This is mainly for Christian legislators, yet all Christians need to examine this.
The ministry of the sword and the ministry of the word are the two ministries God has ordained for our lives on this earth. The ministry of the sword is borne by the civil government of society and the ministry of the word is administered by the church to the benefit of all of society. These are means through which God works to fulfill His purpose in those two veins that cover all of life. Both are critical to our lives in this world. Though the spiritual aspect of life is underneath everything, which necessitates that the ministry of the word speak to all areas of life, the ministry of the sword should not be neglected nor minimized in its importance.
As Christians, we are obligated to know the will of God for our lives. This is not the secret will of God that isn’t for us to know. This is the revealed will of God that we have a responsibility to know in order to live wisely and not as fools (Ephesians 5:15-17). Just like the governance of our homes or our churches is basic to knowing the will of God, so is the civil governance of our societies.
Christian legislators, if you disagree with the argument for Non-Legislative Theonomy laid out by most of what you find at Future of Christendom, please provide a consistent defense proving, from Scripture alone, that the legislative branch of government is something that God has instituted and that the job of creating legislation, aka law-making, is a purpose and function God has ordained. Also, as somewhat of an aside, if you disagree with Theonomy, period, even as you boil it down to its most basic definition of the need to apply God’s Law for all of life — even civil life — then you are advocating for man-made law independent from God’s will. This should trouble you if you are a Christian.
Perhaps you recognize that God doesn’t prescribe the creation of law by human beings but think that this is an area of Christian liberty where God is okay with our establishing a legislative branch of government and stepping into those positions to create legislation that is (hopefully) based on His Law. If so, then please provide clear and consistent biblical argumentation that would cancel out the idea of Non-Legislative Theonomy. An appeal to Christian liberty, however, cannot trump the Bible’s clear revelation. His institution of something, along with there being no evidence of any change of that, is to be our standard and boundary to stay in. And please recognize the danger of opening that door to creating legislation not prescribed by God, even if it may seem good at the start.
Many times, Christians respond to any number of issues in life by saying, “But I think ____…” and they fill in the blank with their stance regarding some cultural issue. Often, the cultural issue has civil realm implications, but how we think about it turns out to be more statist than biblical. Too often today, a Christian’s worldview reveals itself to be a statist worldview rather than a biblical one. If you are thinking, “There ought to be a law…” you are thinking in statist terms. Statism essentially is any form of governance that goes beyond the governance God has instituted. To look at it another way, statism is thinking the government has authority and duty outside God’s prescribed boundaries for the government.
So, Christian legislator, I ask you to prove yourself to be one who rightly divides the word of truth. Please prove me wrong. This is a sincere request, not an arrogant and prideful statement that elevates my own view of myself like I have it all figured out. I am a nobody.
If God has not ordained a job to exist in its function and purpose, but one of those jobs exists in the current culture, and that job has a pivotal part in society, as a legislator does, and a Christian goes into that job thinking that he is doing the will of God, is he doing the will of God? Or is he outside the will of God in that instance? Has God raised someone up in that position for a time such as this if that position is not supposed to exist and do what it does? Should he even be in that position, even if it is a part of the current culture? These are not easy answers for us today.
Romans 12:2 commands Christians not to be conformed to the image of the spirit of the age in which they are living but to be transformed by the renewal of their minds so that by testing, they may discern what the good and acceptable and perfect will of God is. This issue of legislation is one area for critical application of that text. This is important! Consider how people are so encouraged by Christian legislators. Younger Christians just starting out may look up to them and want to follow in their footsteps. The enthusiasm is great, but is this job set out by God? If not, then should we want youngsters to follow in those footsteps?
So, what are we to do? For Christian legislators currently in those positions, I advise the following: First, while you are still in that position, start fighting to tear down iniquitous decrees. Practice nullification and non-compliance. Do not reinforce those unjust laws. Stand up for those who are suffering under injustice as you call for noncompliance. This may prove to be costly in our day, but it is better to count the cost on the side of the God of justice than to find yourself opposed to God. This is to confront the system with righteous agitation from within. While that is being done, do not call for or create any new legislation. More on that in the third point below.
Secondly, declare sound doctrine and refute those who contradict it. Labor in teaching to bring about reformation. Lay out the reality of what God has instituted for a society’s governance and call people to take away what has not been instituted by God. This is what all Christians need to be doing right now, not just Christian legislators.
These first two points are for the Christian legislator who doesn’t resign right away with a public statement that he cannot be in a position that is not God’s will. Resignation will involve a deep wrestling with the conscience. This could be a tough place of vulnerability, but it could also prove to be a strong witness to the severity of the issue and faithfulness to God. By many, it will be looked at as “foolish.” It is especially tough when this won’t seem like winning to the many. Still, we are to be concerned about faithfulness to God and His Word. Yes, He may work through what He doesn’t appoint as He did with the kings of Israel when it wasn’t a position He instituted, but that shouldn’t be a justification for what we know is not in His will.
Thirdly, I would say it is permissible for a Christian legislator to be a legislator in our current system when he puts forth or supports only God’s Law. This is being a legislator-as-placeholder. The first two duties above are utilized as being of first importance, while this third duty can show that God’s Law as our law is sufficient and is to be our standard. Doing this is a mission field to create a situation where you are basically running yourself out of a job if all goes the way it should. It is to show that a legislator isn’t necessary since we already have God’s Law. In these ways, a Christian in our current system could run for this position, promoting that he is a person who will do these things to honor the Law-giver and not create new legislation. This is a Trojan horse type of mission without the deception.
So, Christian, you have some studying to do and a response to formulate. But remember, the Word of God is our standard of measurement.
