3 Christian Misconceptions about the Government
Sometimes I wish I was still a little girl, back when I was oblivious to things like house votes and presidential elections. Back when all I knew about the government was our nation’s history, knowing proudly that our nation was founded upon Christian principles. Back when there seemed to be little tension between parties and there was still respect for others, even if you disagreed with them. I’m not sure whether life has changed so drastically since I was young, or whether I was oblivious.
With the presidential elections rolling around and the drama encircling our government, it’s easy for me to feel overwhelmed. It has shocked me to see how divided our nation has become. I always knew the gap between political parties had widened drastically, but the hatred that’s been stirred up over the past few years has been unthinkable. To be honest, I believe there is a spiritual attack going on. No matter how hard some people try to deny it, the United States was founded upon biblical principles, and that Christian heritage still impacts us today. The devil doesn’t want us to be impacted by our biblical founding. And so, we’ve been distracted from it. The principles that made America great have been slowly eroded, and Christians have been lax in standing up for the truth. It’s time that Christians took an unmoving stand for truth once again, in our homes, towns, counties, states, and country. We should not sit silently as the truth is replaced with lies in every corner of our lives until it’s too late.
As I’ve paid more attention to political issues recently, I’ve noticed three misconceptions Christians tend to have regarding the government. I’d like to share these and combat them with the truth.
1: Placing too much hope in the government. Newsflash: the government is not God. Too often, people, even Christians, idolize the government, believing that if we just had the right formula, the right person in power, or the right balance, we could create a perfect society. But the truth is, we can’t. We live in a fallen world where every life is marred by sin (Rom 3:23). I believe that the constitutional republic our nation was founded on is an excellent system of government, but I also know that it will not create a perfect society. People will still hurt other people. Powers will still try to overreach their bounds. A government cannot do what only Christ can do. Governments cannot change people’s hearts. Only Christ can change the human heart from sinful to righteous, from selfish to selfless. A society cannot be transformed for the good from the government down. If we want to see society changed, it must be changed from the individual up, as each heart is impacted by the love and redemption of Christ. So why do we dream of a government running a perfect society? I believe this desire within us is actually our longing for heaven, for Christ’s kingdom. Romans 1:20 says that God’s attributes are seen in creation so that we are without excuse. I believe one of the ways God makes Himself known to us is through the longings we have for perfection. Deep down, we know we were created for something better, and that longing should drive us to our Creator, not to the government.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. Philippians 3:20-21
Another aspect of placing too much hope in the government is allowing the government to do what the church is supposed to do. The Bible calls Christians to look after orphans and widows, to care for the sick and the hungry, and to show others the love of Christ tangibly. When we rely on the government to do the work that God has called believers to do, we are placing our hope in the government instead of in the kingdom of Christ.
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:27
Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:37-40
Truth: As Christians, our hope must be in Christ alone. Let us live as citizens of heaven, tangibly showing Christ’s love to those around us and standing up for truth.
2: Not participating in our country. There is an opposite end of the spectrum to the last misconception, where Christians believe that since we are citizens of heaven, we shouldn’t care what happens in our country’s government. It is very hip right now to be disrespectful toward those in government. But the Bible does not condone this behavior.
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 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; 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. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Romans 13:1-7
Whether you are in favor or in opposition to the policies of those currently in government, the Bible says we are to respect and obey our authorities, do what is right, and “render to all what is due them.” These words would have been crazy hard to accept in Paul’s day because he was writing to Christians living under the persecution of Nero. Obviously, when the word of man and the word of God are in conflict, we are to obey God rather than men (see Acts 5:29), but we are also called to live at peace with others so far as it depends on us (see Romans 12:18). As long as the government is not asking us to go against God’s Word, it is our responsibility to obey the law. This is a part of our Christian witness.
Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed, to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men. Titus 3:1-2
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. 1 Peter 2:13-17
It is God’s will that we submit to our rulers so that we “may silence the ignorance of foolish men.” As Christians, we can’t be living in hypocrisy because that defiles the name of Christ. We need to glorify God in every aspect of our lives, including the way we relate to our government.
Jesus Himself instructed the Pharisees to give to God what is God’s and to Caesar what is Caesar’s:
Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?” But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, “Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.” And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away. Matthew 22:15-22
Finally, I want to encourage you to remember that God is sovereign. No matter how out of control things seem, God is still in control, and God can work everything, even the most horrible things, out for good (see Genesis 50:20, Romans 8:28).
The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes. Proverbs 21:1
Truth: Being good citizens of our countries is important because it’s a part of our Christian witness.
3: Refusing to pray for our leaders. There are people in government positions that I praise God for, but there are others that I 100% disagree with. No matter my opinion of these leaders, I am called to pray for them. To refuse to pray for our leaders it silly, because our leaders directly affect our lives.
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4
This verse says to pray for our leaders in “petitions and thanksgivings.” This is a challenge because while there are some leaders that I can thank God for all day long, there are others I would rather only complain about. But we’re called to pray with thanksgiving for our leaders. How can we pray with thanksgiving for leaders who are opposing our Christian freedoms? This is a hard question to answer. But the truth is, we can be thankful that we serve a God who can do the impossible. Since these leaders are in power, we can thank God for His sovereignty and His work in their lives, even if we can’t see what God is doing or why He’s allowed them a position. It reminds me of the story of Corrie Ten Boom in a Nazi concentration camp, when her sister, Betsie, told her to thank God for everything, even the fleas. Corrie later found out that God used the fleas as a blessing to keep the guards away from their barracks, allowing Corrie and Betsie to share the gospel and read their Bible unhindered. This is a good reminder of how God works all things for good (Rom 8:28).
1 Timothy also encourages us to pray for our leaders so that “we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.” We are to pray for our leaders so that we may live out our Christian witness in peace. Paul says this is “good and acceptable” to our Father, who “desires all men to be saved.” Our prayer should be that our freedom to proclaim the gospel is not hindered, that we may be effective witnesses in sharing the truth to our neighbors, but also that our leaders will be saved and come to know the truth. If we want real, positive change in the government, then we need to pray for the Spirit to be moving in the government and changing lives.
Truth: we are commanded to pray for our leaders with thanksgiving because God desires all to be saved.
I hope you’ve been encouraged to exchange these three misconceptions for the truth found in God’s Word. As Christians, we are called to place our hope in Christ, live as citizens of heaven, be good citizens of our country in order to be good witnesses, and pray for our leaders.
I want to leave us with one final encouragement to pray for revival to touch our nation. It’s easy to fall into the trap of hopelessness, believing our nation is too far gone for our prayers to make a difference. But our God is greater and stronger than that! We serve a God of living hope (see 1 Peter 1:3). Let’s pray for the Spirit to move mightily among the church so that we will revive and take a bold stand for the gospel in our country!
If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people [a]who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. James 4:8-10
Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way And the unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to the Lord, And He will have compassion on him, And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7
With love,
Kelsey
