THE CHRISTIAN AND THE STATE – I

           

Michelangelo: The Crucifixion of St. Peter

Today America finds itself bitterly divided.  The problem has been brewing for years as a result of U.S. Supreme Court decisions over key moral issues such as abortion and homosexuality.  The identity politics of the Left has given us an “us-against-them” mentality, which in turn led to a reaction on the part of voters who gave their support to Donald Trump and his inflammatory rhetoric.  And now we have President Biden with his vaccine mandate.  While the country struggles through the pandemic a significant portion of the population refuses to get vaccinated, thereby prolonging the crisis and setting neighbor against neighbor.  Many of the unvaccinated say that the government is infringing on their right to make their own personal medical decisions.

            But do we have such a right?  Can the government force us to have something injected into our bodies?  This, in turn, raises the deeper question of what exactly is the relationship between the government and the individual citizen?  And more specifically, how are we as Christians supposed to relate to the secular state?

            What, then, do the Scriptures say?  As we have already seen, probably the most detailed and explicit discussion we have in the Bible regarding the relationship of the Christian to the state is found in Romans 13:1-7).  Here we are told “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities” (v. 1; NKJV).  Why?  “For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.”  The word translated “appointed” might be rendered “arranged” or “assigned,” the idea being that it is the will of God that there be such a thing as civil government, and that it is in the providence of God that the specific authorities are in the positions that they occupy.  Thus “whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (v. 2).  They are opposing what God himself has ordained and stand condemned by God himself.  Paul a little late goes so far as to call the civil magistrate “God’s minister” (diakonos  – v. 4; and leitourgoi – v. 6).

            But why would God ordain such a thing as civil government?  What was His intent and purpose?  Paul says “For he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil” (v. 4).  Given the depravity of human nature it is in the best interests of all of human society to have governing authorities to establish law and order, to punish crime and reward virtue.  Therefore Paul says “You must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake” (v. 5).  Our motive should not be fear of imprisonment if we break the law, but a desire to please God.

            Another key passage is I Peter 2:13-17 in which Peter says “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good” (vv. 13,14). The reason, he says, is to “put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (v. 15), those who are apt to make wild accusations against Christians (v. 12).  It is a matter of Christian testimony.  Therefore we are to “Honor all people.  Love the brotherhood.  Fear God.  Honor the king” (v. 17).  There are many different kinds of government; but government, per se, is ordained by God.  We are bound to respect the government under which we live.

            [It is significant that apparently Peter wrote this epistle at the time of the outbreak of the persecution under the Roman Emperor Nero in A.D. 64 – cf. I Pet. 3:13-17; 4:12-19.]

            At the practical level this means that we are pray for the authorities “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (I Tim. 2:1-4).  An effective government leads to the peace and prosperity of its citizens.

            On the other hand it may occasionally become necessary to engage in civil disobedience, as when the government wants to restrain the preaching of the gospel.  When the Jewish Council in Jerusalem (the Sanhedrin) tried to stop Peter and John from preaching, they replied, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts. 4:18-20).  Then, shortly afterward, when they were brought back before the Sanhedrin, the apostles said, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts. 5:29).  Our first responsibility is always to God.

THE POPE AND CONGRESS

This past Thursday Pope Francis delivered an unprecedented papal address to the U.S. Congress. In it he told Congress that “You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics.” At one point in his address he cited the Golden Rule (Matt. 7:12) and declared, “This Rule points us in a clear direction. Let us treat others with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated. Let us seek for others the same possibilities which we seek for ourselves. Let us help others to grow, as we would like to be helped ourselves. In a word, if we want security, let us give security; if we want life, let us give life; if we want opportunities, let us provide opportunities. The yardstick we use for others will be the yardstick which time will use for us.”

Here we have an unassailable truth, rooted in Scripture itself, that all should follow. And yet many members of his audience, on both sides of the aisle, would have problems with the agenda he laid out. On the one hand he attacked abortion and recent attempts to redefine marriage. On the other hand he called for efforts to combat global warming, the abolition of the death penalty, and for an end to the international arms trade. His views on economics were nuanced, however. “It goes without saying that part of this great effort is the creation and distribution of wealth. The right use of natural resources, the proper application of technology and the harnessing of the spirit of enterprise are essential elements of an economy which seeks to be modern, inclusive and sustainable.” It sounds like a call for a socially responsible capitalism.

Interestingly, it was the British writer C.S. Lewis who had earlier made the observation that “Christianity has not, and does not profess to have, a detailed political programme for applying ‘Do as you would be done by’ to a particular society at a particular moment” (Mere Christianity, 1960 ed., pp. 78-79). But he goes on to say, “All the same, the New Testament, without going into details, gives us a pretty clear hint of what a fully Christian society would be like” (p. 80). And what would it look like? Lewis’ answer is similar to the Pope’s. On economic issues, “Christian society would be what we now call Leftist,” but that in social relationships it would be “rather old-fashioned – perhaps even ceremonial and aristocratic” (Ibid.).

But how would you go about creating such a society? Pope Francis, in addressing Congress, could tell them directly, “you are asked to protect, by means of law, the image and likeness fashioned by God on every human face.” Lewis, however, did not think that things were so simple. “A Christian society is not going to arrive until most of us really want it” and we are not going to want it until we have become fully Christian.” And so, “we are driven on to something more inward – driven on from social matters to religious matters. For the longest way round is the shortest way home” (op. cit., pp. 82-83).

On this point I think that Lewis is absolutely right. The New Testament writers seem almost oblivious to the social and economic problems of society around them – and neither Jesus nor His apostles made any effort to influence the government under which they lived. It is taken for granted that human society requires some sort of authority structure, but it is largely a matter of indifference what form that should take – monarchy or democracy, socialism or capitalism. The New Testament does not even condemn slavery outright. But in whatever station in life we may happen to find ourselves we are morally obligated to practice the Golden Rule, to love our neighbor as ourselves. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes: how would you want to be treated if the roles were reversed? And as for society as a whole that will mean, on the one hand, that we will want to preserve the traditional family structure, while at the same time we should genuinely be concerned about the plight of the poor and disadvantaged in our midst.

But the Christian will always be conscious that at the bottom of it man’s deepest problem is his sin, and that the only real solution to that problem is salvation in Christ. The cure for society’s ills must begin with the renewal of the inner man. This is why the church’s primary task is to preach the gospel, not to get involved in the secular political process.

As a matter of right every human government ought to conform to God’s moral standards. God is the Creator and Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth. And He has given to Jesus Christ “the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow . . .” (Phil. 2:9,10; NKJV; cf. Col. 1:16-18). But at the same time immoral court decisions are just a small part of the big picture. The fact of the matter is that the entire human race is in a state of rebellion against God. The primary task of the church, then, is not reform secular government, but to “make disciples” (Matt. 28:19,20), calling individual sinners to repentance and faith in Christ.

As Americans we have the right to vote and to choose our own leaders, and as Christians we should do so wisely and carefully. And on a moral issue such as abortion or same-sex marriage we must speak out clearly. But we must be careful about being aligned too closely with any one political party or platform. Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats fully reflect Christian values, and Christians should not let secular politicians speak for them. Our first responsibility is to “preach Christ crucified” (I Cor. 1:23).

Having said that, we hope that Congress took seriously the Pope’s remarks.