Here in New Zealand, we have once again been subjected to a nationwide lockdown. Churches are closed, the nation is on house arrest, and you can only go to work if the government deems your work essential.
I am convinced that one of the premier problems facing the Christian church is a disgraceful complicity with the idolatry of the state and a woefully lacking theology of government.
By the end of this series, I want to make the suggestion that churches and church leaders are morally obliged to disregard our government’s lockdown orders and reopen the church as soon as possible. But before we get there, we must lay some Biblical foundations. Foundations that have been eroded for decades and are about to cause a collapse of the entire house.
What I want to do here is lay a ground-up foundation for Biblical principles regarding our theology of government and then make application to our current cultural moment. My hope is that we might all be able to take a step back and reconsider some of our assumptions about the role of government and our obligations before God in relation to government edicts.
Across this series, we will look at three core principles and then some applications regarding our current cultural moment. here is where we are heading:
- Principle #1 – Civil Governments have a Legitimate Authority
- Principle #2 – Civil Governments have a Limited Authority
- Principle #3 – Theocracy is Inescapable
- Principles Applied
This first installment explores principle one. Enjoy.
Principle #1 – Civil Governments have a Legitimate Authority
The first key principle to think through is whether civil governments have any legitimate authority at all. For most, the starting point is quite different; many starting with the question “what can’t the government do?”
However, when we consider the actions taken by civil magistrates it can be understandable to question whether they have any legitimate authority whatsoever[1]. Ordinarily, no man has the right to coercively take another man’s wealth, much less the right to take his life. That is, unless they have been granted the authority and jurisdiction to do so by God. Abraham Kuyper made a helpful observation in this regard.
“No man has the right to rule over another man, otherwise such a right necessarily, and immediately becomes the right of the strongest… Nor can a group of men, by contract, from their own right, compel you to obey a fellow-man… Authority over men cannot arise from men. Just as little from a majority over against a minority, for history shows, almost on every page, that very often the minority was right.”[2]
In light of this, we must consider whether God has, in fact, granted jurisdiction to civil governments. As we examine the Biblical text, we see plainly that God does indeed authorise civil governments to exercise legitimate authority over their people. This is seen in a number of ways.
Firstly, all civil rulers are established by God. From King David (2 Samuel 16:1), to Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah 27:5-7), to Pontius Pilate (John 19:11), all civil rulers receive their office by the sovereign hand of God. And this authority is more than a mere consequence of God’s sovereign will over all things.
One might object to this by asserting that they merely hold office by the sovereign will of God, but in accordance with God’s prescriptive will, they have no legitimacy (except for perhaps in the case of Israel’s kings). This argument wants to assert that civil authorities outside of Israel’s theocracy have no legitimate authority to punish and coercively sanction anyone, rather, in God’s sovereignty, they are merely tools in his hand. I reject this argument and would point to a few texts that indicate that governing authorities do, in fact, have legitimate authority and jurisdiction to issue penalties and sanctions.
The first text I would point to is Romans 13, because in this text Paul says,
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment… for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. (vv.1,4)
The only point I wish to draw out here is that civil governing authorities are not only appointed by God, but they are his servants (literally “minister” διάκονος), and the value-laden description of their office clearly indicates a certain responsibility to act and to judge in ways that are not permitted by ordinary people. Greg Bahnsen states this well when he says,
“No man has the right to take another man’s life or carry out punishment upon another without the approval of God, and thus the autonomous use of the sword in Israel was grave iniquity.”[3]
The point is this, carrying out punishments in an autonomous fashion is a serious sin according to God’s law; however, it is good for civil governments to bear the sword against the evildoer. The only means by which this can be just and good is if God has given this particular servant (governing authorities) the jurisdiction to carry out such an act.
Consider, now, Psalm 2:10-11 where the Psalmist says,
“Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.”
The kings and rulers of the earth are warned to be wise and serve the Lord. Their service of the Lord must necessarily consist of exercising the authority of their office in a way that honours God and fulfils their task as his deacons.
[1] When discussing legitimacy, authority and jurisdiction I am referring to the moral rights and responsibilities of civil rulers. I am exploring their prescribed duties and obligations. This is not to be confused with the actions civil rulers are ordained to perform in God’s sovereign will.
[2] Kuyper, Abraham. Lectures On Calvinism (p. 104). Kindle Edition.
[3] Bahnsen, Greg. Theonomy in Christian Ethics (p. 382). Covenant Media Press.