Five Biblically-Based Reasons Why Christians Should Be Involved In Public Policy, Civil Government and the Political Process

By  Norm Mason

Civil Government Is Ordained by God    

Civil government is not simply a man-made enterprise that Christians should regard as worldly. God specifically and intentionally established civil government. Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God (Romans 13:1). A portion of the very authority of God has been delegated to those who have responsibility for government. …The Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind, and bestows it on whom He wishes and sets over it the lowliest of men (Daniel 4:1).  In Romans 13:4 governmental authorities are called God’s ministers or God’s servants.

We Must Be About Our Father’s Business    

God established government along with the family and the church to be the three key, fundamental institutions which He intends to have fully functioning according to His intended design on behalf of His objectives. In Colossians 1:15-18a we see the family (v15), government (v16a), and church (18a) as part of God’s master design. Even though it is clearly taught that all of these institutions are to serve God’s purpose, and even though Christ has been made the head of all three of these institutions (v16-17), Christians have wrongly regarded only two of these institutions― church and family― as primary to Christian life and work.  We must fully embrace and never disdain what God has created to accomplish His purpose (Acts 10:15). God created civil government for His purpose. That is God’s design. Historically, Christians had not been blessed with the benefits of an open political system and have had no real accountability in this area. We, as American citizens, have this God-given opportunity. Therefore, we have a huge responsibility. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more (Luke 12:48b).

God’s Assignments Are Imperatives 

The guardianship and stewardship of that which God has placed in our hands and under our responsibility is not an option that Christians are free to accept or reject, but an assignment from God (Matthew 25:14-15; Luke 19:12-13). When a Christian lives in a political system open to individual citizen participation it means that some portion of God’s authority for civil government is actually entrusted (assigned) on an individual basis to each person eligible to participate. Each person is accountable to God for his or her assignment. Remember, when God delegates and assigns, He also requires an individual reporting and accounting (Matthew 25:19; Luke 19:15).

The  Lord’s Work and Purpose Is Enabled by It  

God’s role for civil government is a civil structure that provides the framework whereby that which is good and right can excel, while restraining and punishing that which is evil. Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right (1Peter 2:13-14). It is under that kind of system that the Christian community and our Christian mission can flourish. Government can dramatically affect the ability for God’s people to advance God’s purpose (Acts 9:31,1Timothy 2:1-4). If we have the opportunity to engage and influence civil government and fail to do so, we have rejected Christ’s lordship with respect to the measure of individual authority that He has personally assigned us in this fundamental and vital area. Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17).

We Are God’s Blessing to America     

We sing “America” (My Country ‘Tis of Thee), “God Bless America,” “America The Beautiful,” and “The Star Spangled Banner.” All these songs are either prayers or contain prayers. Most are in our hymnals. Moreover we lift up countless prayers invoking God’s blessing on our country. We truly want God to loose heaven’s storehouse of blessing and pour it out upon our nation. But we have bound on earth that which we want loosed in heaven (Matthew 18:18). Sadly, we have not spent the time, energy and effort and expense as a Christian community to bless our nation by giving it the thing it most desperately needs―our participation and influence. We ask God to bless America but fail to realize that the active, engaged Christian is God’s blessing to America, and we have bound ourselves.  When God begins fully to bless our nation, it will be because we will have loosed ourselves to be the conduit of the blessing that God intended (Proverbs 14:34, 28:5, 29:2). How have we bound ourselves here on earth that has restrained the blessing for our country? By a tradition of non-involvement, uncertainty, intimidation, lack of knowledge, and sadly by confusion, misinformation and disinformation that sometimes comes from within the church itself about the proper role of Christians in politics.

Conclusion

To complete God’s plan, we must add to strong local churches and strong Christian families a civil system of government with public policy firmly grounded in the Judeo-Christian value system and which is in harmony with, and not hostile to God’s other two institutions, the family and the church. We need political leaders and public servants personally guided by Biblical principles. Pastors and church leaders are in a unique situation―by God’s design―to inform and encourage their church members to address these issues. In some cases local churches remind members to go vote, but our Biblical requirement is much, much more. Through sound teaching and proper training, Christians are called to be effective participants in all the areas of public policy, civil government and the political process that our political system provides.

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Norm Mason is a longtime grassroots political activist. He has served as president of his school board, county chairman of his political party and state chairman of the Texas Christian Coalition. He is an active member at Sugar Creek Baptist Church in Sugar Land, Texas, an ordained deacon and author of The Political Imperative: An Assignment from God.[/box]