Why Good Government?
Does it make sense that God would want the immoral, greedy, and power-hungry to govern His most precious creation? Does God want us all living in unsafe, unsanitary, unjust, or generally unstable environments? Does He prefer that we spend our days in survival mode, with a constant dread of someone taking what little we have? If your answers to these questions is “no,” then you will be happy to know that the Bible agrees. It tells us that God hates governments like this, and that He actively works in and through people to change them for the better.
The Bible spends a lot of time talking about leaders (such as kings, judges, prophets, apostles), and it makes it clear that Christian people should actively seek and support good government. We cannot live peaceful lives without it. What may be most important is this: the good news about Jesus cannot spread freely where governments actively work to suppress it. God wants everyone to hear the message that they may be saved, and a bad government will work against this. In the United States, we are privileged to be governed by a Constitution that guarantees the “free exercise of religion.” Thankfully, our founding leaders understood this right to be very important.
Great leaders inspire greatness and productive lives. They also refuse and punish wrongdoing. They don’t tolerate bribery or falsehood, and they don’t pervert justice for anyone, no matter how wealthy or powerful they may be. We as God’s people are encouraged to pray for our leadership, and – as is usually true when faith is present – He also inspires and equips us to be good leaders ourselves. We are encouraged to deal fairly and honestly with others. We are emboldened to speak the truth, even when it is unpopular (See also Why Speak Out?). We are stirred up to address difficult problems, and we seek diligently until we effect solutions. If you feel inspired to run for office, do it! Our world needs people who will do what is right in every human endeavor, especially in government.
(1 Timothy 2:1-4, 1 Timothy 3:1-13 , Proverbs 28:28, Proverbs 29:12,14, Proverbs 20:8, Isaiah 32:1-2)