Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Romans 13:1-7

One of the great questions today is what role should Christians play in government? Some even question should Christians vote? So like every topic, we should turn to the Word of God for our answers. The Apostle Paul , under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, layed out a very detailed teaching on the role of government and the Church. The first thing that might surprise you, is God ordained the governments. “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers (governing authorities) For there is no power or authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed or ordained by God” 

So now that you know governments were set in place by God, that should make you look at them a little differently. Now the first question or response will be, “but governments are all corrupted, some even wicked” Yes that’s true, some Churches are corrupted and wicked also, anytime people are involved in anything, there is going to be corruption. So what is the point of the governments? Well its a way God is establishing some sense of Law and Order in a sinful world. Most people are not Born Again, most people dont have the Holy Spirit living inside of them, therefor they need laws to keep society from going into chaos.

Sometimes getting involved in government can make changes for the good, for example, laws about abortion. While this is a moral battle, changing laws can sometimes deter people from getting an abortion and save innocent lives. However, on the other hand, when laws are made to make abortion more easily, then obviously more abortions are going to happen. So for the Church to totally abandon government would be a big mistake, as we can represent Christ in our local authorities. 

One of the big issues that has always arisen is taxes, Jesus himself actually addressed this issue, they tried to test and challenge Jesus by asking the question “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar? Remember Caesar was an evil ruler, who’s coin (denarius) even had his inscription stating he was the “Son of God”, so the people thought for sure Christ would tell them not to pay taxes. But Jesus stated “Render to Caesar what is Caesars and Render to God what is Gods” In other words, Pay your taxes to the government and give to God what is His! We see Jesus acknowledging the authority of the government even though it was corrupted and evil. (Matthew 22:15-22)

The Apostle Paul also affirmed this teaching “Render or Pay therefor to all that are due, taxes to who taxes are due” (v7)  The Apostle Peter as taught “Submit yourself for The Lords sake to every human institution , whether to the King as supreme authority, or to the governors “ (1 Peter 2:13-14)

Now the big question is what about when governments enforce evil practices or rules that violate the Law of God? The Pandemic was a good example of this, governments forced Churches to shut down, Christians had to use spiritual discernment as to obey our governments yet we are forsaking the assembly , the Church (Hebrews 10:25) Pastor John Macarthur, who recently passed away, took a stand against the government of California and reopened his Church, once Christians realized we were being lied to. Despite threats from the government, Grace Community Church continued to operate, even won a legal battle in court, as the government in this case, has overstepped their authority in the Church

As the Apostle Peter said “We obey God rather than man (human authority)” (Acts 5:29) We as Christians “strive to live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18), we pay our taxes and follow laws, however when the government violates the Laws of God, we must submit to Jesus Christ, our King and Lord, Amen!