Government: A Servant of God

April 10th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Romans 13:3-5 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.

Obedience to the civil authorities is not meant to hurt, for if people in a society would simply obey their authorities, they would have nothing to fear. Though there are mitigating circumstances when Christians must disobey civil laws (e.g., when they are contrary to God’s laws), Christians can take solace knowing that God has ordained government as a means for meting out His own justice and protection. Throughout all of history, even pagan societies have been protected by governments whose laws are meant to deter crimes like murder and theft.

Though the Apostle Paul suffered under the civil authorities simply because he preached the truth and contradicted pagan ideals, he was still greatly protected under Roman law. In fact, he took full advantage of the protection the law provided him when he went forth preaching the gospel. For example, when the people of Ephesus became riotous as a result of Paul’s offensive teaching against their false gods, the town clerk addressed the mob, telling them that if they had a complaint against any man, “the courts are in session and proconsuls are available; let them bring charges against one another. But if you want anything beyond this, it shall be settled in the lawful assembly” (Acts 19:38-39). Later, when the Jews sought to kill Paul after bringing trumped up charges against him before Festus, he appealed to Caesar and was protected by Roman guards. Paul was not afraid to die if he had committed a crime, for even he acknowledged the justice of that (Acts 25:11).

The law of any society is established for the good of society. Those who obey the laws have nothing to fear. Dating back to Noah, God said, “Whoever sheds man’s blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man” (Gen. 9:6). Also, Jesus warned Peter to put his sword away, “for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword” (Matt. 26:52).

But keeping the law is not just to avoid punishment; it is for “the consciences’ sake” (v. 5). Man’s conscience appeared after Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit. Upon doing so, they became aware of good and evil (Gen. 2:17; 3:1-7). Of course what they did, all humans do, and that is why all humanity has a conscience, even the unsaved. Paul spoke of this truth in Romans 2:14-15 when he said that unbelievers know right and wrong instinctively through their conscience. So, when man sins it isn’t that he does not know the truth; rather, it is man suppressing the truth in unrighteousness, for that which is known about God is evident to him. In fact, God has made His truth evident to all of mankind (cf. Rom. 1:18-32).

Food For Thought
Many today do not fear discipline from the authorities, and most don’t fear God. As a result, our prisons are full of hardened criminals. MacArthur says, “…Although prisons were common in the pagan lands of biblical times, there is little record of their being used in ancient Israel. Criminals lost their lives or worked to pay reparations. Merely incarcerating them served no good purpose… Long-term incarceration was never an option under divinely-revealed Old Testament Law. Although prisons had been common in Europe for centuries, they did not appear in America until the late eighteenth century. Interestingly, the idea was introduced by Quakers, probably on the grounds that imprisonment was more humane than corporal punishment.”