What Does The Bible Say About The Government
It helps first to understand that God is the ultimate government. As creator of the universe, who made every person on earth and who has an ultimate plan, God reigns supreme. He makes the decisions and lays out our path. He gives us our laws and commands. Our job is simply to follow Him.
When humanity disobeyed God and was cast out of the Garden of Eden, a wall formed between us and God. As Adam and Eve first did, people chose to follow their own thinking. Many turned to wicked ways. By the time of Noah in Genesis 5, all on the earth were wicked, and God decided to send floodwaters, wipe out all life on the earth with the exception of those on Noahs ark and start fresh with the righteous few.
But there were always people, certain leaders, who God put in place to guide the people. He spoke to Joseph, and Joseph saved the IsraelitesGods peoplefrom famine . God spoke to Moses, and Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt toward the Promised Land . God spoke to kings, and battles raged and cities toppled.
In the Ten Commandments that He gave to Moses, God set Himself as the highest authority , but also commanded us to honor and obey our father and mother so we may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you . Here, God was establishing a natural hierarchyHe was Number One, and second we were to respect and listen to our elders. Blessings would follow if we did so.
Obey Your Government Rulers
13 All of you must obey the government rulers. Everyone who rules was given the power to rule by God. And all those who rule now were given that power by God.2 So anyone who is against the government is really against something God has commanded. Those who are against the government bring punishment on themselves.3 People who do right dont have to fear the rulers. But those who do wrong must fear them. Do you want to be free from fearing them? Then do only what is right, and they will praise you.
4 Rulers are Gods servants to help you. But if you do wrong, you have reason to be afraid. They have the power to punish, and they will use it. They are Gods servants to punish those who do wrong.5 So you must obey the government, not just because you might be punished, but because you know it is the right thing to do.
6 And this is why you pay taxes too. Those rulers are working for God, and they give all their time to the work of ruling.7 Give everyone what you owe them. If you owe them any kind of tax, then pay it. Show respect to those you should respect. And show honor to those you should honor.
Love Fulfills The Law
8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.9 The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: Love your neighbor as yourself.10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
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What Does Romans 13 Really Mean
Political meaning and use. Some interpreters have claimed that Romans 13 implies that Christians are to obey all public officials under all circumstances. For this reason, the duty of obedience is, for the Christian, a consequence of this derivation of authority from God, and ceases when that ceases.
What Does The Bible Say About Praying For Government Leaders
Not only does the Bible tell us when to obey the government, but the Word of God also commands us to honor and pray for our leaders.
Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. 1 Peter 2:17
I recently was in a store and heard a song playing on someones phone. The song was cursing the leader of our country. I sensed the fear of God in my spirit and immediately a verse in 2 Peter came to my mind.
and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord. 2 Peter 2:10-11
Even the angels do not speak evil of dignitaries! As a follower of Christ, there should never be an instance where we speak evil of our leaders. In fact, we are commanded to speak evil of no one.
to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. Titus 3:2
Of course there are going to be leaders that we dont agree with, but we are told to pray for them.
Praying for your leaders is a responsibility as a Christian, in order that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. Make a decision to pray for your nation and for your leaders. Your prayers make a difference! Here are some prayer guides to get you started: .
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Religion And The Government
Since the foundation of our country, there has been a conversation surrounding the intersection of religion and the government. For Christians, it is important to view every area of our lives through a Biblical lens, including the government. However, for others, there is a belief that the government and religion should never intersect.
The first law that was put in place to protect religious freedoms in the United States was the First Amendment written by James Madison. The First Amendment reads, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Following the ratification of the First Amendment in 1791, there were no significant rulings on government and religion until 1993. In 1993, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act was signed by President Bill Clinton.
This federal law was put in place to protect religious freedoms by restricting the governments ability to substantially burden a persons exercise of religion. In addition to the federal ruling, 21 states have passed a similar act.
States with their own version of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act include the following:
- Alabama
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First To Live A Quiet Life As A Political Society
Oliver ODonovans writing on political theology tipped me off to something so incredibly transparent in the biblical text but for some reason opaque to me! The Bible tells us to obey authorities so that we can live independently .
After Paul tells the Romans to obey authorities in a justly famous passage , Paul then says, Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law . We should not owe anything to anyone but love, something that we have and can share. Thats the same reason we should not stealso that we can work and share .
1 Peter 2, another key passage on obedience to authorities, tells us to obey and to live as free people: Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God .
Paul elsewhere writes, But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one .
Note the last phrase that explains a purpose of living a quiet life, be dependent on no one. This independence means that we owe no one anything . It means that we can freely love others without worrying about external constraints.
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When Must Christians Obey The Government And When Not #masks #202
Hello everybody and happy Friday another weekend is nearly upon us. Todays podcast has me filled with a bit of fear and trembling because it delves into an area that, as a pastor, I specifically and intentionally have avoided for almost a decade. Dont get me wrong its not that I dont careI actually care a great deal about politics and follow political news closely from a wide variety of sites. No, I dont read 40 different newspapers a day, and I would be honestly shocked and astonished if anybody especially a pastor did that, but I do keep up. That said, when I read the New Testament I see very little focus on politics especially the advocacy of political candidates or anything remotely along those lines. Should Christians vote and be involved in politics? I believe so, but youd have a hard time coming up with a New Testament text that would clearly point you in that direction. Should pastors and church leaders focus a large percentage of their time in the political arena? I honestly dont see anything in the Word of God that would seem to indicate a positive answer there.
None of those, however, are our focus passagesinstead, we turn to Acts 4, in which we see a significant act of civil disobedience on behalf of the disciples of Jesus. Lets go read the passage and then discuss it.
Submit to the governing authorities, says Paul.
Why Paul why would we do this? They are evil and wrong on so many things.
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What Are Some Bible Verses About Government And Leaders
We can find Bible verses about government and leaders throughout the Bible.
In the Old Testament, there are a number of verses, including these:
For dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations .
Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the Lord your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly. Do not pervert justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you .
In the Lords hand the kings heart is a stream of water that he channels toward all who please him .
Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons he deposes kings and raises up .
Many are the plans in a persons heart, but it is the Lords purpose that prevails .
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace .
It is God who judges: He brings one down, he exalts another .
The New Testament also addresses government and leaders with these and many other verses and teachings:
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God .
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What Does The Bible Say About Obeying Government
www.crosswalk.comBY: CLARENCE L HAYNES JR.
Government. Just the mention of that word can get the emotions and opinions flowing. For a lot of people, their opinion of government is not always shaped by what is done but by who is doing it. If your candidate or party is in power, then you tend to have a more gracious attitude toward government.
If your candidate or party is not in power, then you tend to have very little patience or grace toward government. Unfortunately, this mindset is true of people who profess faith in Christ and those who dont.
As Christians, we have a responsibility regarding government that goes beyond who is in power and whether we like them or not. There has been a lot of conversation recently about the role of government and how much they should be involved.
I will save that conversation for the talking heads my concern is what God says. What does the Bible say about obeying government? Regardless of how you feel about government lets put those personal feelings and emotions aside so we can see Gods opinion on the topic.
Now that your emotions are out of the way here is what the Bible says about obeying government.
What Does The Bible Say About Illegal Immigration
onlyâBe subject for the Lordâs sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of Godâ
For Further Study
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