The following student report was submitted by Ambassador League Agent Philip H. during the 2009-2010 League.
Mission: Research on Civil Government
Ayn Rand once remarked that, "Definitions are the guardians of rationality, the first line of defense against the chaos of mental disintegration." There have been varied responses to aggressive actions pursued by the federal government in the past weeks, particularly in the health care arena. The vast majority of Americans are outraged at the huge increase in power that the government will assume once the bill is signed into law. Yet, at the root of the problem of big government is the lack of any current clear definition of governmental power. The Constitution, our founding fathers' restraining document on government, has largely been ignored or rendered useless by today's elected officials. The consequences of this disregard for the Constitution are explained by the former Supreme Court Justice Louis: "The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal – well-meaning but without understanding." Before we find ourselves devoid of any liberty, it is time to reexamine the proper role of civil government from a Biblical perspective.
The government is an institution which has been established by God – it was not an idea made by man. Romans 13 made this clear when it says, "Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." This verse has tremendous implications for how we should view our government. Every single government – ours included – has been established by God and is therefore worthy of respect. Paul goes on to say that those who disobey the government are essentially disobeying God and will receive condemnation. With this in mind, it is important to realize that we must not obey every command that the government gives us regardless of what the Bible says on the issue. Christians are called to obey and respect government but not at the cost of disobeying other commands God made. Early Christians made this point clear when they respected and obeyed the Roman leaders until they were commanded to bow down and proclaim Ceaser divine- they refused to disobey and disrespect God by calling a mere man divine.
The Biblical purpose of government is to restrain evil and reward good. "For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil… it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid" (Romans 13:3-4) Those who do good should have nothing to fear from government, rather, it should be the evil ones who should from the government. Unfortunately, because of mankind's fallen sinful nature, the government quickly and easily turns into what it was not intended to be. This is why we see corrupt governments that abuse instead of protect its citizens.
While we may not agree with everything that our government is doing we must keep in mind that our public servants do deserve our respect and prayers. On the other hand, the proper role of government is to reward good and punish evil, not to take over the lives of its citizens. The Bible clearly outlines what the role of government is and how we should respond to the government.
