What is the Role of Government?

Since we are presently in the midst of a presidential election, it seems apropos to consider the proper role of government. Christian theology has much to say on this topic. Unfortunately, it is rarely addressed by Christians, churches, or American society in general. Most discussions during election cycles focus merely upon issues and policies, each candidate and political party taking his or her position in opposite corners of the boxing ring. This is very unfortunate, indeed, because it ignores the fact that underneath the issues and polices put forth there is an assumption of the role of government. If we could uncover this assumption, it would possibly be easier to understand why the candidates take the positions they do. As important as it may be to uncover this assumption for the relevant political candidates, this is not the undertaking of this short essay. I am concerned here with one narrow question: What is the role of Government according to Christian biblical theology? Some may be shocked that such a question can be asked. Does the Bible really say anything about the role of government? Yes, it does. It can be summed up in one word: justice. What is Justice? Before broaching the discussion on the biblical teaching of the role of government, we need to pause to consider what is meant by justice. This term has numerous meanings in our present culture. Two popular ideas would be economic justice and social justice. These are not, however, what concern us here specifically, precisely because Scripture means something entirely different by the term justice. Economic and social justice have their origin in Marxist thought. We are concerned here with how Scripture understands justice and how it relates to governing authorities, and Marxism is not it. Justice, according to Scripture, is roughly defined in Romans 13:7. It states, by way of application, “Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor” (NASB). Each instance that the Apostle Paul refers to (tax, custom, fear, and honor), the principle is the same: render what is due. In other words, justice is rendering to a person what is due to him or her. (This is also how the Augustinian and Thomistic traditions understand justice.) Of course, the obvious question that arises is, What is a person due? Thankfully, the Apostle Paul does not leave us wondering. Romans 13:7, although it helpfully defines justice, it comes at the conclusion of his discussion on the role of government. Thus, it is necessary to look more closely at what Paul teaches about government before this verse. When we do this, we can piece it together with Romans 13:7 and get a clearer picture of God’s intended role for government. Justice is Not Yours to Take Paul’s teaching actually begins in Romans 12:19. “Never take your own revenge,” he says, but rather “leave room for the wrath of God.” Paul is concerned here with Christians avenging themselves when wronged (“revenge” in this text would be better rendered “avenge”). Paul instructs his Christian audience that this is not their proper role. Instead, they are not to overcome evil by evil, but overcome evil with good. In other words, it would be evil to avenge one’s self because avenging is God’s prerogative. This is what Paul means to “leave room for the wrath of God.” If Christians are not to avenge themselves when wronged, then what are they to do? Romans 12:20 instructs them, “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” In short, Christians are to love their enemies. Feed them if they are hungry. Give them a drink if they are thirsty. This is consonant with the teachings of Jesus: “Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either” (Luke 6:29). When Christians are wronged, they love. They do not avenge. Justice is for the Government to Take If Christians are not to avenge themselves, then what recourse do they have when wronged? Thankfully, God has delegated an authority to bring about justice, or to give an evildoer what he or she deserves, namely, the government. Romans 13 begins by laying the foundation that God has established governing authorities. “Every person,” it says, “is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” Every authoritative institution that exists in this world has been established by God. This includes government. God has designed government to fulfill a particular purpose in society, and as such, Christians are to submit to (i.e., obey) it. (This should not be understood to mean blind, non-discretionary obedience. There are times when civil disobedience is appropriate.) When Paul says that God has established government, we should not think of this as God establishing specific governments. If this is what Paul meant, then we would have to conclude that God established specific evil governments like the Third Reich, Communist China, and North Korea. This would make God the author of evil, bringing about evil empires to destroy innocent human lives. In contradistinction to this, we should think of God establishing government as an institution, or the idea and design of authorities that govern. Perhaps, it would be helpful to think of it as how God established his church, but he did not establish all the specific divisions, or denominations, in his church. Christian denominations were not necessarily established by God. They were established by humans due to their sin of some form or another. Similarly, God established the institution of government but not specific evil governments. These were established by sinful humans. If God established the institution of government, for what purpose did he establish it? Its purpose is twofold. First, it is to protect the innocent and promote the good. Paul says, “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” (Rom 13:3, 4a). In short, one purpose of government is to protect law-abiders, or the relatively righteous from those who would harm them. Law-abiders are, therefore, recipients of justice. Government owes them protection and peace, freedom from war and civil unrest. Governments protecting its citizens from evil is one way God restrains evil in the world. Imagine if no government existed whatsoever—total anarchy. It would be a real life “Lord of the Flies” or “Hunger Games” scenario. Everyone would be for themselves and maneuvering to gain power over others. In the end, the stronger (whether physically, militarily, or otherwise) would rise to enforce its will upon the weaker. It would truly be a Darwinian survival of the fittest kind of world. To avoid this, God purposed the institution of government to rein in evil. Because of this, the world is not as evil as it could possibly be. We know, however, that God’s design for government to work for good is not always executed properly. In fact, it never will be. Humanity is finite and sinful, and so evil sovereigns arise and commit all sorts of atrocities. Nevertheless, God’s purpose for government to protect innocent, law-abiding citizens remains. This is its divinely given role, and every effort ought to be made to fulfill it. The second divine purpose for government is to apply justice (to give what is due) to evildoers and those who hurt others. But what do lawbreakers and evildoers deserve? Paul answers, saying, “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 on the one who practices evil” (Rom 4b). According to Paul, evildoers deserve punishment, and this is meted out by government. It is the minister of God who “brings wrath” (anger, retribution) upon those who practice evil. This is why it “bears the sword.” This phrase, although including the idea of capital punishment, has the broader meaning of applying punishment, especially one that fits the crime. It is noteworthy that Paul is not the only one who understands government’s role as protecting the innocent and bringing retribution upon evildoers. The Apostle Peter concurs in his first letter, stating, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right” (1 Pet 2:13-14; emphasis added). This clearly echoes Romans 13. We see, therefore, that the biblical role of government is to protect the innocent and punish evildoers. In short, government was instituted to apply justice, or what is due to a person. Those who are relatively righteous deserve to live freely in peace. Governments are to praise them for their good deeds and promote the good. Those who live wickedly deserve to be punished, and the government ought to bring wrath upon them. What Does this Have to do with Political Elections? Why is a proper understanding of the role of government important, especially in our American society? First and foremost, it will help us know which candidate to vote for. The best candidate will be the one who understands that the role of government is justice, specifically to protect the innocent and punish criminals. Not every political candidate has this understanding. Some believe that the government’s role is merely to rehabilitate criminals or even let them go free. Although rehabilitation may have its place occasionally, leniency for evildoers or setting them free rarely, if ever, does. Setting murderers free, for example, is not justice. It is not rendering to such a person what he or she deserves. Moreover, it does not protect the innocent but puts them in harms way, allowing the criminal the opportunity to continue hurting innocent people. Other candidates, and sometimes the same candidates (in both Republican and Democratic parties), believe that government has the role to provide material wealth to people in some way or another—clothes, food, annual or minimum wage, healthcare, education, mobile phones, internet, housing, etc. (the list goes on ad infinitum, all of which the present US government provides in some capacity). But this is not the divine role of government; it is the divine role of the church. By taking on this role, the government has essentially stolen an important part of the church’s mission, namely, charity—caring for the poor, homeless, widowed, orphaned, elderly, and outcast. (Unfortunately, the government is not the only culprit. Many in the church have willingly given up its role of charity.) In fact, the government’s theft of the church’s role in this respect is so egregious and far-reaching that it is, most likely, past the point of no return. But this does not excuse the church from reclaiming its role and voting for candidates who properly understand the role of government. Although there are many good reasons to understand the proper role of government, one final reason will be given here. Understanding the government’s role will help us consider what programs and duties the government should or should not implement. In short, it will help us understand the issues better. For example, should abortion (properly defined) be legal or illegal? Considering that the role of government is to protect the innocent, the conclusion is that abortion (properly defined) ought to be illegal. The unborn child is an innocent person, and he or she ought to be protected from those who wish to harm him or her. Conclusion In a time when rhetoric and persona reign, most political candidates fail to discuss one of the most important, if not the most important, topics in any given election: the proper role of government. At its very foundation, what is the government supposed to be doing? Is it to provide material wealth? Is it to apply mercy and grace upon the lawbreaker? No. This is the role of the church. The proper role of the government according to biblical theology is to protect the innocent and punish evildoers. The government is to be about the business of justice. This is its God-given duty. May we remember this as we vote in this year’s election.