I hear so often Christians claiming that it is the duty of the Christian “to do what the government tells us.” I must admit: I’ve always been a bit perturbed by this. Not so much because it’s bad theology (which it is), but because it’s usually said by Christians who have real problems doing simple things Jesus said to do. It seems so simple to say that Christians should be patriotic and even political; it seems so hard to say that Christians should uphold basic tenets of Jesus like not lusting, loving our neighbor as ourselves, loving God with everything we have, condemning unethical behavior and calling it what it is—sin, etc.

What does the Bible actually say about the Christian’s role or attitude toward government? This blog cannot be exhaustive, but we can see some representative texts that demonstrate the attitude of first-century Christians.

Jesus was approached by some Pharisees and was asked a question that got most people in much trouble. A pressing question of first-century Judaism for many, especially in Jerusalem with its garrison of Roman guards, was whether or not Jews should have to pay taxes. No one wanted to do it. Not to pay taxes would get one into much trouble (imprisonment, beating, or worse) by Rome. However, to support paying taxes would cause your fellow Jews in Palestine not to support you. In a land and time when the crowds often determined someone’s wealth, success, and general health, you had to walk the tight-rope of saying the right things (you thought today’s political tongue gymnastics were new?).

Jesus is asked the invidious question bluntly—in Jerusalem with Roman soldiers watching—whether or not someone should pay taxes. His answer was simple and poignant: “Then he said to them, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Matt 22:21). There are things that should be done simply because we live in a society. They are neither moral and immoral; they are neutral. Not paying your taxes as a way of protesting the State is not appropriate.

This is quite striking considering this is the same State that would kill Jesus in a few days from this question. Jesus could have screamed and told them all about the evils of government. He doesn’t need to; its power to “lord it over them” would be apparent soon (Matt 20:25). The way the government works by reigning over the people into submission is not the way Christians should treat one another (Matt 20:25). The Roman government did/does not set the standard for Christians.

Peter and Paul talk positively about the government in one specific sense: when the government acts justly by punishing evildoers and praising those who do right. Christians should not join the bandwagon by actively opposing the government. Armed rebellion against Rome by Jews, especially in Palestine, had happened for centuries. Peter and Paul both oppose armed revolt. Armed revolt and not paying taxes only demonstrates to non-believers that you are a trouble-maker.

Peter says it like this:
“Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing right you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Peter 2:12-15).

Paul says it like this:
“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due. Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law” (Romans 13:1-8).

Where Peter admonishes his audience not to act immoral among Gentiles (including a Gentile government), Paul admonishes the Roman Christians not to withhold their taxes. Paul emphasizes this by saying in 13:4 that the “servant of God” used by the State carries “the sword.” Tax collectors carried swords with them to make certain that people paid up (and for protection). In both cases, the issue for Peter and Paul is not blind obedience, but a Christian's witness before an unbelieving world. Armed revolt and passive resistance by not paying taxes should not happen by Christians.

This same Roman government that is praised for having “servants of God” collecting taxes is the Roman government that is the “beast” of Revelation 13 and 18. In Revelation the Roman government is symbolically called a “beast” who is driven by, fueled by, given power by, “the dragon,” which is Satan.

Peter and the apostles told their Jewish government that they had “to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
We see a similar picture in Acts 17: 6-7, where Jason and his fellow Christians before the government at Thessalonica are labeled a danger to the government. "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them; and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus" (Acts 17:6-7).

After the New Testament, we see much of the similar emphases: no armed revolt; no passive revolt. As the centuries went on, Christians were told explicitly not to serve in the military and have little to do with the government (e.g., in the 2nd-cent. Didache and 4th cent. Apostolic Constitutions)

What we see in the New Testament is typical of Jewish mindsets concerning government. When governments act justly and serve God’s purposes, they work and are “ordained.” When they oppose the Kingdom of God, their authority is not only abolished, but then they are serving the kingdom of evil.

Government should be kept accountable, but we should never make the fatal mistake of assuming that we should follow blindly the ways of the government; nor should we follow blindly the promise of “hope” offered by every single candidate in a political race.

Israel was only able to establish and maintain a theocracy for a very short time. It failed. Governments simply cannot enact or establish God’s plans for His people. Government should be used by Christians as a means to an end; it is NEVER the end itself.

“David, should we obey the government? Isn’t it established by God?” Yes, obey the government when its laws are neutral or good, never when they are immoral. God most certainly establishes governments to prevent chaos. However, governments, according to the Bible, can be used by God or the devil. When you support the government, make certain you’re “backing the right horse.”

And if you are placing your hope in the government, then you haven’t been introduced to the gospel yet.