XV  III    HUMAN GOVERNMENT – Part 1

Human government is a part of God’s moral government.

A     The goal of God in creation. 
     We have seen that God is a moral agent.  He is the self‑existing and supreme moral agent.  Therefore, as ruler of all, He is subject to, and observes the moral law in everything he does.  His own infinite intelligence confirms that a certain course of willing is suitable, proper, and right in Him.  This idea is law to Him; and He must conform His will to this, or He is not good.  This is moral law.  It is a law based in the eternal and self‑existing nature of God.  This law demands love in God.  This love is good willing.  God’s intelligence must confirm that He should will good for its own importance.  God’s law must confirm His obligation to choose the highest possible good as the great goal of everything he does.  If God is good, His highest good and the good of the universe must have been the goal that He had in mind when He created the universe.  This is of infinite importance, and God should will it.  If God is good, this must have been His goal.

B     Providential and moral governments are indispensable means of securing the highest good of the universe. 
     The highest good of moral agents is conditioned by their holiness.  Holiness consists in conforming to moral law.  Moral law implies moral government.  Moral government is a government of moral law and of motives.  Providential government presents motives; and providential government is a means of moral government.  Providential and moral government are indispensable to securing the highest good of the universe.

C    Civil and family governments are indispensable to securing this end, and are a part of God’s providential and moral government.                                                                                       

1     People will not have the same opinion on any subject unless they have the same degree of knowledge.  No human community or organization exists, or ever will exist, where the members will have the same opinion on all subjects.  This creates a need for human legislation and for judges to apply the principles of moral law to all human affairs.  Without human governments, the wants and needs of the people cannot be properly met.  

2     This need will continue as long as human beings are in this world.  This is certain because the human body will always need food and clothing; and the human soul will always need instruction; and the means of instruction will not come without expense and labor.  This need is certain because people never have the same talents and the same information on every subject.  If everybody was holy and was disposed to do right, the need for human governments would still exist, because this need is based on the ignorance of mankind, though the need is much greater because of their wickedness.  The decisions of legislators and judges must be authoritative, in order to settle disagreements, and protect all parties. 
     The Bible declares that God gives human governments the authority and the right to punish evildoers and protect the righteous.  But:

3     Human governments are recognized in the Bible as a part of the moral government of God. 

a     “And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding.”  (Daniel 2:21)

b     “This decision is by the decree of the watchers, and the sentence by the word of the holy ones, in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men.”  “They shall drive you from men, your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make you eat grass like oxen.  They shall wet you with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over you, till you know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, and gives it to whomever He chooses.”  (Daniel 4:17, 25)

c      “Then he was driven from the sons of men, his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild donkeys.  They fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses.”  (Daniel 5:21)

d     “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and God appoints the authorities that exist.  Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on them­selves.  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.  Do you want to be unafraid of the authority?  Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.  For he is God’s minister to you for good.  But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.  Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.  For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing.  Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”  (Romans 13:1‑7)

e     “Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work” (Titus 3:1)

f        “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.”  (1 Peter 2:13-14)

D    These passages prove conclusively that God establishes human government as a part of moral government.

1     It is the duty of all men to aid in establishing and supporting human government.  Since the great law of love demands that human governments exist, everyone is under a moral obligation to aid in establishing and supporting it.  In popular or elective governments, every man has a right to vote, every human being who has moral influence must exert that influence to promote virtue and happiness.  And since human governments are indispens­able to the highest good of the human race, we are required to exert our influence to secure a legislation that is in harmony with God’s law.  The obligation of human beings to support and obey human governments, while they legislate on the principles of the moral law, is as unalterable as the moral law itself.

2     I will answer objections.  

a     Objection #1: Some say that the Bible represents the kingdom of God as subverting all other king­doms. 
     Answer: Yes, but the scriptures mean that the time will come when everyone will regard God as the supreme and universal sovereign of the universe.  The time will come when we will regard His law as universally required; when all kings, legislators, and judges will act as His servants, declaring, applying, and administering the great principles of His law to all the affairs of mankind.  Thus, God will be the supreme sovereign, and earthly rulers will be governors, kings, and judges under Him, and acting by His authority as revealed in the Bible.  

b     Objection: #2.  Some claim that God only providentially establishes human governments, and that He does not approve of their selfish and wicked administration; that He only uses governments providentially, like He uses Satan, to promote His own plans. 
     Answer: God nowhere commands anyone to obey Satan, but He does command us to obey magistrates and rulers.  “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God” (Romans 13:1)  “Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good.”  (1 Peter 2:13-14) 
     God nowhere recognizes Satan as His servant, sent and set by Him to administer justice and execute wrath on the wicked; but He does recognize human governments.  “Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.  Do you want to be unafraid of the authority?  Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.  For he is God’s minister to you for good.  But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.  Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake.  For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing.”  (Romans 13:2‑6) 
     It is true that God does not approve of anything that is ungodly and selfish in human governments.  He did not approve of what was ungodly and selfish in the scribes and Pharisees; and yet Christ said to His disciples, “Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.  For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”  (Matt. 23:2‑3)  We must obey when the requirement agrees with the moral law, no matter what the character or the motive of the ruler might be.  We are always to obey heartily as unto the Lord, and not unto men, and render obedience to magistrates for the honor and glory of God, and as doing service to Him.  

c      Objection: #3.  Some say that Christians should let the ungodly manage human governments, and not get sidetracked from the work of saving souls, to meddle with human governments. 
     Answer: To uphold and assist good government is not diverting us from the work of saving souls.  Promoting public and private order and happiness are one of the most essential means of doing good and saving souls.  It makes no sense to claim that Christians have an obligation to obey human government, and yet have nothing to do with choosing those who are to govern.  

d     Objection: #4.  The Bible commands us not to retaliate, that “Vengeance is Mine, and I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19)  Some say, that if I can not avenge the wrongs done to me, I can not do it through the instrumentality of human government. 
     Answer: just because you may not take it upon yourself to right your own wrongs by personally inflicting punishment the transgressor, does not mean that human governments cannot punish them.  All private wrongs are public wrongs; and no matter what your personal interest is, magistrates are required to punish crime for the public good.  While God has clearly forbidden you to right your own wrongs by personally administering your own punishment, He has clearly recognized the right, and made it the duty of public magistrates to punish crimes.  

e     Objection: #5.  Others believe that love is so much better than law, that once love reigns in all our hearts, we can do away with law. 
     Answer: This supposes that, if love is reigning everywhere, law will no longer be necessary; and there will no longer be any need secure the end that love terminates on.  But this objection overlooks the fact that law is the rule of duty, and that legal sanctions make up an indispens­able part of those motives that are suited to the nature, relationships, and government of moral beings.

f        Objection: #6.  Some say that Christians have better things to do besides meddling in politics. 
     Answer: In a popular government, politics are an important part of religion.  No man can possibly be filled with love or religion, to the full extent of his obligations, without being con­cerned about human government.  It is true, that Christians have other things to do than to get involved in a political party to do evil, or to get politically involved in a selfish or ungodly manner.  But they must get politically involved in popular governments, because they are required to seek the universal good of all men; and this is one place where human interests can be greatly influenced.

g     Objection: #7.  Some say that the Bible never clearly authorizes human governments. 
     Answer: No.  Both their existence and lawfulness are clearly recognized in the scriptures I have just read to you.  But, even if God didn’t mention anything in the Bible, it would still be both the right and the duty of man to institute human governments, because the needs of human nature demand them.  It is a first truth, that we have a right to pursue whatever is essential to the highest good of moral beings in any world.  In fact, we should pursue establishing good governments according to the best dictates of our reason and experience.  This truth is so basic that we don’t need God’s expressed authority to establish human governments.  No scriptural silence can make establishing them unlawful.  We know that moral law is a unit; that it is that rule of action that harmonizes with the nature, relationships, and circumstances of moral beings.  Whatever the nature, relationships, and circumstances of moral beings demand, we must do.  This is moral law, and no power in the universe can set it aside.  Therefore, even if the scriptures were completely silent on the subject of human governments, and on the subject of family government, (they are not) you could use this argument to support the lawfulness, appropriateness, need, and duty of establishing human governments. 

h     Objection: #8.  Some think that human governments are based on and sustained by force, and that this is inconsistent with the spirit of the gospel. 
     Answer: There’s no difference between the spirit of the Old and the New Testament, or between the spirit of the law and the gospel, unless God has changed, and unless Christ has voided the law through faith, which He hasn’t.  “Do we then make void the law through faith?  Certainly not!  On the contrary, we establish the law.”  (Romans 3:31)  Just and fair govern­ments will not exercise force, unless the highest public good demands the use of force.  If it is necessary to use force to promote the highest public good, it is never wrong.  In fact, it must be the duty of human governments to inflict penalties when the public interest demands that the government inflect them.  

i        Objection: #9.  Some people say, that church government is sufficient to meet the needs of the world, without secular or state governments. 
     Answer:  What!  Church governments regulate commerce, make internal arrangements such as roads, bridges, and taxes, and undertake to manage all the business affairs of the world!  Preposterous and impossible!  God never established church government for any such purpose; but simply to regulate the spiritual concerns of men; to try offenders and inflict spiritual chastisement, and never to perplex and embarrass itself by managing the business and commercial interests of the world.  

j        Objection: #10.  Some say, that if the whole world were holy, we would not need legal penalties.  

k      Answer: If everybody were perfectly holy, we would not need to execute penalties; but still, as long as the law exists, there must be penalties; and it would be both the right and the duty of magistrates to inflict those penalties, whenever the need to execute these penalties should arise.  But the state of the world that this question suggests does not exist today, and as long as the world is what it is, laws must remain government must enforce them.

l        Objection: #11.  Some insist that family government is the only form of government that God approve of. 
     Answer: This is a ridiculous statement, because God clearly commands us to obey magistrates as well as parents.  He makes it as much of a duty for magistrates to punish crime, as for parents to punish their own disobedient children.  The right of family government, though commanded by God, is not based on God’s arbitrary will, but in the highest good of human beings; so that family government would be necessary even if God had not commanded it.  The right of human government does not have its foundation in God’s arbitrary will, but in human needs.  The larger the community, the more they need government.  If in the small circle of the family, laws and penalties are needed, how much more important are laws and penalties in larger communities and states and nations?  Now, neither the ruler of any family, nor any other human ruler, has a right to legislate arbitrarily, or enact, or enforce any other laws than those that are de­manded by the nature, relationships, and circumstances of human beings.  Both God and government can only require something that is consistent with our nature, relationships, and circumstances.  Whether it is family, local, state, or national, we must establish whatever govern­ment is best for the universal instruction, government, virtue, and happiness of the world, or any portion of it. 
     Therefore, Christians have something else to do than to confuse the right of government with the abuse of this right by the ungodly.  Instead of destroying human governments, Christians should reform and uphold them.  To attempt to destroy, rather than reform human governments, is the principle often aimed at by those who attempt to destroy, rather than to reform the church.  There are those who are fed up with the abuses of Christianity that are practiced in the church.  They seem determined to destroy the church altogether as a means of saving the world.  But what mad policy is this!  People will not admit that selfish men must feel the restraints of the law; and yet, these same people insist that Christians should have no part in restraining them by the law.  But suppose the wicked should get together and agree to have no law, and therefore, they don’t try to restrain themselves or each other by law, wouldn’t it be the right and the duty of Chris­tians to try to restrain them through the influence of a wholesome government?  It makes no sense to say that selfish men need the law to restrain them, and yet Christians shouldn’t have the right to meet that need by supporting governments that will restrain the criminal.  It is right to have law.  It is in everybody’s best interests.  It is even absolutely necessary that there should be law.  Universal love demands it.  How can it possibly be wrong for Christians to get involved with it?  

E     The limits or boundaries of the right of government. 
     Please notice; the goal of government is the highest good of human beings as a part of the overall good of the universe.  All valid human legislation must propose the highest good of its subjects as its goal, and no legislation can have any authority that does not have the highest good of everyone as its goal.  No being can arbitrarily create law.  All law for governing moral agents must be moral law: that is, it must be that rule of action that is best suited to their natures and relationships.  All valid human legislation must be based on this one moral law.  Nothing else can possibly be true law.  The purpose of every command of God is the highest good of the whole.  Every command of God is best suited to our natures and our relationships.  If instead, God would legislate arbitrarily, we would not have to obey.  We can never be required to obey arbitrary legislation. 
     The right of human government is based in the importance of the good of others, and is conditioned on the need for human government, as a means to that end.  The right to govern only extends as far as the need for legislation and control.  All legislation and every constitution that is not based on human needs, and does not recognize the moral law, as the only law of the universe, is invalid, and any attempt to establish and enforce such legislation is tyranny.  Human beings may make constitutions, establish governments, and enact statutes for promoting the highest virtue and happiness of the world, and to present and enforce of moral law.  But human governments should go no farther than what is needed to secure this end. 
     It follows, that no government is lawful that does not recognize that moral law is the only universal law, and that God is the Supreme Lawgiver and Judge, to whom nations in their national capacity, as well as all individuals, must be obedient.  The moral law of God is the only law of individuals and of nations, and nothing can be rightful government but a government that is established and administered with a view to support moral law.