“…And the government will be upon His shoulder…”
Isaiah 9:6
Government is God’s idea. In the simplest of terms, government at its root is the manner of ordering, administrating, organizing, or regulating a people, organization, or nation. God is a God of order. Government is not “evil”, as the anarchists and radical libertarians might want you to believe. Government as a form or structure can be compared to a gun which alone is morally neutral. What makes a gun (or government) good or evil is the one whose finger is on the trigger and what it is used for. You can have a biblical form of government, but if tyrants are calling the shots, it can still be used for great evil. You may have a secular form of government, but if the righteous are in charge, then blessing and wisdom can be established. Governments can be (and are) a frustrating thing, no doubt, but I think it’s important to be reminded again that government is God’s idea.
That being said, the Lord does not uphold EVERY form or decision of government, any more than He is required to uphold every form or decision of family, business, or church. Governments are expected to honor God and establish His ways in the same manner a person, family, church or business carries that expectation. Jesus is Lord of ALL (not some or even most), and not even governments get to hermetically seal themselves off from that Lordship. Those who serve in government cannot pretend to be neutral and crisis has a way of revealing people’s true worldview. Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34), and it has been fascinating to listen to our elected officials speak in these days of crisis. Their words and decisions have revealed much as to the status of their hearts.
There will come a moment when this pandemic is over, and we will be able to look back over these days dispassionately and without consuming fear as to how good we did as a person, people, and even government navigating this time. We will be able to debate the biblical and constitutional questions which sprung out of these weeks. This will be an absolute “must” of this time period. In order to reform the culture, the participants in government must be challenged and assisted in their transformation. In much the same way that I, as an individual, must review my words, actions, and decisions in the midst of challenge, so must our government officials. We must not squander this opportunity to do a thorough worldview evaluation at every level of life and ask the question, “Did we really honor God and obey His Word?”
A large part of my personal mission and call is to engage civic government with the truth of the Gospel. I have some years now under my belt in this endeavor, and while I would not claim expertise status, I think I have some insight into its nature and participants. I have heard it said that politics is “downstream” from the culture. I would concur but would add one slight caveat. I would say that politics is indeed downstream from the culture AND the culture SHOULD be downstream from the Church. Many are aggravated at the decisions of governments in this pandemic. Perhaps rightly so, but realize that what we are watching at every level of government is a reflection of what we (the Church) have pumped downstream. Whether it’s good or bad, it is a mirror of our discipleship and Great Commission impact.
As I see the end of this pandemic journey coming to an end, my prayer and focus is shifting to how might I influence what is heading downstream.
I can assure you those who are adversaries of the Church are not letting this crisis go to waste…
I want to suggest to you that neither should we…
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