Pagan Governments – The Law of God: Questions and Answers

Pagan Governments
The Law of God: Questions and Answers

For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. Romans 13:3, 4

Civil governments—all civil governments—are appointed by God and accountable to Him. I know it doesn’t seem that this can possibly be so, but it is. Just because a government is wicked and oppressive does not mean it is not responsible to God (cf. Dan. 4). Government is God’s servant for good, and no government can fulfill that high and holy calling apart from the Law of God.

This is why the kings of Israel were required to write by hand their own copy of the Law of God, have it approved by the priests, and then read and meditate in it every day of their lives, so that they might rule the people for good (Deut. 17:14-20).

This is why John the Baptist challenged Herod—an Edomite puppet king of Rome—for his violation of the Law of God in taking his brother’s wife (cf. Lev. 20:21).

This is why the Apostle Paul denounced the high priest—the civil ruler of Israel in those days—for violating God’s Law in his treatment of Paul (Acts 23:1-5).

It matters not at all that civil magistrates either ignore or deny the validity of the Law of God. They will embrace and enforce it, to at least some extent, because it encodes the way of wisdom (you will note that the same American government which excludes religion from much of the public square still forbids perjury, theft, murder, and so forth). And when governments will not embrace and enforce the Law of God, they must expect the consequences threatened throughout Scripture against all who flout the will of God.

Christians who obey the Law of God, out of gratitude and unto righteousness and wisdom, are bound, like Daniel, John, and Paul, to work for public policies that reflect the will of God as revealed in His Law. We must be wise, patient, tactful, winsome, and skilled in how we approach this aspect of our calling, but if we refuse or neglect it, how will government fulfill its duty as a servant of God for good?

Got a question about the Law of God? Write to T. M. at tmmoore@ailbe.org, and your answer might appear in this series of In the Gates columns.

Visit our website, www.ailbe.org, and sign up to receive our thrice-weekly devotional, Crosfigell, featuring writers from the period of the Celtic Revival and T. M.’s reflections on Scripture and the Celtic Christian tradition. Does the Law of God still apply today? Order a copy of T. M.’s book, The Ground for Christian Ethics, and study the question for yourself.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T. M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.