The Role of Government in God's Plan

The Role of Government in God's Plan

Sep 15, 2024

Pastor Dan Walker, PhD, MDiv




Sermon Introduction

Today we begin a new message series called “Voting with a Biblical Worldview.”
Let’s begin by asking the question: what is a worldview? A worldview is a comprehensive perspective through which an individual interprets and understands the world around them. A worldview encompasses beliefs, values, assumptions, and attitudes about life, reality, morality, and the purpose of our existence.
A person’s worldview shapes how they perceive everything, from daily decisions to complex questions. Everyone has a worldview, and a worldview may be biblical or unbiblical. So, what is a biblical worldview? A biblical worldview is one in which a person interprets life and makes decisions based on the truth of God’s Word, the Bible. It involves seeing the world through the lens of Scripture and applying biblical principles to all areas of life.
A biblical worldview is very rare in today’s culture. Christian pollster George Barna tells us that today 68% of Americans identify as Christians. Yet of those who identify as Christians, only 6% have a biblical worldview.
In this series, we’re going to focus on topics that are at stake in the upcoming election, but these topics and a biblical worldview are essential for all of our lives. God desires for us not only to embrace a biblical worldview but also to spread the truth of a biblical worldview to others.
Did you know that unbelievers can embrace aspects of a biblical worldview? Not all of the founders of our nation were Christians, but they all embraced many aspects of a biblical worldview. That biblical worldview resulted in the drafting of our Constitution and the formation of our democracy, the most biblical form of government ever created. It also resulted in America being the greatest mission-sending country in history.

Psalm 33:12 (ESV) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

God will bless America as we acknowledge the Lord as our God and embrace a biblical worldview.

Proverbs 14:34 (ESV) Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

A biblical worldview leads to righteous living and a blessed nation, but the exaltation of sin has the opposite effect.

Colossians 3:17 (ESV) And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

God desires for us to develop a biblical worldview so that it can direct everything we do and say in life, including our voting.
Our topic this morning is “The Role of Government in God’s Plan.” We’re going to explore how God has ordained government as part of His plan for the world. What is our role as believers within this structure? How should we approach leadership, justice, and righteousness in a political context?

God Ordains Government for Order and Justice

We must submit to governing authorities.

Romans 13:1–2 (ESV) Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

When this passage was written, Paul and the church were living under the rule of the Roman emperor. This was not a democracy, nor anything close to it. The Roman empire often vigorously persecuted Christians and was not a righteous government. Yet its authority came from God, and Christians needed to be subject to the governing authorities and their laws. If we resist the legal authority of the government, we are resisting God and will come under judgment both from the government and God.
Paul goes on to describe the duties of a legitimate government. What is the government’s role in promoting justice?

Romans 13:3–4 (ESV) For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

We must acknowledge government as a minister of God. What is good government supposed to do? Government is ordained by God to restrain bad or evil conduct. Government is also ordained by God to approve of or reward good conduct.
How is good and bad conduct to be determined? The only place to receive righteous determination of good or bad conduct is God’s Word. Laws and courts that follow God’s Word are ordained by God. Those that do not follow God’s Word are working in opposition to Him, and we’ll discuss how to respond to that scenario shortly.

Romans 13:5–6 (ESV) Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this, you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.

If we obey a good law, we avoid God’s punishment, and our consciences are clean. The government authorities are ministers of God, maintaining order and protecting law-abiding citizens. For governments to operate, they need to collect taxes, and so we must pay them.

Romans 13:7 (ESV) Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

We are also to respect and honor the authorities that God has put into place, whether we agree with them or not. God ordains government for order and justice.

Promote Righteous Governance

Proverbs 29:2 (ESV) When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

We are to advocate for leaders who align with God’s values. As the righteous increase in numbers, in leadership, and in influence, the nation is blessed and the people rejoice, whether they are believers or not. However, when the wicked rule according to an unbiblical worldview, the people groan, for the nation is not blessed.
As the church promotes righteous governance, the nation will prosper.

Micah 6:8 (ESV) He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

As Christians, we are called to support policies that reflect God’s heart for justice and equity. All people must be treated equally without regard to their status, gender, race, or color. We must support leaders and policies that promote these biblical values.
To promote righteous governance, we must pray for those in authority.

1 Timothy 2:1–2 (ESV) First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

As believers, we are to pray for everyone, but particularly for leaders in government. We are to pray that we, as Christians, may lead peaceful and quiet lives, practicing our faith in a godly and dignified way, without persecution or attacks from the government. We are to pray that our leaders will lead with a biblical worldview, whether or not they are Christians.
As believers, we are to promote righteous governance.

Live as Faithful Citizens Under God’s Authority

We must balance obedience to God and government.

Acts 5:29 (ESV) But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

In this passage, the authorities commanded Peter and the apostles not to speak about Jesus anymore. This created a conflict between what the government commanded and what God had commanded them to do. Peter shows us clearly here that our allegiance to God’s authority comes before our allegiance to government authority. We also must obey God rather than men.
Obeying God rather than men often led the apostles to imprisonment, and most died as martyrs at the hands of an evil government. Yet they are enjoying their reward in heaven today, while the evil government leaders are spending eternity in hell.

Matthew 22:21 (ESV) They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

We must honor both our civic responsibility and our spiritual obligations when they do not conflict. Both are important as we seek to be salt and light in a dark generation.
We must seek the welfare of our nation.

Jeremiah 29:7 (ESV) But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

Jeremiah wrote this verse to the Jewish exiles living in Babylon, where they had been taken. They were to seek the welfare of the pagan cities in which they were living. They were to pray to the Lord to bless these cities. The result would be that as God blessed these cities, the exiles would share in the blessing.
The exiles were not to isolate themselves and have nothing to do with their cities and government. They were to be involved, practically and through prayer, with their cities and land.
We must live as faithful citizens under God’s authority.

Conclusion

Today, we’ve seen that government is not a human invention but part of God’s divine order. Government is ordained by God to restrain evil and reward good. A nation is blessed when it honors God. So our decisions, including how we vote, play a part in shaping our government to reflect a biblical worldview.
We are to pray for our leaders, whether we agree with them or not, so that we can have the liberty to continue to worship and preach the Gospel. Our primary allegiance is to God and His kingdom. We must obey God rather than man. May God help us to have a biblical worldview as we pray for His kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.