Church/State Matters
The role of the governed

My friend Huguenot John www.zanga.com/uprisingyouth had an interesting post on July 15. He offered a series of questions in examining whether the church is cultural or counter-cultural. His point 5 under counter-cultural: How as a counter culture would you affect society, is followed with 5 choices. I would like to look more closely at that issue in regard to the church and state. For it is a question of what is the role of the people governed…specifically Christians in our case…in the state?

Unless you are a dictator of a banana republic or live alone on your own island, you are part of a people governed. Citing the Apostle Paul, John Calvin calls on all the governed to obey rulers because the authority of the ruler is from God. And, not just from fear of wrath but out of good conscience. To resist is to resist God Himself (Rom. 13:1, 2, 5).

This applies to good and evil rulers. While there is an inborn desire to hate and curse tyrants, unjust magistrates are to be obeyed [Institutes 4.20.24]. We in the west, having been thoroughly “democratized”, find that hard to believe. But Calvin cites plenty of Biblical warrant for his position (See Dan. 2:21, 37; Ezk. 19:19,20; 1 Sam. 8:11-17; Jer. 25: 5-8, 17). Calvin concludes that the most worthless kings are appointed by God’s decree and we should never believe we cannot serve a wicked king [Institutes 4.20.24-27].

The princes of this world are to fear the correction of the Lord. The Lord will crush those who refuse to kiss the Son (Ps. 2:10,11) and all those who do injustice to oppress the poor, do violence to the lowly and prey on widows and orphans (Is. 10:1,2); [Institutes 4.20.28,29]. Calvin does set down a principle for disobedience to the magistrate. “We are subject to men who rule over us, but subject only in the Lord. If they command anything against Him let us not pay the least regard to it.”[Institutes 4.20.32]. As always, he looks to Scripture. Daniel disobeys because the edict of the king is impious (Dan. 6:22,23); Peter tells the Sanhedrin, “We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).”

For the Christian, this teaching certainly eliminates much of what colors contemporary political debate. That is not to say a Christian is not to contend in the arena of political ideas. However, his argument must be tempered. His objection to policies can be ideological, economic or even personal, but disagreements on those bases must never lead to disobedience.

A magistrate may not order a Christian to perform immoral or anti-Biblical actions. But, if the magistrate performs wicked, evil acts, it is not your personal duty to disobey that magistrate. Seems strange in this age of self-empowered democracy, does it not? To do so is contrary to the Biblical command to obey the magistrate.

Christians are to be the best of citizens, serving the civil magistrate and obeying the laws. Our duty is not to compromise the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the citizenship we have in the Kingdom of God by virtue of that Gospel. When the civil government asks a Christian to act like a pagan, the Christian must refuse. But, no matter how personally offensive and objectionable the policies of the magistrate are, we have no authority or duty to disobey. We must never attempt to usurp the authority of God over the rulers of this earth.