Government for the Christian

Copyright 2015 by Samuel C. Smith

Part Two: The Biblical Practice of Government

Chapter 10: Biblically Assessing Moral Issues

Just as we did in the previous chapters with economic and foreign policy issues, in determining the Biblical role of a civil government in moral issues, it is useful to begin with the Biblical purposes of civil government in general: (1) to facilitate the peace and quiet of society; (2) to secure the rights and rewards of those who follow God’s Laws; and (3) to punish evil. Focusing these purposes on moral/social issues, a government’s Biblically defined role is to use coercive justice to protect its citizens’ ability to live a peaceful and quiet life while exercising their God-given rights within society, and in so doing punish evil and praise good.

What Is the Biblical Role of a
Civil Government in Legislating Morality?

Is the fact that certain conduct is immoral sufficient to justify making that conduct punishable by law? No, morality should be regulated by civil law only if an immoral act infringes on another person’s rights/ability to fulfill their God-given responsibilities as defined by the Scriptures. Otherwise, such legislation destroys the God-ordained role of liberty-responsibility in society. (People are required to pay extra taxes in order to protect people from themselves even though their mistakes hurt no one but themselves. This is penalizing those who do right to help those who do wrong.) Furthermore, it takes resources away from accomplishing justice. It also is spending resources on something that nature has been designed to regulate.

As per our discussion in chapter 2, the state’s Biblical function is to protect the individual’s right to life, liberty, and property. Any further extension of the sphere of government activity outside of its spiritual mandate would in effect reduce its ability to protect the right to life and would abolish liberty-responsibility and private property. If the government is not bound to merely protecting life, liberty, and property against violent attacks, it ends up regulating down to the smallest detail. The individual loses his freedom and becomes a slave of the community, bound to obey the dictates of the majority. This inhibits innovation and destroys religious liberty:

All mankind’s progress has been achieved as a result of the initiative of a small minority that began to deviate from the ideas and customs of the majority until their example finally moved others to accept the innovation themselves. To give the majority the right to dictate to the minority what it is to think, to read, and to do is to put a stop to progress once and for all.[83] 83. Ludwig von Mises, Liberalism, 3rd ed. (Auburn, Alabama: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2002), 54. -Ludwig von Mises

To be spiritual and moral, social cooperation (private individuals and/or groups caring for the needy) should be wholly free from any element of interference or coercion, direct or indirect. If involuntary, it amounts to seeking a false goal such as “forced brotherly love”—a concept that is self-contradictory—and can have no relationship to truly moral and spiritual values underlying the principle of man’s concern for the well-being of his fellow man. True unity is only possible among the genuinely free. How to best enjoy the benefits of the rights to “life” and “the pursuit of happiness” is a strictly personal matter in which each individual is accountable to God as a free man (1 Peter 2:16).

While not every issue of morality is to be regulated by the government, some do in fact affect the rights-responsibilities of others and are to be regulated by the government. In this chapter we will discuss some of the issues in which the role of the government is most commonly and heatedly debated in American society today.

Self Defense

God’s Ideas. In His covenant with Noah (Genesis 9:6-7), God allowed for the use of forceful defense against violent aggression because it is necessary to protect our God-given rights. This right to defense clearly applies to defending one’s own family (Genesis 14:14; Nehemiah 4:14), property (Exodus 22:2; Nehemiah 4:14; Luke 11:21), and person (Luke 22:36-38). A common misunderstanding is that Jesus commanded His disciples to not defend themselves in Matthew 5:38-39 but to instead “turn the other cheek.” However, the Greek word used here for “smite” refers to a sharp slap given in insult, not a violent attack. Therefore, this passage is referring to accepting defaming persecution with grace and humility rather than returning evil for evil; it is not condemning the use of just force to check/deter violent acts of aggression.

Satan’s Perversions. A growing number of people today are lobbying the government to issue controls/bans on the right of individuals to possess firearms, arguing that this will reduce the number of violent crimes committed (e.g., school shootings). However, not only would such legislation directly violate the United States Constitution’s Second Amendment, it would also encroach on the peoples’ rights to defend themselves, their families, and their property as given in Scripture.

Why It Matters. It is critical that Christians take a stand against gun control legislation because it (1) violates an unalienable right given in Scripture and puts the others at risk by reducing our ability to defend them; (2) violates the Constitution; (3) is based on a lie that guns kill people, when in reality it is people who kill other people; (4) creates overdependence on government to protect and provide for us; and (5) paves the way for tyranny because it reduces the people’s ability to check oppressive governmental force.

Abortion

God’s Ideas. Life begins at the moment of conception (Genesis 25:22-23; Job 31:15; Psalm 22:9-10; 51:5; 139:13; Isaiah 44:2; 49:5; Jeremiah 1:4-5; Luke 1:15). In fact, in Luke 1:41-44 the same Greek word is used for the child in the womb as for after it is born (Luke 2:16). Therefore, abortion is murder, and Scripture clearly affirms that idea (Exodus 21:22-25; Deuteronomy 24:16). The belief that the unborn baby is a living being is supported within the legal tradition of our nation’s founding, as seen in William Blackstone’s words:

Life is the immediate gift of God—a right inherent by nature in every individual; and it begins in contemplation of law as soon as an infant is able to stir in the mother’s womb. For if a woman is quick with child, and by a potion or otherwise kills it in her womb; or if any one beat her whereby the child dies in her body and she is delivered of a dead child, this … was by the ancient law homicide, or manslaughter.^{[84] 84. Blackstone’s quotation does not support the claim that life begins at conception, but it does support the perspective that life begins at “quickening”—the moment when the fetus “stirs” within the womb, which is a time early to mid-pregnancy. This shows his understanding that the unborn baby was a living being early on in the pregnancy and that to end its life would be tantamount to murder. The common law protected the fetus after quickening, but sadly, not before, thus not staying consistent with the pure Biblical standard. Blackstone is articulating a pre-modern medicine standard that would begin to be abandoned as Western doctors learned more about fetal life in the 19th century.}

Satan’s Perversions. In modern America our Supreme Court has decided that women have a “right to choose” whether or not an infant in their womb is to be born (see Roe v. Wade 1973 Supreme Court Case). However, this “right” is supported nowhere in Scripture and ultimately takes the sovereignty over life from God and gives it to man. Abortion rights are based on three lies of Satan: (1) Man has the right to choose who will live and who will not; (2) man has the right to live however he wants without having to deal with the consequences; and (3) children are not always a gift from the Lord.

Why It Matters. The tragic consequence of our nation accepting these lies is the legalized murder of over 56 million children since 1973. This is a blatant violation of our unalienable right to life and a complete perversion of justice. The idea that man has the right to take the life of an innocent and defenseless person without even a trial undermines our entire system of rights and laws. Congressman and OB/GYN Dr. Ron Paul summed up the grave threat that legalized abortion poses when he said,

If you can’t protect life, you can’t protect liberty. [85] 85. Ron Paul, A Foreign Policy of Freedom (New York: Rosetta Books LLC, 2010), 364.

Euthanasia

God’s Ideas. Under some circumstances, this can be a very complicated and difficult issue. However, the Scriptures do provide us with some clear guidelines. The intentional taking of any human life outside of the realm of Biblically defined coercive justice/self defense (see chapter 9, section on war) is murder and therefore morally wrong (Exodus 20:13; Romans 13:9), even when an individual is apparently dying and asks us to kill them (2 Samuel 1:1-16). We should always intervene to prevent death when we are able to (Matthew 22:39; Matthew 7:12; Luke 10:30-37).

Capital Punishment

God’s Ideas. The government has the God-given authority to take human life as a punishment for murder (Genesis 9:5-6; Old Testament laws; Romans 13:4).

Education

God’s Ideas. Parents have the God-given responsibility, and therefore the right, to train and educate their children (Deuteronomy 6:4-7; Proverbs 1:8; 4:1; 6:20; 10:1; 13:1; 15:20; 23:22; 31:1; Ephesians 6:1-4; Colossians 3:20-21). Accordingly, parents should have 100% authority over their children’s education and ensure that it is based on the Scriptures and the fear of God (Proverbs 9:10). The U.S. Constitution gives no authority to the federal government to get involved in education.

Satan’s Perversions. Today the federal government is wresting control of education from parents and is forcibly removing the Bible and prayer from schools while promoting a worldview that is contrary to the teachings of Scripture (e.g., evolution is taught while creation is either not presented at all or ridiculed, and homosexuality is presented as a respectable “lifestyle”).

Why It Matters. Martin Luther warned of the social and spiritual crisis that would come upon a nation that removed God, His Word, and His designed system of authority (parents) from the education system:

I am much afraid that schools will prove to be great gates of hell unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the Word of God must become corrupt.[86] 86. “Great Gates of Hell,” Pilgrims Covenant Church, http://www.pccmonroe.org/Updates/2006.01.16.htm.

Marriage

God’s Ideas. God established marriage at the beginning of the human race to be a lifelong union between one man and one woman (Genesis 1:27-28; 2:25; Matthew 19:3-6). God judged the Gentiles for violating the laws of marriage (Genesis 12:17-20; 19:1-28; Jude 7; Mark 6:17-18; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 5:9-13; 6:9; 1 Peter 4:3-5; Revelation 18:3, 9; 21:8; Leviticus 18:6-27). Incest, adultery, and homosexuality are prohibited by the Bible (Exodus 20:14; Leviticus 18:1-18, 22; 20:11-20; Deuteronomy 22:30; 1 Corinthians 5:1-2; 6:9-11; Romans 1:26- 27; 1 Timothy 1:9-10). Polygamy is not directly denounced in Scripture, though it is never expressly allowed for either and is not included in God’s original design for marriage. Many passages allude to the negative consequences that result from this practice (Genesis 16; 29-31; 1 Samuel 1; 1 Kings 11; Deuteronomy 17:17). Marriage is the means by which mankind fulfills his God-given responsibility to “be fruitful and multiply” and is also the core unit that gives strength and stability to a society. Therefore, the right to marriage is unalienable and must be protected by the government.

Satan’s Perversions. The most prevalent perversion of marriage in American society today is the sin of homosexuality and the recognition of civil unions between homosexual couples as marriage. Homosexuals argue that it is simply another “lifestyle” and is “genetic” (and therefore from God—if they acknowledge that He exists), entitling them to receive governmental marriage recognition and rights. Sodomy was a criminal offense under common law and was forbidden by the laws of the original 13 states when they ratified the Bill of Rights; until 1961, all 50 states outlawed sodomy. How, then, should the government deal with homosexuals? At a minimum, it should not grant them marriage recognition/ benefits (because that is rewarding evil and calling it good).

Why It Matters. In 1913 the Texas Supreme Court emphasized the sanctity of marriage and its immunity to redefinition by civil government in its statement:

Marriage was not originated by human law. When God created Eve, she was a wife to Adam; they then and there occupied the status of husband to wife and wife to husband … . The truth is that civil government has grown out of marriage … . It would be sacrilegious to apply the designation “a civil contract” to such a marriage. It is that and more—a status ordained by God.^{[87] 87. Grigsby v Reib, 153 S.W. 1124, 1129-30 (TxSupCt 1913)}

God has established and defined marriage; it is His institution, not the state’s. Civil government is therefore not free to remake something outside of its God-ordained domain. When a government redefines marriage, it is in a sense setting itself up as a counterfeit and alternative to God. Granting equal rights to same-sex couples actually destroys the right to marriage because there is no longer a closed definition of marriage.

The Environment

God’s Ideas. The original, pre-Fall creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31), and man was charged by God to work it, keep it (Genesis 2:15), fill it, subdue it, and have dominion over its living creatures (Psalm 8:4-8; Genesis 1:28). The natural world is cursed because of sin (Genesis 3:17-19), and though it now contains “thorns and thistles,” it is still “good” in many ways: “Thou shalt eat the herb of the field” (Genesis 3:18). Human beings should feel free to use the earth’s resources with joy and thanksgiving to God (1 Timothy 4:4-5; 6:17). Though humans are more valuable in God’s sight than the rest of nature is (Matthew 6:26; 10:31; 12:12), we are to care for it and treat it with respect as God’s creation (Proverbs 12:10; Deuteronomy 20:19-20). God created a resilient universe that He will sustain until the end of time (Genesis 8:22; 9:11, 15; Psalm 104:9; Jeremiah 5:22) and therefore did not design the earth so that we would destroy it by obeying His commands (Genesis 1:28).

Satan’s Perversions. The Scriptures point out that man in rebellion has a tendency to worship the creature rather than the Creator (Romans 1:25), leading him to accept the lie that our responsibilities to “Mother Nature” are more important than our responsibilities to God.

Why It Matters. Since our responsibilities to God are no longer paramount under this view, our rights are no longer unalienable. As a result, the United States government routinely infringes upon the God-given and constitutionally secured rights of its citizens in the name of “saving the environment.” This philosophy has also fueled efforts to lobby Congress to approve international environmental treaties that would greatly reduce our national sovereignty and significantly encroach upon our God-given rights. We need to restore the Biblical and balanced view of environmentalism, which teaches that God, as the Creator, made and sustains His universe. We, as the stewards of His creation, are to treat it with dignity and respect while at the same time fulfilling our responsibilities to Him by using the rights He has given us.

Summary

In this chapter we discussed how civil government is to balance protecting the rights of its citizens by punishing evil in society while not infringing upon other rights in the process: self defense—a God-given right that is necessary for the protection of all other rights; abortion, euthanasia—murder; capital punishment—part of the original Biblical mandate for government in response to murder; education—parents are to have 100% control over it and have an obligation to base it on the Word and fear of God; marriage—one man and one woman for a lifetime (to grant same- sex marriage equal rights is to reward evil and destroy marriage rights altogether); the environment—as the stewards of God’s creation, we are to treat it with dignity and respect; however, God did not create the world so that we would destroy it by obeying His commands. To worship the creation instead of the Creator is to render our God-given rights alienable.