The Purpose Of Government

According to the Biblical Christian worldview, human government was instituted by God to protect our unalienable rights from our own selfish tendencies (Genesis 9:6; Romans 13:1–7). Human nature is capable of both vice and virtue. We know our tendency to infringe on our neighbor’s rights in an effort to improve our own life. Therefore, we know government and political systems must exist to protect our rights and to keep our evil tendencies at bay. Protecting human rights of life, liberty, property, work, rest, worship, a free press, etc., from those who would diminish them means promoting justice. E. Calvin Beisner says justice and truth are interrelated, for justice is the practice of truth in human relationships; he concludes, “[J]ustice is rendering to each his due according to a right standard.” The right standard is God’s moral order, which is based on the very character of God. This standard insists that the innocent citizens of society be protected from evil—rapists, murderers, child molesters thieves, liars, drug runners, sex traffickers, dishonest tax collectors, adulterers, etc. Christians see justice as the principal reason for the state’s existence. The Christian view of justice is founded on a belief in God as the absolute guarantor of our unalienable rights. Thus, promoting justice becomes more important than any other aspect of government. R.J. Rushdoony is correct in his assertion that whether we “can vote or not is not nearly as important as the question of justice: does the law leave [us] secure in [our] governmental spheres, as an individual, a family, church, school, or business?” Government, therefore, has limited responsibility. The state must never assume the responsibilities of other institutions, including those of church and family. The church’s responsibility is to manifest God’s love and grace on the earth. The family’s responsibility is to manifest God’s community and creativity, including procreativity. These three God-ordained institutions—government, church, and family—are limited by their own definition as well as the definitions of the other two. Because government is an institution of justice, not of grace, community, or creativity, it should not interfere with freedom of religion, attempt to dispense grace through tax-funded handouts, control family size, interfere in the raising of children (including their education), or control the economy. Government has its role, and it should allow other God-ordained institutions the freedom to perform their roles as well.

Human governments almost always wind up overstepping their God-ordained role. Today, many political leaders, as well as leaders in other disciplines, do not understand their place in God’s universe. Their false perspectives often result in the usurpation of God’s sovereignty, which covers everyone and everything everywhere for all time (Psalm 103:19). Trusting individuals or the state rather than God results in a power-hungry and abusive state. Charles Colson says, “Excise belief in God and you are left with only two principals: the individual and the State. In this situation, however, there is no mediating structure to generate moral values and, therefore, no counterbalance to the inevitable ambitions of the State." William Penn concludes, “If we are not governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants.” 

Today, some worldviews (such as Secular Humanism, Marxism, and to a lesser extent Postmodernism) advocate global government to serve as the ultimate political and economic authority to advance humanity’s evolution. But this is not the job or the purpose of government. It's the rights of the people to pursue their own happiness.

Politics From The Christian Worldview

The Christian worldview sees government as an institution established by God (Genesis 9:6; Romans 13) for the primary purpose of promoting justice for its citizens—protecting the innocent from the aggressor and the lawless. Without security, every other function of government (protecting life, liberty, property, reputation, etc.) is meaningless.

As Christians we recognize government as a sacred institution whose rulers are ministers of God for good (Romans 13). God ordained the state to practice godly justice and commands us to obey its rules and laws. Peter instructs us to “submit . . . for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men, whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right” (1 Peter 2:13–14). As long as government is serving the purpose for which God created it, we must show our allegiance to God by submitting to human government.

We expect the state to accomplish limited, God-ordained tasks. Its two principle roles are to protect the innocent and punish the guilty (Romans 13:3–4). Government should adhere to the principle “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40; Exodus 18:19f) because order reflects God’s character. We know that power tends to corrupt, so a government that disperses power is better than one that gathers power into the hands of a few. As Christians, we should welcome opportunities to participate in government with the goal of influencing the state to conform to God’s will for it as a social institution (Proverbs 11:11). The Christian worldview does not single out any one form of government as acceptable, although a constitutional form is more likely to conform to biblical principles and respond to its citizens than are less democratic forms. One significant aspect of the United States’ government that conforms to biblical ideals is the division of power into three branches—executive, legislative, and judicial—along with its system of checks and balances. The three-branch model was patterned after Isaiah 33:22: “For the Lord is our judge [judicial], the Lord is our lawgiver [legislative], the Lord is our king [executive]. 

Perhaps the Christian concept our founding fathers best understood was the Christian understanding that although we are created in God’s image, we nevertheless have a fallen, sinful nature. Because they understood these opposing aspects of our nature, the founding fathers tailored a government suited to our rightful place in God’s creative order. Human government is necessary because of sin. Our evil inclinations toward sin must be kept in check by laws and a government capable of enforcing such laws.

Our founding fathers grappled with the problem of protecting ordinary citizens from the sinful inclinations of those in authority. The result of their efforts is our system of checks and balances among the branches of government. Each branch wields unique powers that prevent the focus of governmental power and authority from falling into the hands of a select few. By broadly distributing power and responsibility, the American system of government minimizes the possibility of an abuse of power because of our fallen nature. James Madison says, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary.”