The Purpose of Government

WEEKLY DEVOTIONAL BY PATRICE TSAGUE

What is the purpose of government? 
How should Christians approach elections? 
Does the leader need to be a Christian for God to use them?

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed of God. – Romans 13:1 (NKJV)

The Purpose of Government

It is almost time again for Americans to go to the polls so they can elect the person who will be the leader of the free world for the next four years. It is also a time for every Christian in America, as they go to the polls, to prayerfully seek God’s will for the nation.

Our votes should not just be an act of patriotism or personal preferences, but a reflection of what we sense God’s will to be for our nation. In Matthew 6:9-13, in what is known as the LORD’s Prayer, Jesus taught us how to pray, and a central part of that prayer was that God’s will would be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). If we request God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven, then our actions should be consistent with our prayers, and with what we believe God’s will to be – not just for us personally, but also for our nation as a whole.

Although we are citizens of this nation, we are first and foremost citizens of heaven. Rather than focusing on preserving our earthly gains, the priority of all that we do should be ensuring that the Kingdom of Heaven is fully manifested here on earth. If our vote is to align with God’s will, then we must understand God’s purpose for government, so that our vote will count towards electing the person whom we believe can best facilitate that purpose.

As we consider God’s purpose for government, it is important to note that God is neither a Republican nor a Democrat. No one party has a monopoly on practices that are consistent – or inconsistent – with the Word of God and our Christian faith. We are called to be in the world, not of the world (John 15:18; John 17:14-16). So, regardless of our party affiliation, we must make sure we vote for the candidates whom we earnestly believe are best suited to facilitate God’s purpose for our nation.

When we vote, we must not compromise our personal convictions and also understand that within every political party, God has placed His people to be salt and light and to do His will.

In the beginning, God created man in His image according to His likeness and God gave man dominion over everything in the earthly realm (Genesis 1:28). Among other things, God gave man the freewill to establish economic systems and government systems as tools to exercise that dominion mandate. 

Unfortunately, due to the consequences of sin, humanity has developed systems that either challenge God’s Lordship over their lives or simply fail to take it into account at all.

An example is the Children of Israel. Israel was a nation formed by God himself so that He would have direct rule over them and they would be a model of His will to other nations around them. Instead, they chose to reject God’s rule and asked to be ruled by a human king like their neighbors. In other words, rather than embracing the form of government that God had established for them, they chose to establish their own form of government to be like the surrounding nations.

But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.  According to all the works, which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day-with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods-so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.’ – 1 Samuel 8:6-9 (NKJV)

God will give us whatever form of government or leader we insist upon. We must, however, be aware that there are consequences if, as a people, we intentionally depart from His will for us. 

What then is the purpose of government according to Scripture? According to Romans 13:1-4, government is delegated and established by God, and it exists to provide order both by protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 urges us to make “prayers, petitions and thanksgiving on behalf of all men” … (including) “kings and all who are in authority”. This is so that the Government can fulfill its role in establishing peace and safety for its citizens. Proverbs 31:4-5 and 8-9 tell us that rulers should defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

According to Romans 13:1, all government authorities are appointed by God, in order to carry out His purposes. A leader who loves the LORD will follow His ways and legislate according to the will of God. However, not all government leaders must be or will be Christians. Furthermore, a government leader does not have to be a Christian to carry out God’s will. God is in complete control of the earthly realm (Psalm 24:1-2).

God initially used Pharaoh’s government to provide safety and provision for the Children of Israel when there was a great famine in the world. But when Pharaoh oppressed God’s people mercilessly and refused to let them go free, He was used by God to show forth His glory through the supernatural defeat of Pharaoh’s armies. 

God also used the king of Persia to provide resources for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. In the time of Jesus, God used the Roman government to orchestrate the fulfillment of Jesus’ calling and the formation of the early church.

The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes. – Proverbs 21:1 (NKJV)

If God is the one who appoints leaders, does that mean I do not have to vote? 

Of course not. Although God appoints the leader, He does so through the system of government that has been put in place. In a democratic system of government, God will use the voting process to appoint a leader into office, and in a monarchy, He will use the bloodline of the monarch.  

Although God appoints a leader, it does not mean that He approves of the leader’s conduct. He will use the appointed leaders to reward His people or to discipline them according to His will.

What impact can the government have on us as Biblical Entrepreneurs? Governments can impose taxes and policies that make it easier to operate profitable Kingdom businesses and carry out God’s will – or they can make it more difficult. Since God’s original intent was that He Himself would rule over us, we should prefer that the government impose as few laws and as little taxation as possible so it would have as limited rule over our lives as possible. 

However, sometimes our stewardship can have a negative or positive impact on the laws the government enforces. In other words, the more responsible we are, the fewer laws the government tends to impose, and the less responsible we are, the more laws it will need to impose.

How should we vote? Each of us should vote as the Holy Spirit leads us, and based on our sense of which individual will best fulfill God’s purpose.

My prayer for you today is that you will prayerfully consider God’s purpose for government, vote with godly wisdom, and commit to praying consistently for your leaders, for the glory of God, and for the benefit of your nation.