LEGITIMATE BOUNDS OF GOVERNMENT
John 19:11
Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
Within its legitimate boundaries of governance, we are to give Caesar (government) what is his, yet Jesus also said in Mark 12:13–17 that when it comes to giving God what is His, everything is on that list. We owe God our total obedience in every area of life. So when obeying the government will clearly prevent you from obeying God, obedience to God takes precedence. The government has no business interfering with the preeminence of God in our lives. Today, many seek to illegitimately use the state to control, limit, or even silence the church’s voice in the public arena. While there must be the institutional separation of church and state, there can never be a separation of God and government. But Jesus told Pilate at His trial, “You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11).
So even though Jesus’ enemies turned Him over to Pilate, and even though Pilate had the power to sentence Jesus to death, the authorities were only doing what God allowed them to do. The state must always be submitted to God. Now, when a government rebels against God’s authority and tries to throw off His yoke, that government is going to be in trouble. When a nation’s laws no longer reflect the standard of God, then that nation is in rebellion against Him and will inevitably bear the consequences of its rebellion.
REFLECTION: How is it a comfort to know thAat government can only operate with God’s permission? Read Acts 5:16–42. When is it right to disobey government authorities? God, I pray for our governing leaders that more and more they will seek You and Your truth and principles and apply these to how we ought to be run as a nation.
No Comments