Living Under Authority of Civil Government

The following blog post is a synopsis of a sermon I recently preached at Geist Community Church as a part of our continuing series through the Gospel of Mark.   You can listen to or watch the entire sermon here.

As Election Day draws closer with each passing day the media frenzy continues to build at a frantic pace.  Each news organization is probing deeper with more challenging questions in hopes of stirring up some new controversy.  In most cases they simply want to create a stir and increase ratings.

The challenge for us as Christians, citizens of Heaven (Phil. 3:20), is to keep our focus off the controversies and on the Creator.  Rather than getting caught up in the hype we must remember our God-given responsibilities as it relates to authorities in this world, including civil government.  There are three clear biblical mandates that must guide us as we live within the civil framework of our society.

(1) Pray for those in authority

In 1 Timothy 2:1-3 the Apostle Paul urged Timothy, pastor of the Ephesian church, to pray for "all people" but especially for the leaders of civil government.  While Paul didn't explicitly specify the content of the prayers we can confidently say that it was for the salvation of the people and their leaders.  The minimum requirement of Christians who are living peaceful and quiet lives in the sight of God our Savior is to pray for those in authority.

(2) Participate in civil government

In Mark 12:17 Jesus says we are to pay our taxes, while at the same time asserting the need to honor God above all.  If we, as believers, were truly living as salt and light, we would effect change in the culture through our lawful participation in civil government.  There are crucial issues for which we must contend in the public arena.  We must stand up for the life of an unborn child.  We must graciously promote the truth of the Bible that marriage is a permanent bond before God between one man and one woman.

In our government we participate by voting for representatives that promote the biblical truth on these crucial issues.  We must vote on the crucial issues above all else.  We must vote on the policies and the practices, not the personalities or the parties.

Participating in civil government also means submitting to the authority and rule of civil government.  In Romans 13:1-2 we read that every person is to "be subject to the governing authorities" because "there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God."  We submit to civil government because any government only gets it's power and authority from God.  Every sovereign nation on the planet is sovereign only within it's own boundaries.  God has no boundaries.  He is sovereign over all.  Thus, the sovereignty of the state falls under the sovereignty of God.

Before Daniel was thrown in the lion's den he acknowledged it is God who removes kings and sets them up (Daniel 2:21).  Obviously, Daniel understood God establishes civil government but he also knew there are limits to our obedience.  We obey civil government until our obedience requires us to violate the commands of God.  The commands of God supersede and trump the commands of men since God is sovereign over all. 

(Caution: We must be very careful to discern what civil disobedience is indeed sanctioned by Scripture and what is not.  A personal preference isn't the same as a biblical ground.)

(3) Proclaim the truth of God

We must proclaim the truth of God even when it isn't popular...even when it causes us to be hated by others...even when our own families turn against us...even when our families or our own lives are threatened!

The Apostles clearly understood and believed Jesus' teaching.  We need look no further than Acts 4 and 5 to see them refusing to stop proclaiming the Gospel even though the government ordered them to stop.


Duty to God does not eliminate duty to government.  However, duty to government does not eliminate and must not overshadow our higher duty to God.

We may be citizens of the United States or some other country, but as believers in Jesus we are citizens of heaven above all.  There is coming a day when every nation on earth will cease to exist and the Kingdom of God will rule over all.

Until then, we pay our taxes and honor our leaders.  Our trust, however, must always be in God, not in any human government.

Psalm 20:7 "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

Use Your Time Wisely

Summer will soon draw to a close as our daylight slowly slips away and temperatures begin to fall.  It is amazing how quickly time seems to pass us by!  The prophet Isaiah acknowledged this truth more than two millennia ago when he compared our lifespan to that of grass in a field (Is. 40:7-8).  Almost 700 years before Isaiah, Moses drew a similar comparison in Psalm 90.  Our life is very short!

Before Jesus ascended into heaven He tasked us with ONE mission to complete during our short tenure this side of eternity: Make Disciples!  Jesus didn’t tell us to build our retirement fund or keep our house clean.  He told us to “deny ourselves” and follow Him.   We must follow Him by doing what He did: Make Disciples!

As we approach the fall, which if you believe the Mayans is our last, may we have a renewed urgency in our lives.  Steer clear of idle moments; avoid distractions; guard yourself from the allure of sin; run with perseverance focused on our God-given task.