What Does The Bible Say About Government?

Election season has this pesky habit of coming back around every few years. And with it come the attack ads, the online vitriol, the tensions between family and close friends, the mountain of mailers that go straight into the recycling bin, and a general sense of apprehension that settles over everything.

And it’s only getting worse, right? However we’re doing politics, it isn’t working—at least for me.

As a Jesus-follower who wants to radiate God’s love and peace to the world, I want to believe there’s a better way. So, I did a deep dive into what the Bible says about government.

What does the Bible say about government?

What does the Bible say about government? I see four fundamental truths—that (1) God is government, (2) All government comes with a cost, (3) Jesus is the only party offering what we really need, (4) and until He comes again, we work, submit, and hope.

We will unpack each of those truths below. But before we go much further, I must say very clearly that the Bible is not an American book. It’s not a government book. It’s not a democracy book. At its core, the 66 books of the Bible tell one story—one about a loving God, a rebellious people, and the depths that God is willing to go to rescue those people.

As such, the Bible’s primary purpose isn’t to instruct us on how to set up a government, or how to vote, or how to crucify the people with the wrong candidate’s sign in their yard. But if we pay attention, it just might point us to a better way forward through this maze of never-ending election cycles.

So, without further ado, here are what I believe to be the four fundamental truths about government, taken from the pages of the Bible.

1) GOD IS GOVERNMENT

From the first pages of the Bible, God establishes one rule that supersedes everything else: His own.

On page one, God creates the whole cosmos, including the earth, and plops down two people to be the caretakers of this new world: Adam and Eve. From the get-go, the only idea of government—an outside authority who gives guidelines to live by, provides protection, and meets needs—is God.

In the rules department, God kept it really simple. There was one prohibition (don’t eat from the tree in the middle of the garden), and three affirmative commands: have sex, raise kids, and take care of the garden.

No matter if you’ve read the Bible before or not, you can probably see where this is going. Adam and Eve aren’t able to stay away from the prohibited tree, and they get booted from paradise. But even when God’s government (his rightful rule and reign over his creation) is ignored by his people, he remains faithful to his promises—he doesn’t wash his hands of humanity.

Page after page in the Bible, the most positively impactful people are the ones who understand, and live by, the concept that God is government. He is to be trusted, obeyed, and depended upon, much more than any human leader.

Seeing God as the ultimate source of government is what pushed Moses to obey God’s call to free the Israelites from four generations of slavery in Egypt, standing in forceful opposition to the world’s superpower. Seeing God as the ultimate government over all people led the shepherd boy, David, to pick up a sling and go toe-to-toe with a seasoned warrior. God-as-government led Daniel to keep praying, even when it meant a death sentence; Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the face of opposition from neighboring nations; and why Peter and John, after being thrown into jail for preaching about Christ, go right back to it after being miraculously freed.

God’s people aren’t rebels for rebels’ sake (more on that later), but they know their ultimate authority doesn’t sit on a physical throne, appear on a ballot, or live in a stately manner in Washington, D.C. They can love their country, but their first allegiance is always to the government of their God.

“We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29)

2) ALL GOVERNMENT COMES WITH A COST

We all live under a government, and that government always comes with a cost.

Let me be clear—I believe God is the best form of government, but it isn’t free. There is often a steep cost to be paid. Throughout the story of the Bible, God’s government has cost his people their comfort, their time, their reputation, their money, their effort, their physical resources, their relationships, their futures—in short, it took their whole lives. Some of them even gave those up for the cause of their divine King.

Abraham, the patriarch of our faith, consistently paid the price to slot himself under God’s governance. At God’s command, he left his homeland and set out to start over again in a land he’d never seen before; he gave up 10% of everything he owned as an act of worship; he gave up a very sensitive part of his body (read: he lopped off the foreskin of his penis) and led all the males in his household to follow suit; he was even willing to give up his own son, the one God had miraculously given him in his old age (thankfully, God didn’t cash that check).

God’s people were never meant to have a human king—that role was for him alone to fulfill. But as the Israelites settled into their Promised Land, and saw the neighboring nations with human rulers to lead them out to battle, meet their needs, and be a figurehead for their national progress, they wanted the same.

Finally, like a parent who understands the value of learning a lesson the hard way, God gave in to his people’s demands. Through the prophet Samuel, a man named Saul is anointed the first king of Israel. But not before God is very clear with His people about the cost. You can read the whole thing for yourself in 1 Samuel 8.

“So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people. He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take your best fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain. He will take the best of your young men and your donkeys and put them to work.”

Is this the first mention of taxes in the Bible? Maybe. And we’ve been hating them ever since.

God’s people don’t flinch at the stark picture of their future, and even double down on their request for a king—and they get what they’ve asked for. The kings of Israel were a very mixed bag, with only a handful of them remaining faithful to God their entire lives. Most of them were cowardly, weak, servants of their stomachs, and all too prone to give their allegiance to human kingdoms instead of the God who set them on their throne.

In short, they’re like us. Distracted. Cynical. Fragile. Making a mess of their blessings until they start to feel like curses. Shortsighted, constantly needing affirmation, power, and success to feel meaningful.

We should be aware of how much hope we put into human-led governments. Every one of them will fall short of perfection because, from the beginning, it was only designed to be God’s Plan B.

“And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people [and anoint them a king], for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. (1 Samuel 8:7)

3) JESUS: PARTY OF ONE

If Jesus had a house in the suburbs, he wouldn’t have your favorite politician’s sign in his front yard. But, if it makes you feel better, he wouldn’t have their opponent’s sign in his yard, either.

500 years before Jesus was born, a prophet named Jeremiah foretold of the coming Messiah. If you’re familiar with Christmas Oratorios (it’s not an opera; I just Googled it), you’ll probably recognize this one:

“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

With that in the background, it makes sense that as God’s people passed from the dominating rule of one world superpower (Babylon) to another (Persia) to another (Rome), their prayers were focused on God’s coming king, who would conquer the foreign invaders and establish God’s political reign on earth.

Except that’s not what Jesus intended to do. He was born under Roman occupation, and as he became a public figure, this confusion ran wild among the crowds. Was this really the man to overthrow Rome? He talked very little about politics, even dodging attempts to crown him king, instead focusing his attention on something he referred to as the Kingdom of God.

To Jesus, the Kingdom of God wasn’t a political dynasty, but everyday people learning to embrace God’s governance over their lives—expressed through things like love, forgiveness, grace, and service. In Jesus’ life, we see what the Kingdom of God actually looks like.

This allowed Jesus to do things that flew in the face of society, things no politician on the campaign trail would ever do. Jesus touched lepers, a class of people the rest of society forced to live outside of town in their own colonies. Jesus healed the beloved servant of a Roman centurion—you know, a military leader from the ‘bad guy’s’ side—and then declared the centurion’s faith more impressive than any faith found in Israel. Jesus’ inner circle contained blue-collar fishermen, a hated tax collector (viewed by society as a traitorous ally of Rome), and even a Zealot, a sect of Jews bent on violently overthrowing Rome. Jesus elevated women in a society that treated them as worthless, offered a chance for an indulgently rich man to join his group of disciples, and even spent time with Samaritans, a geopolitical people hated by the Jews.

To establish His Kingdom, Jesus didn’t play the politician. He wasn’t focused on winning a popular vote, appealing to the masses, or overthrowing Rome. Instead, He was showing us what it looked like to live with God as government—and clearing a path for all of humanity to be reconciled back to him, undoing the damage of Adam and Eve in the beginning.

No political party in the history of the world—and certainly none vying for votes today—has ever been keen on sharing its power with its true source, the Creator of all things. Jesus, always the smartest guy in the room, has the best wisdom for how to navigate a world where human kingdoms are consistently trying to pinch off some of God’s power and governance:

[They asked Jesus], “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Jesus said, “Show me the coin for the tax… Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:15-21 (abridged))

I believe there’s only one political party that’s going to bring the Kingdom of God to earth—and it’s a party of one.

4) WORK, SUBMIT, HOPE

We live in-between, caught somewhere between the beginning of all things (when God’s governance ruled over all of creation) and the end of all things (when God’s governance will once again rule over all of creation). So what do we do now, in a world where every few years I have the opportunity to walk back up to my local polling station and cast my vote for national, state, and city leaders?

The Bible has three quick hits that can help us:

• WORK - While the Israelites were political exiles in Babylon, God sent a surprising message through the prophet Jeremiah: his people were to be a blessing, even to their enemies. “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you,” God says in Jeremiah 29:7, “Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” A rising tide lifts all ships, and that’s what God expected of his people—that they would elevate everything else around them. Even if your political party of choice isn’t in office, are you working for the good of your neighborhood? Community? State? Nation? Are you praying for its welfare, for its prosperity, for its success? God doesn’t have any kids who get to ride the bench. Everyone is expected to suit up and get into the game.

• SUBMIT - To early believers of Christ living in Rome, missionary and church-planter, Paul, had pretty simple instructions when it came to government. “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1). The word “submit” can be tricky and opens up more cans of worms than we have time to tackle here. (Not saying we won’t in a later article, though). I think of this as a matter of authority and responsibility. Governments have authority from God to do their job—to govern. They can set laws, exact taxes, and piddle with interest rates to their heart’s content. Of course, it doesn’t take a deep dive into history to see that having authority does not mean that what governments choose to do is right, just, or God-honoring. Followers of Christ, then, have the responsibility to discern what God wants and to act accordingly. This is, admittedly, a gray area, with no easy answers. (Okay, there are a few easy answers. God doesn’t give you permission to drive whatever speed limit you desire; and racism was wrong, even when it was enshrined in Jim Crow laws.) A chapter later, Paul would explain that “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23). I think that means, when it comes to politics (and everything else in between), Christians are duty-bound to consider their choices in light of their faith and act accordingly. (Strangely enough, I don’t think that means we will all vote or think the same way. There were lots of opinions about diet in Paul’s day, and he made space for all of them… as long as each decision was made by faith. Maybe we should treat politics the same way?) All that to say, I think our mandate hasn’t changed since Paul’s original letter—respect your authorities, prayerfully submit to their governments as much as you are able, but keep your first priority to the Kingdom of God. For millennia, followers of God have discerned his will through scripture, prayer, community, fasting, and a host of other spiritual disciplines. Interestingly, popular opinion, social media feeds, and talk radio have never made the cut.

• HOPE - No matter how you understand Revelation—the apocalyptic, vision-filled conclusion of the Bible—the final two chapters are pretty easy to grasp: as it was in the beginning, so shall it be in the end. God is coming to reclaim his rightful rule and reign over every living thing on the earth. Once more, He will dwell with people, and his government will be the only one with dominion, multiplying his light and love, days without end. It will be the long-awaited conclusion to death, pain, suffering, and political mailers. “Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb… on either side of the river, the tree of life… the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in [the city]… and night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.” - Revelation 22:1-5 (abridged)

Now that we’ve gotten to the end, I feel like I can finally tell you: in my lifetime, I’ve voted red, I’ve voted blue, and I’ve abstained from voting altogether. No matter what choice you make this election cycle—and the one after that, and the one after that—I’d advise you to consider your options in light of these four Biblical truths.

When we do that, the people of God could be known for the hope they find in their King, and not their president. We could be known for living lives of palpable peace in a world constantly in a panic—a peace that comes from knowing that no matter who wins at the ballot box, our King will be returning. We could become people who honor our governmental leaders (even the ones we didn’t vote for) AND still choose radical obedience to God as our first priority.

I’ll vote for that outcome, every single time.

Disclaimer: This article is 100% human-generated.

At Crossroads, we major on the majors and minor on the minors. We welcome a diverse community of people who all agree that Jesus is Lord and Savior, even if they view minor theological and faith topics in different ways based on their unique experiences. Our various authors embody that principle, and we approach you, our reader, in the same fashion. You don’t have to agree with every detail of any article you see here to be part of this community or pursue faith. Chances are even our whole staff doesn’t even agree with every detail of what you just read. We are okay with that tension. And we think God is okay with that, too. The foundation of everything we do is a conviction that the Bible is true and that accepting Jesus is who he said he is leads to a healthy life of purpose and adventure—and eternal life with God.