Monday, February 3, 2025

The Government is not the Church

 

Christians need a robust, biblical and intellectual theology, including their theology of government. Dr. Wayne Grudem gave the church a tremendous resource, Politics According to the Bible. He writes, “There should be a distinction between those things that are governed by the church and those that are under the authority of civil government.”

Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God” (Matthew 22:21 NLT). The church does not tax people for better roads, organize a nation’s military, nor work towards lowering the national debt. The government is not responsible for the spiritual training of her people. That does not mean Christians should not influence the nation’s values – politics comes down to someone’s values legislated.

Government, nations, borders, and law are God’s ideas. The Bible is replete with such evidence. Government’s broad purposes are protecting her people, creating sustainable infrastructure, and helping the economy prosper. The Church’s broad purpose comes through disciple-making, serving others, and building society and culture reflecting goodness and truth.

Sometimes well-meaning people confuse issues, expecting government to be something it’s not intended to be. Government is not church nor a parent.

The issues of open borders and illegal immigration illustrates this reality. Some people, opposed to deporting illegals, cite Jesus’ words to “love your neighbor as yourself,” meaning, we should not deport them. Herein lies a basic misunderstanding of government vs. church’s role. The government is not to be Jesus to the world. The individual Christian is.

God entrusts government with “the sword,” meaning power to enforce law, using force – and sometimes death - if necessary. The apostle Paul wrote, “But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” (Rom. 13:4 NIV).

It is government’s duty to close the border, protecting her citizens, and enforce the law, which includes rounding up illegal aliens and deporting them. Undeniably, this leads to heartbreaking situations, as when families are split up or deported.

Equally sad is when an American citizen uses illegal drugs and causes the death of another driver in a car accident. The drug user, arrested and incarcerated, is separated from his family and friends. It is sorrowful. But the guilt does not lie on the government for enforcing law – but on the law-breaker.

Government should not turn a deaf ear or blind eye in the name of “being Jesus” any more than when the Army is on the front line fighting a war – or when the FBI closes down on a crime boss or sex offender.

As government stays in its lane, the church and Christians have opportunity to show love and compassion. Grudem suggests American churches should be a wonderful home for immigrants here legally. And for illegals, he suggests the church should “kindly but honestly counsel” them that the Bible teaches we should submit to the law: “Illegal immigrants are obligated before God to obey the immigration laws of the United States.” In some cases, Christians could help illegals find immigration lawyers. Most cases require encouraging them to leave and “apply for entry into the United States on the same basis as everyone else, through proper legal channels.” And in the meantime, individual believers may have opportunities to show love, compassion, and offer temporary assistance to illegals in their path

 

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Pictures used courtesy of Pixabay

 

 

 

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