“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. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” -Romans 13:4
One of the most clear declarations in Scripture that the civil magistrate is a servant of God to execute judgment on evildoers, whether the magistrate acknowledges God or not. In addition to the obvious straightforward implications of this declaration, there are some more subtle implications as well.
First, the magistrate is God’s servant. This means that in those things which fall natural law as well as the divine laws, the believer (as well as unbelievers) have a divine responsibility to obey God by obeying the magistrate. This also means the magistrate is accountable to God, whether he acknowledges God or not. It is true God can raise up and put down at his discretion, but it is also true that God can delay judgment and allow an evil magistrate to store up wrath against the day of wrath (Romans 2:5).
Second, the magistrate is ruling for the good of the believer. Of course, he is ruling for the good of all humanity, but the believer who possesses the Spirit of God should, of all people, desire goodness and recognize the work required to achieve goodness in civic matters. Therefore, the believer should pray for the magistrate to carry out his duties faithfully, and show support and appreciation for his office and duties (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
Third, the believer should genuinely fear the power the magistrate possesses to execute judgment on evildoers and be far from ever being considered an evildoer according to just laws (1 Peter 2:13-17). This also implies that the magistrate, who bears not the sword in vain, should be wise in legislating just laws and mindful to carry out God’s wrath faithfully on wrongdoers. He is, after all, God’s servant (mentioned 2x in this one passage).
Note: There are technically only three regimes with some possible hybrids (i.e., republic) and all are legitimate forms of government: monarchy, aristocracy, and polity. The monarch is a ruler of one for the good of the many. The aristocracy is the rule of the few noble for the good of the many. The polity is the rule of the many over themselves according to virtue.
Where government goes bad is not in its form but in its for, its motivation. When the monarch ceases to rule for the benefit of the people and rules instead for the benefit of himself, he is called a tyrant or despot. When the aristocracy ceases to rule for the benefit of the people and rules instead for the benefit of powerful and wealthy elite, they are called an oligarchy. And when the many cease to rule over themselves according to virtue and rule instead for the benefit of their baser passions (the bed and the table), they are called a democracy.
A proper apprehension of the fact and the gravity of the fact that both ruler and subject are under the authority of God goes along way toward a peaceful civil society.
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