God has instituted the family (Genesis 1:28), the church (Acts 2:1-47), and the
civil government (Genesis 9:6, 7) as the three permanent institutions to help us, as He establishes His Kingdom on the earth through us.
We have discussed family and church at some length in our blog postings, and in this election season it is appropriate to look at civil government, including the activity surrounding it that we call “politics.” However, many churches are not involved in this discussion. Yes, politics is like an unwanted, unloved step-child in many evangelical churches today. However, as we discussed last week, if we want to be true to the Bible and our God-given mission in life,.it is impossible to address “ruling” without talking about “politics!”
The overall purpose of civil government is to provide barriers by which we, sinful mankind, can be “fenced in” by the Law of God, to keep us from killing each other! This is absolutely necessary until our hearts are captured by Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us. Wherever sinful humans live, civil government is mandatory for society to exist.
Paul clearly teaches this in Galatiansl 3:23: “But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.” So, biblically, the civil government has two purposes: TO PUNISH and TO PROTECT—to punish law-breakers (for biblical crimes – Romans 13:1, 2), and to protect law-keepers (making it possible for its citizens to live quiet and peaceful lives – Titus 2:1, 2).
“Wait just a minute, Andrews! Are you telling me that the only purpose of civil government is to ‘punish and protect’? What about all the vital functions civil government performs and that we can’t do without, that are not “punish and protect,” such as welfare, medicare, education, etc.?”
Our nation’s founders had grown up in Colonial America’s distinctly Christian culture—a direct product of the Reformation—and all the personal, individual freedoms that includes. However, they were also very aware, because of their experience with Great Britain, of the civil government’s innate obsession with power and control, and its tendency to ignore the personal, individual freedom that is a foundation stone of biblical Christianity.
So, the detailed, written Constitution they left us, and that has defined our nation since 1786, is very careful to severely limit and specifically define the Federal Government’s power and responsibility. That includes restrictions that can be reduced to punishment and protection, thus eliminating 90% of our Federal Government’s current activities and the unfathomable taxpayer dollars necessary to pay for them!,
This biblical approach to civil government opens wide the door to many, new entrepreneurial opportunities. Listed below are a number of functions currently unquestioningly practiced by civil government. After each function listed is the institution or activity that is biblically accountable for carrying out that particular responsibility.
- Education (family)
- Welfare (family, church)
- Regulating the economy (marketplace – free-enterprise)
- Health care (marketplace)
- Care for the environment (marketplace – private ownership of property)
- Roads and highways (marketplace)
- Post office (marketplace)
- Other current governmental functions (all funding dropped by Congress if they fall outside the purview of punishment/protection)
Obviously, we are a long way from realizing this biblical vision. The purpose of this blog is not to change anything we are doing now, but to simply proclaim what I see to be biblical truth and to help Christians change the way we are thinking! “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8). The church’s mission is to equip us to, first, “think God’s way!”
Next week I want to define more specifically what the church will do as it embraces this vision to equip its members in this area of politics.
