The Reason Government Exists
Governments are not evil. (I know, I know. But hear me out.) Governments can, and often will, do evil, but they are not intrinsically evil. This is an important distinction that we have to keep in mind. Governments are not evil in themselves because Scripture tells us that God appointed them. We see that in our Daniel passage this week, but we also see it clearly in passages like Romans 13:1-7.
1 Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. 2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. 4 For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. 5 Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience. 6 And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks. 7 Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor. (Romans 13:1-7 CSB)
Notice that the end of verse 1 tells us that God instituted governments. (Again, we need to be clear that this does not mean that God sanctions all that governments do. He does not.
Not the Reason Government Exists
I want to take a minute to clarify an important point which I hope is already abundantly clear: that government was not given by God for the salvation of people.
I hope that you just read that with disbelief that anyone would think such a thing. But it does seem that some believe that government is salvific in two ways.
First, some would see government as the agent to save us from evil around us. The idea is that we can legislate morality in our culture. Again, to be clear, government can and should certainly stem evil. And believers should advocate for laws that are just. Abortion is, perhaps, the best example of this. As believers we should fight for laws that ban abortion and that honor all of human life. The mistake here, though, is believing that government can produce moral (e.g. God-honoring) behavior. It cannot. Why would we believe that secular government passing laws could do that which God giving His Law in the Old Testament could not do?
Second, some would see government as an agent to save people out of the evil around us. To be fair, I am not sure many would say it like that—that simply and straight-forward—but I think we can see that this is an undergirding belief for the behavior of some. These would be our brothers and sisters who have come to believe that the hope for our culture rests more in what our government can do than what the gospel can do. Again, they would not necessarily say these words, but their behavior supports it. These would be those of us who are known more for our political affiliation than what church we are members of. These are those of us who deep down might believe that to be a Christian means you have to be of the right political party. And these are people who tend to believe the first idea above as well: that if we can just get the government to do what it should—legislate morality—people will flee evil and come to Christ.
How We Should Engage with Politics
Opting out of politics altogether is not the right way to go. Neither is going all in on politics as I intimated above. If people know more about who you voted for than who you trusted in for your salvation from sin and death, that’s a problem. If your social media profiles mention your allegiance to a political party before your allegiance to Christ, that’s a problem. If you decide on issues through a political lens first, and then a gospel lens, that’s a problem. But so is it a problem if you abstain from political involvement. In this area, as is the case with so many other areas, balance is the key. Here are five suggestions that might help you walk such a balance:
Be a good citizen by obeying government. We saw our command from God to obey our government in Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2. We could add Matthew 22:21 where Jesus commanded His listeners to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s. So unless a law violates God’s law (see Acts 5:29), we are to obey our government.
Vote responsibly. While we are to obey our government, we are to also recognize the times when it acts unjustly and stand against such injustices. We should advocate (even protest at times) for laws that align with the gospel and vote accordingly!
Watch your diet. I’m not talking about the food you consume, but rather the media that you consume. We should seek to understand what others think and feel about issues, which can be done without agreeing with them. A good way to do this is by consuming media from a variety of sources and having real conversations (not shouting matches) with people who believe differently from us. Which leads to the next suggestion…
Extend grace. We are a people saved by God’s lavish grace, and yet, we seem to be quite stingy with extending grace toward others. This should not be. We should be a people marked by grace, kindness, and gentleness. All of which can be displayed side-by-side with conviction and steadfastness for what is right. Jesus is the model of this, isn’t He? Don’t forget that person in a different political part is an image bearer of God. Don’t forget that person on Twitter is not just binary code, he or she is an image bearer of God. Strive to be generous with grace, stingy with condemnation, quick to listen and value, and slow to find cause to divide into “us vs. them.”
Pray for your leaders. Resist the easier path of praying in general for your leaders. Rather, seek to pray as in much detail as possible, which means trying to understand as much as you can about your leaders. Do they have a family? Do they have any personal needs? Politicians, no matter the letter after their names, are image bearers of God as well. They too deserve our love. Pray for them through that lens as you also pray that they govern with wisdom and justice.
Preschool Tip: The imagery of this session can be challenging for your preschoolers. While we strived to make the four creatures as least scary as we could in the Bible story picture, use discernment in whether or not you should display that picture and how you discuss these critters this week.
Kids Tip: While the kids you teach are far too young to vote and most will likely be barely interested in politics, do not assume that they are immune to politics and gloss over it. As always, focus on the Christ Connection, but consider taking the opportunity to unpack as deeply as you feel is needed some of the ideas of politics in this post. Not only might this address what they see around them (perhaps their own parents’ behavior) but it helps prepare them for the day when they do engage in politics.
*Devo from Pastor Brian, from The Gospel Project.
#JesusJams for today!
---> And here's this week's story!!
Christ Connection: Jesus is King over everything. God lets people rule for a short time, but one day Jesus will come back and set up His perfect kingdom. Everyone who trusts in Jesus will be in His kingdom, and it will last forever.
If you have a bible at your house, turn to Daniel 7. Read it with your family this week! If you don't have one, that's okay! CLICK HERE.
OPTION 1: Act like Animals! (For little ones!)
Form a circle. Toss a beanbag to child. Ask her to name an animal then toss the beanbag to a friend. Invite him to name another animal. Make up a name that combines the two animals. Suggest children play out how the animal would move and sound. Remind kids • We made up some strange animals! Daniel had a dream about four strange creatures. Jesus came and God gave Him power to rule over everything. God showed Daniel that God’s Son will rule forever. Jesus is King over everything. Everyone who trusts in Jesus will be in His kingdom, and it will last forever.
OPTION 2: Blow bubbles Provide bubble solution and wands for preschoolers to blow bubbles. Protect floors to prevent children from slipping.
Remind Kids • Bubbles pop after very little time. Bubbles are not at all like Jesus’ kingdom. God showed Daniel that God’s Son will rule forever. One day Jesus will come back and set up His perfect kingdom. Everyone who trusts in Jesus will be in His kingdom, and it will last forever.
OPTION 3: Pray for leaders Print photographs of local, state, and/or national leaders. Lead preschoolers in praying for the leaders. SAY • We pray for our leaders, but we don’t put our hope in them. They are sinners just like us. We put our hope in Jesus. God showed Daniel that God’s Son will rule forever. Jesus is King over everything. God lets people rule for a short time, but one day Jesus will come back and set up His perfect, forever kingdom.