The Purpose of 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 of God.”– Romans 13:1 

Is there a purpose for Government?  How should Christian approach elections?  Does the leader need to be Christian for God to use them? 

It is the 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 to prayerfully seek God’s will for the nation as they go to the poll. Our votes should not just be an act of patriotism or personal preferences, but a reflection of what we sense to be God’s will for our nation. We are taught in Matthew 6:9-15 by Jesus that when we pray we ought to ask that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. If we must request God’s will be done on earth, as it is in heaven, then our actions must be consistent with what we believe to be God’s will and in concert with our prayers. Remember we are not citizens of this nation, but rather citizens of heaven and all of our actions must be directed towards ensuring that heaven invades earth, rather than preserving our earthly gains. If our votes must be in line with God’s will, we must understand God’s purpose for government so that we can elect the person who 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 Democrat and no one party has a monopoly on practices that are inconsistent with the Word of God and our Christian faith. We are called to be in the world, not of the world, so no matter what our party affiliation we must make sure that it is because we earnestly believe that party is best suited for us to facilitate God’s purpose for our nation. We must be salt and light within that party and we must not compromise our personal convictions.

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 1:26.) God gave man the freewill to establish economic systems (whatever it may be called) and government systems as tools to exercise that dominion mandate. Unfortunately, due to the consequences of sin, man (regardless of his best efforts) has developed systems that challenge God’s Lordship over their lives and does not take into account God’s total will. 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.’” I Samuel 8:6-9  

God will give us whatever form of government or leader we insist upon. We must, however, be aware that there are consequences if it is not according to His ultimate will for us. What then is the purpose of government according to scripture? According to Romans 13:1-7, there are four purposes for government:

1. Provide order
2. Protect the innocent
3. Punish the guilty
4. Be a facilitator of God’s will in the public square

According to Romans 13:1, all government authorities are appointed by God, in order to carry out his purposes. However, this does not mean that all government leaders must be Christians. A government leader does not have to be a Christian to carryout God’s will. God is in complete control of the earthly realm (Psalm 11-13.)

“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

God used Pharaoh’s government to provide safety and provision for the Children of Israel when there was a great famine in the world. God also used the king of Persia to provide resources for the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and, of course, in the time of Jesus, God used the Roman government to orchestrate the fulfillment of Jesus’ calling and the formation of the early church.

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 whatever system of government the people have 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 blood line of the monarch.   Though it is God who appoints the leader, the leader always reflects the heart of the people. Just because God appoints a leader does not mean He approves of the leaders conduct. He uses His appointments as an opportunity to reward His people or to discipline them according to His will.

What impact can government have on us as Biblical Entrepreneurs? Government can impose taxes and policies that make it easier to operate profitable kingdom businesses and carry out God’s will or 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 fewer laws and as little taxation as possible so it would have as limited rule over our lives as possible. However, sometimes our stewardship can cause a negative or positive impact to the laws the government enforce. 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 then should we vote? Each of us should vote as our conscience 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. As you exercise your vote in the upcoming elections, so that God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven, recognize that no matter who is elected, it is God who appoints and God is still in control.