Christians’ Responsibility to Government

With the 2024 election behind us, it’s time to move forward. During this election season many Christians felt that they could not vote because of the quality of the candidates. However, whether we want to believe it or not, Christians have a responsibility to the government, regardless of who’s in charge.  Today we will look at what the Bible says about Christians’ responsibility to government.

Let’s Start with the Basics…

The Apostle Paul addresses Christians’ responsibility to government in a few of his letters. These responsibilities are based on our belief in God and what the Bible says about God’s standards. Even though Paul addressed Christians, we ALL – regardless of religious beliefs – have to be responsible citizens.

It’s important to note that when Paul wrote many of his letters, Caesar Nero was the emperor of Rome. This information is vital because as Paul lays out our responsibilities to government, one of the most evil and brutal leaders reigns over Rome.

The Reign of Nero

Caesar Nero is considered one of the biggest tyrannical leaders in history. He is known for many atrocities and debaucheries. Let’s look at some of the things he is accused of:

• Involvement in incestuous relationships
• Killing family members including his mother, wives and son in order to keep power
• Partaking in the utmost depravity
• Nearly bankrupted Rome to build his “golden palace”
• Allegedly let Rome burn and blamed it on Christians and then…
• Killed Christians by throwing them to wild beasts, crucifying them and burning them to death by using them as “human torches” to light his gardens at night

  

• Executed anyone who stood in his way – without having trials

No one can argue that these things are horrific. Even if only a small fraction of them is true, Nero would still be considered an extreme despot, bordering on mentally ill.

Realizing Nero’s brutal nature makes it hard to reconcile why Paul would give the instructions he does regarding our responsibility to government. However, that is why Paul’s instructions are so important. Paul is telling us that no matter who our leaders are, we have a responsibility to them – even if they are a murderous tyrants.

What Does Jesus Say?

Before we dive into Paul’s instructions, we need to cover a couple of points and then look at what Jesus said regarding our responsibility to government.

Point Number One: God Establishes Government

Never forget that it is GOD who ordained the tenets of marriage and family, the church and yes, the government. In Genesis chapter two, God established marriage and family. In Acts chapter two, the Church was born. Finally, in Genesis chapter nine, God introduced human government.

Regarding the establishment of government, we must go back to the era prior to the great flood. At that time, lawlessness and evil had taken over the earth. This is why God flooded the earth in the first place. The flood was God’s judgement poured out upon the earth.

(To Learn More About God’s Judgement Upon Nations, Click Here).

Although human government is far from perfect, God established it because even a government that is flawed is better than none at all. In Judges 21:25 we read regarding Israel: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  We cannot have a society where everyone does whatever THEY think is right. God has standards and those standards must be followed.

Point Number Two: We Have a Dual Obligation

As soon as the flood waters subsided and Noah exited the ark, God established governmental rule on the earth. At that point, mankind was given a dual obligation – to both God and to government. This means that our lives belong to the Lord, while at the same time, we have an obligation to our earthly governments.

On one hand, God created us and that means that our lives are His. On the other hand, we have to acknowledge our submission to the rules that God imposes on the earth. When we acknowledge our allegiance to the Lord, our other obligations will fall into place and hopefully become second nature.

Jesus Said…

In Matthew 22:21 Jesus reiterated our dual obligation when He said, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” Jesus affirmed that we are to be obedient where governmental affairs are concerned. This includes following the law and paying our taxes, for example.

There are two distinct commands here. The first is that because we are children of God and made in His image, we belong to Him. That means that we are to acknowledge our place in the Kingdom of God and serve Him completely. The second is that as children of God, we are to accept our role as citizens of earth while we are here, and respect those who God chooses to make leaders.

Paul’s Instructions Regarding Government

Paul gives us instructions on how we are to view our governing authorities. We’ll start in Romans chapter 13.

Romans 13:1-7

In these verses, Paul gives us explicit instructions regarding the government:

“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. ⁴ For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. ⁵ Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. ⁷ Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”

Paul addresses both the citizens and the rulers in these verses. First, we will look at our responsibilities as citizens.

Our Responsibilities to Government

Understand Our Place

The word “subject” used in Romans 13 is translated from Greek to English to mean “to place or arrange under.” This simply indicates a chain of command, so to speak. Paul makes it perfectly clear that we are all “subject to governing authorities.” Why would that be? Well, it is GOD who appoints our leaders. We may cast our votes, but God always has the final say and because we are in submission to God, we should likewise submit to those He puts in leadership positions.

In Lamentations 3:37 Jeremiah asks the question: “Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it?” In other words, we can say or do whatever we choose, and we may not be happy with the way things turn out but, again, it is GOD in all His sovereignty that rules over all the affairs of men and makes the choices HE decides to make.

Paul’s Warning

So, IF we resist the authority of the leaders we are given, we are ultimately resisting the Lord. Paul gives a warning about this. Paul says that if we resist, we run the risk of bringing judgement upon ourselves. This begs a rhetorical question: Why cause more problems, when all we have to do is follow the rule of law? We just need to do what we’re supposed to do to avoid negative outcomes.

By the way, we should want to follow the law, not just to avoid trouble, but also because it’s the right thing to do. Our motivation to do so should include the fact that we want to honor the authorities that God has put in place. Ask yourself this question: If we cannot obey what we can see, how can we obey the Lord, who we cannot see? And don’t forget, Christians should be the example here – we cannot tell people to submit to the Lord if we don’t submit to the people He chooses to lead us.

Paul also warns that if we cause evil, we will face consequences. In other words, if we break the law, we cannot complain when we are punished. There must be accountability. Today, people don’t want to face the consequences of their actions. Contrary to the old adage that “laws were made to be broken,” the truth is, laws are NOT meant to be broken – they are implemented to maintain order in society.

Rather than resist the leaders we are given, we should pray for them and ask the Lord to lead them in the direction HE wants them to go. That does not mean that we may like them, but we do need to pray for them (more on that in a minute).

We Must Pay Taxes

Whether we want to or not, Paul says that we are required to pay taxes (and so did Jesus). I know, like most other people, I hate paying taxes too, but the Bible discusses taxes and says that we must pay them. According to Paul taxes are to be used, because in a sense, paying taxes is supporting the work of God. Hear me out on this one…

Paul implies in these verses that taxes are paid in order to support the government’s job of restraining evil and keeping everything in society nice and orderly. Now, we know that our government doesn’t always use the taxes we pay in a responsible way, so what do we do in that scenario? (Hang tight, we’ll get there in a minute).

Rulers’ Responsibilities

We’ve talked about the citizens’ responsibility to the government. But Paul also addresses the expectations of rulers in these verses. Let’s break down their responsibilities.

Work Against Evil

Rulers are required to look evil in the eye and work against it. Leaders are called to be a “terror to evil.” In fact, Paul calls leaders “God’s minister[s] to you for good” and “avenger[s] [who] execute wrath on him who practices evil.”

Our leaders are commanded to do what is right and what is good for the people they serve. Whether they want to acknowledge it or not, every leader is put into their positions by Almighty God and need to do what is right according to God’s standards. Every decision they make should be for the improvement of the people who elect them.

What if Leaders are Bad?

Often, we are faced with leaders who do not have the best interests of their people at heart. What are we supposed to do if our leaders do us harm or rule in their own interests rather than the interests of the people?

As long as we are doing what God expects us to do with regard to leadership, we have nothing to worry about. For example, we must pay our taxes as we are commanded to do. If our leaders squander the money or use it in nefarious ways, GOD will hold them responsible. Yes, we can vote them out or make our opinions known, but in the end, God will judge their actions and hold them accountable.

In addition, Peter tells us in Acts 5:29 that “We ought to obey God rather than men.” Peter is saying that when and if the rules of man go against the standards of God, we are to obey GOD and not man. We will often be faced with leaders who fail to recognize their responsibilities to the people. When we are faced with leaders like this, we are called to stand firm on what the Word of God says and not what they say. We should never compromise on anything that God commands in His Word and that includes tolerating evil.

If you are ever concerned about how bad our leaders can get, just remember that it could always be worse. I doubt that we will ever have to deal with a horrific leader like Caesar Nero. If the Apostle Paul encouraged us to submit to the authority of government when a tyrant like Nero was ruling, then we can certainly withstand any leader we may given.

1 Timothy 2:1-2

As I stated earlier, we are to pray for our leaders. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, verses 1-2, Paul says: “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

As Christians we are commanded to pray for our leaders whether we like them or not. We should pray for them to make the right decisions for our country and if they don’t, we can pray for the Lord to expose them and replace them when the time comes to vote again.

Remember, God does not always use godly men or women to fulfill His purpose. There are several examples in the Bible of God-appointed leaders who were considered servants of God even though they did evil. One example is King Nebuchadnezzar in the Book of Daniel. God used Nebuchadnezzar to judge the Nation of Israel.

Final Thoughts

Regardless of what may happen where our leaders are concerned; God is sovereign and in control. Remember, God sets up leaders and He removes leaders. We may not understand what God is doing but rest assured that He has a plan and purpose for everything He does.

(To Learn More About God’s Sovereignty, Click Here)

Our job as Christians is to submit to authority (or understand our place), pay our taxes and obey the laws of the land – as long as they are not in direct opposition to God’s law. I believe that our biggest responsibility to government is to PRAY for our leaders to do the right thing, for the right reasons and to recognize that their job is to make sure that they are promoting good and not evil.

Blessings,

Amy

I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please feel free to share your insights, experiences or questions in the comments section at the bottom of the page.