruit»! Do what God says not to do, disobey, rebel against the command. People rebel all the time against authority. They don’t think a lot about it. You’re doing just what the devil wants you to do. He is a rebel and a rabble-rouser, and he breeds destruction. God says, «Submit». Now, how do we submit? What do we do? Well, we’re to obey the laws, pay our taxes. That’s very clear from the passage that we read, «Obey the laws and pay the taxes, honor to whom honor is due, tax to whom tax, custom to whom custom». He’s talking about a custom tax, and so we pay our taxes.
Now, do we not take advantage of opportunities in the tax code to minimize our taxes? Sure, that’s all legal. That’s all fine. That’s part of the law. Live inside the law, and do what the law says. And Jesus paid taxes, and Jesus obeyed the governing authorities that were over him. You know what’s interesting about Jesus? He never led any kind of a revolt against Rome. That was one of the reasons why Judas sold him out. Because he didn’t see Jesus. It’s like, «You need to take control now, and we need to turn this thing around, and you need to take over. You’re the Messiah, so take over, and let’s break the yoke of Rome». But he didn’t do that. People wonder how in the world did people go from praising him on Palm Sunday, saying, «Hail him, hail him,» to just a few days later on Good Friday, saying, «Nail him, nail him».
Well, one reason, it was a different makeup of the crowd on Sunday versus Friday, but the other reason is because on Sunday, when he came in, «This is our Messiah,» he didn’t do what they thought he should do. He didn’t overthrow Rome, and that was what they wanted. But Jesus wasn’t going to do that. He was gonna obey the laws. He was going to submit himself to the governing authorities. So we’re to do the same, and we’re to honor the office of authority. Sometimes it’s really hard to do. What are we to give? We’re to give what is due, «Honor to whom honor is due».
Now, some people have a position of authority, and they’re not very honorable, and it’s hard, very hard. I’ve been guilty, and I confess that some of the things in politics, I’ve looked at some of our leaders, and I’ve sounded off and said that’s just wrong. And there’s a fine line there because John the Baptist did the same thing with Herod, ended up in jail for it, and then he got his head cut off for it. So you gotta watch your step there. But there is a sense that you say, «That’s wrong,» and that’s okay, but we always have to honor the office, because God is the one that set up the office.
Now, let’s bring that closer to home. How about as it relates to school, as it relates to your kids on the ball team, as it relates to the coach? He’s in a position of authority. You’re supposed to submit yourself to that person’s authority. You say, «Well, he’s a terrible coach». Well, he might be, but he’s still the coach. He’s still the coach, and the teacher is still the teacher, and the principal’s still the principal, and we need to treat those people with honor, and treat 'em with respect, and not go on social media and blast 'em because we think they did this wrong, or that wrong, or the other wrong. Normally, people don’t respond well to that.
Now, if you have a problem with authority, what do you do? You appeal to authority, respectfully appeal to authority. Daniel did that. Daniel was in the regime of Nebuchadnezzar, and they asked him to do things, and he went along with it. He learned the literature and the language of the Chaldeans. When they asked him to eat the king’s food that had been sacrificed, the meat that had been sacrificed to the idols, he said, «I can’t do that». But he didn’t just, you know, create a stink and say, «You know, you’re a corrupt regime, and I would never follow you. I’m a servant of Yahweh, and you guys are going to hell in a handbag». He didn’t do that. He said, «Please, can I just eat vegetables? And then you can test me after ten days».
And he appealed to the authority, and the authority let him do it, and God blessed him for that. So you appeal to authority, but you don’t rail against authority because God established authority, and when you start opposing authority, you’re opposing the ordinances of God. And then we’re to, this is specific for our government. We’re to participate in the process. We participate in the process in America. What does the Lord want us to do? Render to all what is due, and in our government, what is due is you vote, and you don’t vote for yourself. You vote for the good of the land. God commands us to submit to governing authorities.
And lastly, and very quickly, God reminds us that there are times for civil disobedience. We obey. That’s the way of a Christian. We obey. We don’t attack. We don’t rebel. We don’t involve ourselves with any kind of movement that is gonna be violent toward other people. See, we obey until our obedience becomes disobedience to God, and that’s where we draw the line and say, «We can’t do it, can’t do it». We see that in the book of Acts, Acts chapter 4, where they told the apostles, «You preach no more in the name of Jesus». And they answered and said, «Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard».
We’re commanded by God to preach the good news. You tell us don’t preach anymore in the name of Jesus, then I’m sorry, we can’t obey you. So we obey the government and the governing authorities until that violates what God has told us to do, and then we can’t obey anymore. And we never bow at the altar of government. A Christian never bows at the altar of government. When Nebuchadnezzar built his statue in Daniel chapter 3 and he had everybody, his whole kingdom get together, and says, «And we’re gonna have a big time, and I got the band, and when I strike up the band, everybody falls down and worships the golden image that I have set up. And if you don’t bow down, you’re gonna go into the fiery furnace».
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego wouldn’t bow. They wouldn’t bow. We don’t bow at the altar of government. We are citizens of heaven. We have bowed the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ. And listen, there is a real concern in America where more and more and more people get on the dole and they get something from the government. And here’s the problem with the welfare system. When the welfare system begins to expand and grow and more and more people are on there, you gotta ask yourself, «Am I trusting in government, or am I trusting in God»? Because I look to government to feed me. I look to government to take care of my needs. I am not taking care of my own needs. I’m not being responsible for my own life. It’s government that needs to do that. And you better watch it because if it gets like that, then you’re depending upon government and you’re not depending upon God.
The number one commandment, «I’m the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me». God is the God that we trust. God is the God that we look to. I’m not looking to government to meet my needs. I’m looking to God to meet my needs. There are some, and they would never look at it this way or say it this way, but it’s true. If you get more and more and more from this one entity, there’s a tendency to say, «Well, everything I do is dependent upon them, so I’m gonna go in that direction». Well, if that entity is wanting to pull you away from the Lord and you say, «Well, yeah, that violates some things, but I need them,» no, you don’t. You need God. You don’t need them. You just need the Lord.
So we never bow at the altar of government, and we accept the consequences of not bowing. We accept the consequences. See, a Christian never takes up arms, and «I’m gonna get in your face,» and «we’re gonna rally,» and «we’re gonna do this stuff,» and «we’re gonna push back against the establishment and the authority». We never do it like that, because the Lord is not into that. The devil is into that.
Saul Alinsky, the guy that wrote the book «Rules for Radicals,» he is into that. He was a community organizer. He wrote «Rules for Radicals,» how you can get people and whip 'em up into a frenzy to get 'em to create change. Saul Alinsky in his book «Rules for Radicals,» he says this: «Lest we forget at least an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical,» this is in the flyleaf of his book, «the first radical known to man who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom, Lucifer», Lucifer. It’s in his book in the flyleaf in the dedication page. Lucifer is his champion of rebellion. He rebelled against God and won his own kingdom, and he gives him an quote «over-the-shoulder acknowledgment».
Well, yeah, that’s the way he does it. God’s way is you submit to authority until you can’t submit anymore. And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego didn’t get in King Nebuchadnezzar’s face and say, «Hey, King, this is a rotten law! We’re not gonna do this! And what are you gonna do about it? And we’re gonna pray that God fries you right here». They said, «King, we can’t bow. You don’t need to give us another opportunity. We can’t bow, and our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, and he will deliver us, but even if he doesn’t deliver us, let it be known to you this day, oh King, that we will not bow to your image nor worship your golden statue». And Nebuchadnezzar says, «Heat up the furnace seven times hotter, and bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and throw them in the fiery furnace»!
And they didn’t fight. They went in. And when they were in the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar, his eyes got big, and he said, «Did we not throw three men in the fiery furnace»? And they said, «Certainly, O king». And he says, «But I see four men loosed and walking around, and one is like the Son of God». You take a stand for the Lord in a respectful manner, but you take a stand for the Lord, and the Lord will stand with you. He’ll never leave you, and he’ll never forsake you. God’s call to us today is to trust him. You know, in America, although some people hate it, we still have on our money, «In God we trust». We don’t trust in money. We don’t trust in government. We trust in God. Now, the question is, Is that really true for you?