Time to Talk Politics

It’s four months before the presidential election.  We need to talk about politics.

Politics is often shunned as being too controversial. 

That’s too bad because God has some things to say about it in His Word.  We should listen to what God has to say.  We will be better off. 

The discourse lately has been overshadowed by the assassination attempt on former President Trump last Saturday, as well President Biden’s obvious mental decline.   

But let’s go back to basics.  What does God’s word have to say? 

The premier biblical passage on government is found in Romans 13:1-7.  What we read there is surprising.  The Apostle Paul, writing under divine inspiration, shows a surprisingly positive view of the governing authorities–even though the authority at that time was the pagan Roman Empire! 

In that passage we find that:

• Everyone must submit to the authorities because God established them (vs. 1)
• God will judge those who rebel against that God-appointed authority (vs. 2)
• Rulers [assuming they are good ones] scare those who do wrong (vs. 3)
• The authority “does not bear the sword for nothing,” meaning that he is allowed to use force to govern (vs. 4)
• He is a servant of God to keep down crime and evil in society (vs. 4)
• We pay taxes so the authorities can do their jobs (vs. 6)
• We should honor the authority [or at least the office] (vs. 7)

Like I said, it is surprising. 

And the Roman Empire at the time this was written, and all through the time of the book of Acts, comes off pretty good.  The authorities are found doing their jobs.  They quelled riots, dismantled a murderous conspiracy, and saved lives (including Paul himself).  The Romans were good at security.  Their emphasis was on law and order.  In that capacity they were unwittingly serving as agents of God. 

Security–that is government’s main job.  If it does nothing else, it must do that.  God knows that there is evil in the world, and that people do evil things.  Deterring foreign threats (by means of a military) and domestic threats (through a police force) is what government does.  It uses force to restrain evil.  That’s God’s will. 

For all the negative talk about government, we should be glad for it.  We know what happens when evil is not restrained.    

An example–a few years ago there was a fad where progressive governors foolishly decided to ‘defund the police’.  Result: crime went through the roof.  They had to scramble to fix their mistake.  They should have listened to God, but the progressive movement is not interested in what God has to say.  They call themselves progressive, but progressing to what? 

There are also those who make too much out of government, who expect it to do things far beyond its God-given task–which, as noted, is mainly about providing security.  Example: President Biden promising to ‘forgive’ student loans.  This is wrong on several levels: 1) it is unfair to those who didn’t go to college, 2) if a handout is given, other handouts will be expected, and 3) all the money for it will have to be borrowed.  The government is already $35 trillion in debt.  It is morally wrong to saddle our grandchildren with what is essentially a huge credit card of debt created by our present-day lack of discipline.  People should pay off their own loans.  

Romans 13 tells us what government is supposed to do, and it is not to pay off student loans. 

Government should, in a sense, be boring.  It should be in the background.  Too many people look to it for hope and vision and ideals–but that is not what it is for.  Government provides security so that you can live your own life, shape your own future, and be free to be rich or poor, college educated or not, live in the city or live in the country…or just enjoy life without having to worrying about foreign invasion or crime. 

In our day, most of our institutions are gone–handed over to the philosophies of the devil.  They promote what is wrong and suppress what is good.  They have exalted evil and vain opinions and have become hostile to God’s will.  The world of higher education, big business, media, entertainment, and government all seem to have adopted a mindset that is based on progressive philosophies.  The devil laughs. 

We might not be able to do much about education, big business, media, and entertainment, but we can do something about government.  We have a privilege Paul did not have when he wrote Romans 13: we can vote.  And we should vote and vote in a biblical direction. 

With the November election in mind, I’ll put in a little bit of personal opinion: the Republican Party (despite its faults) is far closer to God’s design for government than the Democratic Party. 

The Democratic party’s policies have completely abandoned any biblical ethic.  It didn’t used to be this way, but it is now. 

In my next column I will deal with politics again.  I’ll explain how I, as a Christian, plan for vote for the very imperfect, rough, and sometimes unlikeable Donald Trump. 

Until next week,

Dean Coonradt