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This page is about rulers and nations, and about the King who rules them all. If someone in authority is commanding you to do what God forbids, read When We Must Obey God Rather Than Men. If the news fills you with fear or anger, read Put Not Your Trust in Princes. If you have served as a soldier or an officer and carry the weight of it, read the part for you. If someone with power over you is hurting you, get safe first.
Government Is God’s Ordinance
Government was not invented by kings or voted into being by the people. God made it. Paul wrote this to Christians living under Rome, a pagan empire that would later put many of them to death.
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
Romans 13:1-2 (KJV)
God, the Supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates to be under him, over the people, for his own glory and the public good, and to this end hath armed them with the power of the sword, for the defense and encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evil-doers.
Westminster Confession of Faith 23.1
Rulers are over the people, and they are under God. The proudest king on earth had to learn that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men (Daniel 4:17).
The Minister of God With the Sword
Peter says governors are sent for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well (1 Peter 2:14). Paul says it more sharply.
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Romans 13:4 (KJV)
Minister means servant. The magistrate serves God as truly as a pastor does, though in a different work. The sword is a picture, and what it pictures is real. It is the power to use force and to punish, even with death. God gave it after the flood. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he man (Genesis 9:6). Private men may not avenge themselves (Romans 12:19). God repays by the hand of the ruler.
So a Christian may hold the sword. The Confession teaches that Christians may accept the office of a magistrate when called to it, and that rulers may wage war upon just and necessary occasion (WCF 23.2). John the Baptist did not tell soldiers to leave the army. He told them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely (Luke 3:14). Cornelius was a centurion who feared God with all his house (Acts 10:1-2). A believer may serve as a judge, a soldier, or a police officer to the glory of God.
If You Have Borne the Sword
Some who read this have used force in war or in the line of duty, and some have taken a life. Lawful force used for justice and in defense of others is not murder. Yet many carry it for years. That weight is not always guilt. Often it is grief over what sin does to the world. If there was real sin in it, cruelty or rage or harm to the innocent, Christ’s blood is enough for that too. Confess it to him plainly, and tell your pastor. If the weight has brought you to thoughts of ending your life, call 988 or text 988 now, and read the page on getting safe.
Christ Is King of Kings
Above every ruler stands a King. In the second psalm the nations rage against the Lord and his anointed, and God laughs, for he has set his King on his holy hill (Psalm 2:1-6). Then he speaks to the rulers.
Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
Psalm 2:10-12 (KJV)
A subject kissed his king as a sign of homage, and a worshiper kissed his idol (1 Kings 19:18). The kiss is the picture. What it pictures is real submission. God commands kings and judges, as kings and judges, to bow to his Son.
That Son is Jesus Christ. After he rose he said, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth (Matthew 28:18). As the eternal Son he always ruled with the Father. This is power given to him as Mediator, the God-man who died and rose again, crowned and set over everything for his people’s sake.
Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Ephesians 1:20-22 (KJV)
Under his feet is a picture of a conquering king, and the rule it pictures is real. Every court and congress is beneath him now. John calls him the prince of the kings of the earth (Revelation 1:5). In John’s vision he rides out with a name written on his robe, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Revelation 19:16). The vision is full of pictures, but that name is the plain truth about him.
So a nation is not neutral ground. Its rulers owe Christ their allegiance, and its laws ought to honor his law. The Reformed Presbyterian Church has long borne witness that nations owe allegiance to Christ. If you are a member, ask your elders how the church’s Testimony applies to you.
The Hope for the Nations
Scripture promises, Yea, all kings shall fall down before him, all nations shall serve him (Psalm 72:11). Reformed believers differ on how much of that we will see before Christ returns.
Some believe the gospel will so prevail in this age that nations as nations will confess Christ before he comes, as the leaven worked till the whole was leavened (Matthew 13:33), and the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord (Habakkuk 2:14). Others believe Christ gathers his people out of every nation while this age stays mixed, wheat and tares growing together until the harvest (Matthew 13:30), with the church often small and suffering, and that every knee will bow on the day he appears (Philippians 2:10-11).
Both hold that Christ reigns now, that the nations owe him obedience now, and that he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet (1 Corinthians 15:25). Both pray, Thy kingdom come. We see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus (Hebrews 2:8-9).
What the State May Not Do
Because rulers are under Christ, their power has edges. It may not rule the church. When King Uzziah went into the temple to burn incense, the priests withstood him and said, It appertaineth not unto thee (2 Chronicles 26:18). A king had a real office, but not that one.
The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the Word and Sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven
Westminster Confession of Faith 23.3
No ruler may preach, keep the Lord’s Table, or tell the church how to worship. Nor may he bind the conscience. The state may tell you how fast to drive. It may not tell you what to believe about God.
God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in anything contrary to his Word, or beside it, in matters of faith or worship.
Westminster Confession of Faith 20.2
Jesus drew the line with a coin. Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s (Matthew 22:21). The coin bore Caesar’s image, so it could go to Caesar. You bear God’s image, so you belong to God. Caesar gets taxes and honor. He never gets the soul. And the state is not a savior. Its sword can restrain evil, but it cannot make anyone new.
Honor, Pray, Pay, and Obey
The fifth commandment reaches to all who are over us by God’s ordinance, whether in family, church, or commonwealth (WLC 124).
It is the duty of people to pray for magistrates, to honor their persons, to pay them tribute and other dues, to obey their lawful commands, and to be subject to their authority, for conscience’ sake. Infidelity or difference in religion doth not make void the magistrate’s just and legal authority, nor free the people from their due obedience to him
Westminster Confession of Faith 23.4
A ruler who does not believe, or believes falsely, is still a ruler. Peter wrote under a pagan emperor, Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king (1 Peter 2:17).
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 (KJV)
First of all. Before we complain about rulers, we pray for them, and even give thanks. If a ruler seems foolish or wicked, pray for him anyway. Ask God to give him wisdom and to save his soul. Jeremiah told the exiles to seek the peace of Babylon, the city that had burned Jerusalem, and pray unto the Lord for it (Jeremiah 29:7).
Render therefore to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute is due (Romans 13:7). Cheating on taxes is stealing, even when the money will be spent badly. Obey the laws, not only for fear of being caught but for conscience sake (Romans 13:5). And Paul says to speak evil of no man (Titus 3:2). That includes the man in office you did not vote for.
When We Must Obey God Rather Than Men
Our obedience to rulers has a limit, and the limit is God. When the council commanded the apostles to stop preaching Jesus, Peter and John answered, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard (Acts 4:19-20). Brought in again, they answered more shortly.
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Acts 5:29 (KJV)
The Hebrew midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive (Exodus 1:17), and God dealt well with them. Daniel kept praying three times a day, as he did aforetime, after a law forbade it (Daniel 6:10). And three young men would not bow to a golden image.
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Daniel 3:17-18 (KJV)
Look at how they disobeyed. They refused only what would have been sin, and they did it openly. Daniel still said, O king, live for ever (Daniel 6:21). They took up no sword, and they left the outcome with God. If a ruler commands you to deny Christ, to worship falsely, or to take part in killing the innocent, you must refuse. Refuse humbly, and refuse firmly.
What about rulers who become tyrants? Calvin, at the close of his Institutes, taught that private persons are not to rise up against their rulers on their own, but that lesser magistrates, those who also hold lawful office, ought to restrain a ruler who oppresses the people. The Reformed tradition after him has held that resistance to tyranny belongs first to such lawful authorities and to lawful means. Paul, denied justice, used the law and said, I appeal unto Caesar (Acts 25:11). Bring hard questions of this kind to your elders before you act.
The Christian Citizen
Most of us are citizens, not rulers. Where the law gives us a voice, a Christian may vote, write to his rulers, and speak in public as a servant of Christ. He should do it with a conscience shaped by God’s Word, asking what honors Christ and protects the weak, not only what helps himself. The Reformed Presbyterian Testimony speaks plainly here. Where it involves no disloyalty to Christ, a Christian should help choose rulers who fear God, love truth and justice, and hate evil (Exodus 18:21). He should vote only for men publicly committed to the Scriptural principles of civil government. He may not take an oath that compromises his supreme loyalty to Christ, and he may not vote for an officer who must take an oath he could not take himself in good conscience, because a vote makes the voter answerable for what the office requires (RP Testimony 23.15-16, 29). Weigh every ballot by that, not by habit or by party, and ask your elders when you are unsure.
Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people (Proverbs 14:34). It is right to ask rulers to protect life and punish evil. See What Christians Should Do about abortion for one plain case.
Put Not Your Trust in Princes
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Psalm 146:3-4 (KJV)
Every leader you hope in will die. If your peace rises and falls with an election, your trust is in a prince. Ask yourself. Do I feel more joy when my side wins than when a sinner repents? Do I despise the people who vote the other way?
The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God (James 1:20). Rage at the news and contempt for opponents are sins, not zeal. Your political opponent is a neighbor made in God’s image, and perhaps a brother in Christ. Love him.
Keep the church above party. She must preach the whole Word, including what God says to rulers, and the Confession keeps her assemblies from meddling in civil affairs beyond humble petition and advice (WCF 31.5). Her message is, Be ye reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20). When she becomes the chaplain of a party, she trades it for a smaller one.
The Throne That Matters Most
On the morning of the day he died, Jesus stood before a Roman governor who asked whether he was a king.
Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.
John 18:36 (KJV)
Not of this world means his kingdom does not come from here. It is not won by votes or held by soldiers, but spreads by the Word and the Spirit. Yet he rules over all. He told Pilate, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above (John 19:11).
Then the soldiers crowned him with thorns and mocked him, Hail, King of the Jews (Matthew 27:29). Pilate put a title on the cross, THE KING OF THE JEWS (John 19:19). They meant it as a joke, but it was true. The King was lifted up on a cross, bearing the wrath of God for rebels. He won his kingdom not by taking his enemies’ lives but by giving his own for them. On the third day he rose, and now he sits at the right hand of God.
Every one of us has been a rebel against this King. The command to kiss the Son is spoken to you before any president. Turn from your sin and trust him. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him (Psalm 2:12). He is the prince of the kings of the earth, and in the same breath John says he loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood (Revelation 1:5). If you do not know him yet, read the gospel.
The throne that matters most is not in any capital. It is the one Christ sits on now, where he gathers and defends his church, subdues her enemies, and makes intercession for his people (WLC 54). He removeth kings, and setteth up kings (Daniel 2:21). But of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end (Isaiah 9:7). We have received a kingdom which cannot be moved (Hebrews 12:28).
What Christians Should Do
- Kiss the Son yourself. Before you ask anything of your rulers, bow to Christ. Confess where politics has ruled your heart more than he has.
- Pray for your rulers by name. Pray this week for the president, your governor, and one local official, and give thanks for them. See How to Pray.
- Pay and obey with a clean conscience. If you have cheated on taxes or broken a just law, confess it and set it right.
- Watch your mouth. Speak of officials with respect, even in disagreement. Stop passing on what mocks or slanders.
- Take part with care. Vote, write, and speak as a servant of Christ, with the counsel of your elders.
- Know your line. Settle now what you will not do, whatever a ruler commands. Ask God for Daniel’s courage and Daniel’s respect.
- Turn off the noise. If the news feeds fear or rage, put it down and read Psalm 2 instead.