Continuing this series of articles on the consideration of the relationship of the Christian to the state, perhaps we should ask what the state should be doing. What is its purpose?
We have already seen how all people are to subject themselves to the governing authorities, but just in case you are uncertain about this the apostle Paul is completely unambiguous: "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God established. The authorities that exist have been established by God." (Rom 13:1). He then proceeds to bluntly drive his point home saying that anyone who rebels against the authority is actually also rebelling against God, and there will be consequences.
This then brings the apostle to present us with two principles concerning the purpose of the governing authority of the state.
The first principle or purpose we see (vss 3-4) for state authority is for the restraint of evil. The unfortunate fact of life is that sin has entered the world. Without sin, it is doubtful whether there would be any form of state or civil government, but life has become disordered and in order to avoid complete anarchy there is the necessity of the state. Left unrestrained, sin and evil will destroy and disrupt life so that life would become impossible, so God instituted governing authorities whose main function is to limit evil in society.
The apostle Paul says that the purpose of the state is to punish those who do wrong and commend those who do right. This is why the state carries a sword, in order to punish the wrongdoer (vvs4-5).
The state does not however only serve in the negative function of restraining evil. It also has the positive purpose of preserving order, and in this way ensures that everyone is made aware that God is the final and ultimate authority. This, of course, raises the question for us as to how far the authority of the state extends.
In the Reformed understanding of the authority of the state, we have always maintained that Scripture indicates that the state's authority is limited to the sphere of external actions. The state has no right to control or seek to control the opinions and thinking of her citizens. Irrespective of whether we are speaking of religious, philosophical, scientific or political ideas the state has no God given authority there. Its duty under God is to seek to limit the exercise of evil, and create as much as it can the conditions which will allow people to live in harmony together. As soon as the state steps outside of its primary functions into the realm of thought control or conditioning, we are going to be in serious conflict.
This is where the whole issue of the separation of church and state comes in. Too often a misunderstanding of this 'separation' ends up neutralising sincere and genuine efforts in politics.
Both the church and the state have been established by God. Both require the active involvement of God's people. Each deals with different parts of God's order of things. The church's function is to proclaim the Word of God to all people in order that souls may be saved and brought into the kingdom of God. She is also to spiritually feed the souls of God's people. The state has another purpose, to restrain evil and to preserve order. These two - church and state - operate beside each other. This is what John Calvin, John Knox and Martin Luther taught. They did not set out to unite the two, or to set one above the other, as the Roman Catholic Church seeks to do by setting itself over the state. Instead the Reformed view is that they complement each other in much the same way as couples in Christian marriage recognise that neither is over the other, but each have their God given functions. The church exercises the proclamation of the Word of God and in so doing, in the authority of the Holy Spirit speaks to the state on moral, ethical and spiritual issues. The state, when it functions Biblically acknowledges that it too has been ordained by God (Rom 13:1-2), and exercises its authority over the external order of society as God's servants (Rom 13:6).
We all have an obligation to live in obedience to the state as it functions within God's order for it. We are to 'pay' our taxes to the state so that it can fulfil its functions. This may cause us some difficulties, but out of conscience (Rom 13:5) as part of our obedience to God, even if the head of our state is a blaspheming pagan dictator, we must submit to civil laws.
There is no doubt then, at least to my mind, that we need to make it a part of our business to do what we can to ensure we have a good state. Christians - as opposed to the church - must also have an active involvement in the political process of the nation.