Citizens of the Kingdom Part 3

The body of Christ, the church, represents the Kingdom of God to the world. As people for God’s possession, our opportunity and responsibility are to bring glory to Him. As saints, God endows us with the ability to have our behavior match our identity. Let’s focus on what this means with our relationship to government and politics.

Before we start, let’s clarify a couple of definitions. Government is the institution of powers to make and enforce laws and develop structures to maintain order and flourishing in the community. Politics is the way people live in groups and make decisions. We may not often think about the church in these terms, but politics within the body of Christ differs from the world’s politics. Also, our government is a Kingdom under the authority of Jesus.

Christians and non-Christians are sometimes confused and deceived by how worldly and Christian politics coexist. People on both sides of the U.S. political spectrum use and misuse the Bible to support their political positions. However, the purpose of this article is not to critique government or politics but to show the church the biblical, godly way to interact with them. Some claim to be Christians who behave patently un-Christianly toward the government. Again, my purpose is not to chastise these people but to show how the Bible tells us to act.

Many parts of the Bible describe the saints’ relationship with the government. We will start with two passages that explicitly explain the role of government and our relationship with it. I won’t quote the passages but will summarize them in the following two paragraphs. If you want to read them, they are Romans 13:1–7 and 1 Peter 2:13–17. Several themes emerge from these Scriptures, and we will look at how they are fleshed out in other parts of the Scriptures.

First, we must be subject to the governing authorities because God has instituted them. They are in place to praise good and to punish evildoers. Regarding punishment, the apostle Paul states the “government does not bear the sword for nothing,” meaning authorities may use necessary force to protect its citizens and punish those who do wrong. Also, because our leaders are God’s servants devoted to governing, we pay taxes and respect and honor them.

Second, we are always to do good and submit to the authorities. If we do wrong and resist them, we resist an institution sanctioned by God, and we can expect punishment. We obey not only because we will be judged if we don’t but also because of our conscience before God. When we do right, we silence the ignorance of foolish people. Both Paul and Peter stress that we should obey governmental authorities and show them honor.

For some Christians, there is a logical outcome to these biblical mandates for the government. If Christianity provides good moral answers to life, shouldn’t we promote or insist that Christian values be rewarded and punish behaviors that violate those values? This logic would make sense except for a couple of reasons. One, we live in a pluralistic society, and God gives people the freedom to choose how to live. Two, some Christian values are for Christians, and we can’t expect or force unbelievers to abide by them. That said, many behaviors are good for Christians and non-Christians alike. So, we can speak the truth in love and should influence the government to institute proper justice, but nowhere does the Bible tell us to insist that the government must promote all Christian values or virtues.

So, what do we do if the government fails its mandate and praises evil or fails to punish bad behavior? What happens if, instead, it punishes good? In this situation, we demonstrate the ways of the Kingdom of God. We must be willing to express the truth and stand against injustice even if we suffer harm. We see examples of this attitude towards worldly powers throughout the Bible.

The best place to observe this mandate is with Jesus. He is the ultimate example of someone who was punished for doing good. When Jesus was on trial before the Roman Prefect, Pontius Pilate, the governor repeatedly stated that Jesus was innocent of any crimes. When Pilate became frustrated that Jesus would not speak to him, he asked if Jesus realized he had the authority to release Him or crucify Him. Jesus said to him, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”[1]

Jesus did not resist Pilate’s authority. When Pilate asked Jesus if He was a king, Jesus responded that He was, but His Kingdom was not of this realm, or His servants would be fighting so that He would not be delivered to the Jews. Notice Jesus did not say His servants would fight the Romans. He then submitted to punishment at the hands of the Roman authorities.

It would be easy to dismiss Jesus’ submission because He came expecting to suffer and die. Jesus had every right to resist. He was innocent. However, He voluntarily submitted to punishment to atone for the world’s sins and to establish His Kingdom by defeating Satan.[2] His role as Savior does not diminish Jesus’ confession that Pilate’s authority was given to him by God. Additionally, Jesus’ crucifixion was not the first time Jesus submitted to Roman rule during his earthly ministry.

One time, to entrap Jesus, the Jewish leaders asked Jesus whether it was right to pay taxes to Caesar.[3] They were hoping that by His words, they could deliver Him to the Roman authority. Jesus asked them to bring Him money used to pay taxes. They brought Him a Roman denarius. He then asked whose image was on the coin. They responded that it was Caesar’s image. So, Jesus said, give to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God that which is God’s.

At the beginning of creation, God said, “let us create man in our image, after our likeness.”[4] Humanity bears God’s image, but that image is tarnished by disobedience and alienating ourselves from God. When God redeems us through Christ, we become people for His possession.[5] We are citizens of His Kingdom, and we live according to Kingdom politics. Our politics differ significantly from the world’s.

The apostles never teach in the New Testament that the church should impose Christianity or Christian morality on the world. However, we are to speak the truth with gentleness and reverence.[6] The apostles testified, before Gentile and Jewish leaders alike, about the gospel of the Kingdom of Christ. And they peacefully obeyed God while disobeying worldly authorities, often willingly suffering the consequences of their actions.[7]

There are many examples of proper disobedience in the Bible and throughout church history. Some examples are Moses’ opposition to Pharaoh;[8] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, along with Daniel resisting Nebuchadnezzar;[9] David’s submission to Saul as king in the midst of Saul trying to murder him;[10] and Stephen’s opposition to the Jewish authorities that led to his death.[11] Beyond the Bible, we see it in the saints’ resistance to slavery, racial injustice, and the annihilation of people under evil regimes.[12] One of the themes of godly resistance is that people disobeyed but were willing to suffer the consequences for their disobedience, knowing God had instilled the government and it was ultimately accountable to Him.

While we may protest government practices and participate in civil disobedience, we also provide Kingdom alternatives to an unjust government. No matter what laws may allow or punish, the church helps people according to the Law of Christ.[13] We conduct ourselves and our Christian community, the church, as God intends. The church must promote justice and love each other with the love of Christ. This love also includes our enemies.

Even if worldly government refuses to fulfill their mandate as servants of God, we act righteously and justly within the church. Regarding this responsibility, I wrote about how the church can approach one of the most contentious issues of our day, abortion.[14] I believe we must similarly wrestle with other issues from a biblical and Kingdom perspective. We can faithfully approach contentious matters such as immigration, racial justice, gun violence, environmental issues, sexuality, gender, etc.

Please remember that Kingdom politics supersedes worldly politics. We must understand that the Law of Christ takes precedence over the laws of the land. The apostles’ letters to the churches are instrumental in this regard. In most cases, they remind the saints who we are, i.e., our identity in Christ, and how we live in the politics of His Kingdom. We must continue to discern and encourage each other in expressing our heavenly citizenship while residing in this world. Also, we remember that one day Christ will return and reign over all creation.

There is much more to say about our relations with world government and politics. Nevertheless, I hope this brief discussion is thought-provoking and, more importantly, leads to a reliance on the Bible and the Holy Spirit for how we interact with worldly authority. As I have been writing these articles, I had a significant question come to mind that I will discuss next. God bless you as you navigate life as citizens of the Kingdom of God.

[1] John 19:11, NASB1995
[2] Colossians 2:8–15, Hebrews 2: 14–15,
[3] Matthew 22:15–22, Mark 12:13–17, Luke 20:19–26
[4] Genesis 1:26a, ESV
[5] 1 Peter 2
[6] 1 Peter 3:13–22a
[7] For example, see Acts 4–7, 12, 16, and 21
[8] Exodus 7–14
[9] Daniel 3 and 6
[10] 1 Samuel 24 and 26
[11] Acts 6–7
[12] I will not delineate all the sources, but one can research people like William Wilberforce, Martin Luther King Jr., and Corrie Ten Boom as examples.
[13] For example, John 13:31–35, Galatians 6:2, 1 John 4:7–8
[14] How the Church Must Approach Abortion, gtdavis.com