Pastor Jerry Marshall
New Community Church, Wildwood, MO 63040
636-458-4744
Guiding Principles:
1. The institution of governmental authority has been created, decreed and established by God underneath His sovereign control. Born again believers, like everyone else, are to submit to the governing authorities. Allegiance to God does not negate responsibility to secular authority (Romans 13:1-2; 1 Peter 2:13-17).
2. Our responsibility to the governing authorities is to obey the laws, pay taxes and respect those in ruling positions even if we disagree with their policies or the nature of their rule (Romans 13:3-8; Titus 3:1-2).
3. Under God's rule, He has created governmental systems that consist of four distinct realms: individual, family, church and civil government. God has established the family as the foundation of civilization. Civil government is a means ordained by God for ruling and maintaining order in cultures and communities (Romans 13:1-6). It is one of a number of such means, including ministers in the church and parents in the home (Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:13; Ephesians 5:23-6:4). Each such means has its own sphere of authority under Christ, who now rules and sustains creation, and the limits of each sphere are set by reference to the others. In our fallen world these authorities are institutions of God's "common grace" (kindly providence), standing as a bulwark against anarchy and the dissolution of ordered society.[1]
4. As believers, we are obligated to pray for those in positions of governing authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2).
5. When governing authorities issue laws that conflict with the righteous mandates of God, we are to submit to the ultimate authority and leave the consequence of our obedience to Him in His providential care (Daniel 3, 6; Acts 4:13-21). In our recent history, those who have occupied the highest offices of authority in our land, have promoted philosophies and policies that are contrary to the biblical values of the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage, the sanctity of human sexuality and the sanctity of God given individual freedoms.
6. God has not given the ministry of benevolence to human government. He has not required governing authorities to collect taxes from its citizenry ostensibly to care for the poor and needy. He has however, made this the responsibility of families, individual believers and the body of Chris at large (Deuteronomy 15:7-10; Psalm 41:1; Proverbs 22:22, 28:27; 29:7; Hebrews 13:16; James 1:27; 2:14-18; 1 John 3:17). The front line of care for the poor is directed toward those in the body of Christ who are in need (Galatians 6:10; Leviticus 19:9-10; Deuteronomy 14:22-29).
7. Civil government was never created by God to be your parent or an endless stream of never ending entitlements. When it functions in this manner, it will expand it's reach into the other three spheres of government (i.e. personal, family and church), resulting in tyranny reflected in high illegitimate taxation that causes its reach to go far beyond its divinely authorized scope.
8. No human government has the power to thwart the sovereign purposes of God (Daniel 4:34-34). In fact, it is God who sets up kings and deposes them (Daniel 2:21, 4:17; Proverbs 21:1). All human government will eventually give way to the eternal government of the Messiah (Isaiah 9:6-7; Daniel 7:13-14; 27; Revelation 1:5; 19:16).
9. Human government never has the ability to save humanity from the impact of the fall. Human government cannot save us. "We never read in the New Testament of Jesus or any of the apostles expending any time or energy schooling believers on how to reform the pagan world of its idolatrous, immoral, and corrupt practices via the government. The apostles never called for believers to demonstrate civil disobedience to protest the Roman Empire's unjust laws or brutal schemes. Instead, the apostles commanded the first-century Christians, as well as us today, to proclaim the gospel and live lives that would give clear evidence to its transforming power." (Gotquestions.org)
10. We are called to be "salt" and "light" as we tarry in this world awaiting the coming of the Lord for His church (Matthew 5:13-16). Salt was used as a preservative in the first century. One of its roles was to slow down the corruption of meat. The ultimate and total corruption of this fallen world is inevitable. But we, who are the salt of the earth, serve as a preservative. Believers in some sense, slow down the moral and spiritual corruption by our faithful example of living in accordance with the will of the Lord and the impact that such obedience brings into our world. In addition, we are to bring the light of truth to a dark and sin-sick world. We can be an influence for good even in the world of politics.
11. When Christian citizenship is marked by exemplary behavior, it silences the ridicule of unbelievers (1 Peter 1:12).
12. If a believer chooses to pursue a career in politics, he or she must be driven by a desire to glorify and honor God as they function in this vocation (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:23). This would require that a believer, in a position of civil authority, would diligently pursue the best interest of others rather than self-serving ambitions such as the pursuit of political power at the expense of personal integrity (cf. Daniel 6:4; Philippians 2:3-11; Matthew 23:11). They must be driven by a strong desire to serve their constituents guided by "principled decision-making," no matter the personal cost.
13. Civil government is authorized to protect and promote our God given freedom through what is often referred to as social justice. Dr. Tony Evans, in his book, "How should Christians vote?" warns us that the concept of social justice in our day "is frequently used as a catchphrase for illegitimate forms of government promoting the redistribution of wealth, rather than for the redistribution of opportunity where illegitimate impediments are removed, thus giving individuals the chance to maximize their potential. Likewise, social justice often favors the collective expansion of civil government, which wrongly infringes on the jurisdictions of God's other covenantal institutions (i.e. family and church)." Pg. 22-23 Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert, in their book titled "What Is The Mission of The Church?" provide a succinct biblical concept of social justice. "Our contention is that social justice in the bible is not an achieved result but equal treatment and fair process. No bribes. No backroom deals. No slanderous judgments. No breaking your promises. No taking advantage of the weak. That's what the bible means by social justice." Pg. 146-147
14. The bible knows nothing about a "Christian nation" The Scriptures describe people who are believers from every tribe and every nation (Revelation 5:9-10). That is why God does not mandate His people to moralize a particular nation through political means. His command to us is to evangelize the world (Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-47). Human government, even at its best, cannot cause one of its citizens to have their hearts purified and to be delivered from the greatest problem of mankind, which is sin. Nor can civil government take us from spiritual death to spiritual life. Nor is it able to give us a holy disposition and guarantee a future of eternal joy.
Only God and His grace provides these things to those who trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as their only hope of salvation. But civil government can provide order, justice and the potential for all of its citizens to achieve their best. It cannot and indeed must not try to produce equal outcomes. It can create policies that provide equal opportunities for all.
"Every voting choice you make ought to be for the candidate, platform, party, or policy that will best represent the values of the kingdom of God." Dr. Tony Evans
For more information see: Albert Mohler's Blog at:
http://www.albertmohler.com/category/blog/
[1] Whitlock, L.G., Sproul, R.C., Waltke, B.K., & Silva, M. (1995). The Reformation study Bible: Bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture: New King James Version. Nashville: T. Nelson.
