Living in Babylon: Lesson 12 - " The Governing Authorities"

Today, we are going to focus on a third foundational structure of authority that God has ordained in His Word: Civil Government (also referred to as the State). According to the 1828 Webster's Dictionary, one of the main purposes of politics is “the preservation and improvement of morals within a culture.” This is interesting, because I don’t think that most of us today equate politics with ethics and morality. Having grown cynical about our political leaders, we have lost sight of what was commonly known for most of Western history: All civil government is ordained by God and originally designed for our good. The ability to govern well requires a strong sense of ethics and morality. In order to complete its work, the State is given “the power of the sword to punish those who do evil, and to reward those who do good.” Governmental authority is not to be used in an abusive way, but with the goodness and humility necessary to help provide an environment of safety and stability for those under its authority. 

When we look back over human history, we see that civil governments have failed over and over to use their power with goodness and humility. Instead, we see endless cycles of war and violence as greedy leaders use the sword for selfish gain. We also see that citizens often begin to worship their political leaders, placing their hope in a fallen human being, instead of trusting in their Creator. This points us to an important truth: When a people reject God’s standard of truth and morality, they inevitably look to the state to save them and provide for their needs!  

In His Service,

Pastor Steve