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| Volume 25 Number 7 July 2023 |
Page 5 |
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| Volume 25 Number 7 July 2023 |
Page 5 |
Hiram Kemp
The Bible fully equips Christians for every good work. The Bible provides us with the wisdom and the instruction to live for God in an ungodly world. When we read Scripture, we should remember that it teaches us how to be saved and how to spend eternity with God. However, the Scriptures also help us to navigate daily life. Scripture provides guidance and direction for every relationship that we have on Earth. This is true when it comes to relationships in our homes (Ephesians 5:22-32), our relationships with employers (Colossians 3:22-4:1), how we treat our enemies (Matthew 5:43-48) and also how we are to interact with our government (Romans 13:1-7).
While it is true that the Bible will not spell out for whom we should vote or whether we should vote at all, the Bible does give us principles that guide in those areas. When it comes to how we as Christians should respond to our government, God is more concerned with making sure we do not ruin our influence and misrepresent Him than He is about anything else. Moreover, as we read the New Testament, we find Christians in an environment where the government was often hostile to them, and yet, they were still able to do the will of God and to be faithful (Revelation 2:10; 12:10-11). No matter what is going on in our world, whether we approve of the current government or not, we must be sure to allow God’s Word to guide our lives in this regard (Psalm 119:105). What the Bible says to Christians about government is true regardless of what type of government under which we live. Therefore, a careful study of this topic is necessary for every generation. I want to address how the Bible says we should interact with government as Christians. Let us allow Jesus, the King of Kings, to show us how we should deal with rulers in the world today.
Pray for Leaders
Paul told Timothy that he wrote First Timothy so he (and the Christians in Ephesus) would know how to behave in the church of God (1 Timothy 3:14-15). He wrote about orderly and authorized worship (1 Timothy 2:8-15), appointing leaders (1 Timothy 3:1-13), dealing with false doctrine (1 Timothy 4:1-16), benevolence in the church (1 Timothy 5:5-16) and relationships among brethren (1 Timothy 5:1-4; 6:1, 17-19).
However, in this book on church behavior, we should be careful not to overlook that Paul mentioned we are to pray for all men (1 Timothy 2:1). He further elaborated that we should pray for kings and for all who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:2). The purpose for the prayers on behalf of leaders is so Christians can lead quiet and peaceful lives. We should be praying that the leaders under whom we live will not make it unnecessarily difficult for us to live the kind of lives God wants us to live (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2). If we believe that God rules in the kingdoms of men, and since He does, we should pray that those who rule will do things that are right in His sight and for the benefit of His people (Daniel 4:25). Notice that Paul said that we should pray for rulers so we can live godly lives. If we pray for rulers and our prayers are answered so we may live in times of relative peace, but we fail to live as we should, God will hold us accountable (1 Peter 1:15-16). Furthermore, we are to pray for rulers because this is good and acceptable in God’s eyes because He wants all people everywhere to be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4). I believe the desire for all men to be saved has a two-fold application in this context. First, if we are able to live quiet and peaceful lives, the Gospel will go further as we use the times of peace wisely (Mark 16:15-16).
Second, God wants all men to be saved – including government officials. It is wise to pray that they not only will do the right thing but that they will also come into contact with the Gospel and believe it. I need to obey Paul’s instructions more and pray for those in power. How would things change if we prayed for them more than we complained about them? We should pray for those in state and national government. Paul said we are to pray for “all in authority,” which means we should also pray for leaders of other nations.
Putting Prayer into Practice
When the early church was persecuted by their government leaders, they responded with prayer (Acts 4:23-30). They were not shaken up by the way their government treated them. Instead, they prayed until the place where they were assembled shook (Acts 4:31). When Paul and Silas were beaten in Philippi by governing authorities, they, too, responded with prayer (Acts 16:25). When Peter was imprisoned by local authorities, the church gathered to pray (Acts 12:12). When we read through the book of Acts, it seems that the church’s posture toward their political leaders, and even political issues in their day, was to take it to the Lord in prayer.
We typically pray for our government and those in various offices in our public assemblies. I want to encourage us to continue to do this (Colossians 4:2-3). Furthermore, as we have times of peace because of God and the kindness of government rulers that allow us to assemble peacefully, let us remember to offer prayers of thanksgiving (Ephesians 5:20). May we be encouraged in our personal prayer lives to pray for those in power. They need our prayers, and there is a sense in which we need them, too. We need them to do the right things so it will not become unnecessarily difficult for us to follow our God (Romans 15:30-32).
Though the world may find it easy to criticize people in power, we should remember that the Bible forbids us to do this. Paul told Titus to teach the people at Crete to submit to governing leaders. He then says that they should “speak evil of no one” (Titus 3:1-2). Maybe it is here that we can stand out from our friends and neighbors and shine our lights. If we talk about our leaders to God instead of talking about our leaders to men, people may want to know what makes us different (1 Peter 3:15). It is always right to speak out against sin and unrighteousness, but it is also our obligation to obey God, and God says do not speak evil of rulers (Acts 24:25). The Bible does not forbid us from talking about our leaders; it just says we should do so on our knees. It is impressive to see that though the apostles lived under harsh and wicked leaders who punished and killed some of them, we do not read of them speaking evil of any of them (Acts 12:1-5). Let our words for political leaders be words of prayer. Yes, there are times to pray that God deal with wickedness (even among leaders) and to pray for God to intervene on behalf of the righteous (Revelation 6:9-10). There is more to be said about our responsibilities to government. I will mention those things in subsequent articles, but let us begin here. Pray for those in authority because God said so (John 14:15)!
