Government fulfills a necessary and important function within society, and Christians should be involved in shaping law and culture in ways that honor God. Today, we will finish our list of 15 principles from scripture that provide a framework for understanding the role and limits of government. Click here for the first eight principles, and keep reading for the remaining seven.

9. The separation of governmental and spiritual authority is essential.

Governmental authority structures and spiritual authority structures should remain separate. They possess two very distinct mandates and use two separate means. Governments exist to restrain evil using just laws and external coercion. Churches focus on worship, beliefs, motivations, passions, and behaviors directed toward internal self regulation. In the scriptural texts, you'll observe that this separation existed even within the Old Testament law structure. If a Christian does operate as a representative of state power, she is not trying to mandate the Christian belief system on everyone else through that state power. She is simply influencing the law and its enforcement towards what is just and good for all citizens in society.

• In Deuteronomy 17:14-18:8, the king’s role is differentiated from that of the priestly. The king was to copy the law and bind himself to promote justice through the correct law practice. The priests were responsible for the liturgical practices and worship that united the people to God. See also Number 18. Only priests could offer sacrifices.
  
  
• 2 Chronicles 26:18 They confronted King Uzziah and said, “It is not right for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the Lord. That is for the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have been unfaithful; and you will not be honored by the Lord God.”

10. Governments and government officials are accountable to God.

Because governments are made up of people, and people are inherently sinful, authority can be corrupted by greed, sin, and self-interest. Therefore, God holds the prerogative to judge and correct individuals and systems that become oppressive. Throughout the scriptures, we see God using his means to confront evil powers and correct people with the truth.

• Isaiah 10:1-3 Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. What will you do on the day of reckoning when disaster comes from afar?
  
  
• Psalm 2:10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. Kiss his son, or he will be angry, and your way will lead to your destruction.

11. Governments and officials operating unjustly should be confronted with the truth.

As in all authority domains, government officials should not be followed thoughtlessly. They should be confronted when they deviate from their mandate of serving through just leadership. In this case, they should not be held to specific confessions of churches and creeds. Those belong to the church's domain. They are being held accountable for “general moral revelation” that is apparent to all humanity—10 commandment-level stuff. They should seek broad standards of jurisprudence and not pass laws that prejudice certain people groups or agendas. All members of society have a measure of responsibility to speak out against coercive powers and confront injustice. (Prophets and churches who offer correction are not exempt from correction themselves).

• Jeremiah 38:20 In confronting King (Zechariah), Jeremiah says, "Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you, and your life will be spared.”
  
  
• Moses confronts an unrepentant tyrant (Pharoah): Exodus 9:13
  
  
• Samuel confronts God’s holy priests living disobediently: 1 Samuel 3
  
  
• Nathan confronts a righteous king (David) who did an evil deed: 2 Samuel 12
  
  
• Jonah confronts an entirely wicked nation (Ninevah): Jonah 3
  
  
• Daniel confronts an unrighteous king ( ) who used power as a privilege: Daniel 5

12. Jesus’ kingdom is different from earthly governments.

Jesus never confronted the governmental structure of Roman rulership. Under trial, Jesus declared, "My kingdom is not of this world." His kingdom is built on the confession of beliefs, worship, morals, and ethics. These begin in the domain of human thought and motivation, which governments cannot legitimately regulate. The kingdom of God can operate underneath or within any governmental structure. If there is some level of compatibility, believers can swear loyalty to their local ruling structure and their Heavenly King. Primary allegiance is always given to the Heavenly King if there is a direct conflict between the two.

• Luke 17:20-21 Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.

13. Civil disobedience is sometimes necessary.

When human authority runs counter to God's justice, the prophets of the Old Testament and the Church of the New Testament insisted on obeying God rather than human authorities. For example, government laws should not compel citizens to go beyond "natural law," or the law of conscience, to do harm to others. As a case in point, it is unethical to force medical personnel to perform an abortion or transgender surgery when that professional’s conscience perceives it as actively harming another human being.

• Acts 5:29 Peter and the other apostles replied: ‘We must obey God rather than human beings!’
  
  
• Daniel 3:18 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to him…we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.

14. The church is to pray for the government and the well-being of national leaders.

Like many organs within a body, healthy societies are made of many different institutions cooperating. The well-being of societies depends upon just governmental structures providing a canopy of protection over “life, liberty, and property.” If the governmental authority structure acts coercively, then people are not free. Conversely, if a society is spiritually sick, no amount of healthy government will be able to suppress the evil done by corrupt human hearts.

• 1 Timothy 2:2 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

15. Secular governors do not need to be professing Christians.

Because the secular government's role is not spiritual but executive, it does not require a confession of creedal beliefs or faith. The role of legislators and executives is to enforce justice and promote the good of the people. In this respect, the decisions and policies of lawmakers and enforcers should reflect a basic standard of justice and equality for all society members. God uses women and men who do what is right, who rule with righteousness and justice, even if they do not walk in the path of creedal salvation.

• God notoriously used the Assyrians to judge the Israelites (Isaiah 10:5-19), then turned around and judged the Assyrians for being too harsh.
  
  
• Cyrus, the leader of Persia, was repeatedly called God’s “anointed,” used by the Lord to do his will, even though Cyrus was not a Yahweh-confessing Jew (Isaiah 45:13).

This biblical framework should help us understand the government's role, function, and limitations. By studying scripture, we find helpful principles that enable us to arrive at a God-honoring, human serving, and balanced approach to law and government. Even though the framework doesn’t lead us to specific policy decisions within our modern social dilemmas, it provides a healthier and more uniform standard for interacting with laws, policymakers, and that unavoidable reality called politics.

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