The Purpose and Origin of Government

INTRODUCTION

On January 20th, 2021, Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr became the 46th President of the United States of America to take the presidential oath of office.

As he took the oath, he placed his hand on his family’s 19th century family heirloom Bible that he had used throughout his years of political office.

Not every President has done this, but most have, with George Washington setting the precedent.

It is a solemn act.

With the hand on the Bible they say, “I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

While we won’t pretend that every man who has done this was a regenerate, born-again believer, we can still confidently speak on what this “hand on the Bible” implies.

It is a portion of the ceremony that acknowledges that the person sitting in the chair of the Oval Office is held accountable to a divine authority that is above and beyond themselves.

What is implied, is that this authority would not belong to them, if it were not granted by the God who has spoken in His Word.

They are taking and oath to steward it well and to uphold the Constitution that has seen to their election.

Do they all understand that? I’ll leave that for you to decide.

As a Christian, we watch the Lord’s Word be involved in that ceremony and leaves us to ask, “What are we to think of this?”

We know that our relationship to the Word of God is one of submissive obedience.

The Word is the life and the authority of the church.

But what of the state?

What of the Commander-In-Chief standing there with his hand on the Bible?

What is our relationship to it?

His hand is on the Bible. Is the President on our side?

More than that, does he have authority in our church?

We are not the first ones to ask these sorts of questions.

Today is Reformation Sunday—they were certainly asked by the Reformers.

And maybe not always answered the right way.

They were asked by American believers during the COVID pandemic of the early 2020’s, just like they were asked by American believers during the Spanish Flu pandemic from 1918-1920.

And they were asked by Christians living in Rome in the first century AD, which is why we will be spending our time in Romans 13 over the next month.

PURPOSE OF THE SERIES

As you turn there in your Bibles, you might wonder why it would be worth our time to take a break from Acts and do this.

Don’t we hear enough about this business on the news?

Well, I think that many Christians struggle to understand what the relationship is between church and government.

And I also think many Christians struggle as to what they are supposed to do in this culture.

Romans 13 addresses these issues.

The Apostle Paul speaks to the Christians in Rome as pilgrims who are members of a different kingdom—existing in a world that is not their home.

And he gives them the purpose for government.

He gives them the proper response to governing authorities

He tells them how they go about being the best of temporary citizens in this world

And he reminds them that these are the last days

These are all things we need to hear in 2023.

Especially with what is on the horizon.

I am not a prophet. But I have a hunch that things might be slightly testy this time next year.

Some will have blocked half their friend list on Facebook over the election

Others will have had it out with co-worker

Most will just grimace and hope it ends sooner rather than later

I have to imagine the 2024 election will be heated and fiery as ever.

Just look at what is going on in the world.

You will be told that everything is at stake in that election and you might even feel like it is.

How are we to respond to these things?

What should our attitude be about them as believers?

How do we live in days such as these?

I thought it would be wise for us to turn to Romans 13 in the year of local elections, seeking God’s leading, as opposed to attempting to speak into the middle of the storm next year.

This will not be a sermon series about how evil liberal political ideologies are. This will not be a series about how evil conservative ideologies are.

I might point out some idols the church is in danger of bowing down to on both sides of the aisle along the way, but partisan politics is not the point here.

Being a faithful witness and a persevering church is the point.

This morning we will essentially focus on the origin of government and the purpose of it and how the Christian responds.

CONTEXT

Before I read from Romans 13, please allow me to give a little context.

Paul is writing to believers in Rome who are living in the midst of a governmental transition in their world.

Rome was transitioning from being a republic to becoming what resembled more of a monarchy.

Emperor Nero was in power after his mom had poisoned his dad.

Under Nero, persecution against the Jews and the Christians was pervasive.

Taxes were soaring to an oppressive level.

And many of the Jewish Christians living in Rome were not so eager to submit to this Roman government.

They understood the Messiah to be a political figure who will physically rule the nations with a rod of iron forever.

Why should they submit to these Romans?

This is the political context that Paul is speaking to in Romans 13.

Romans 13 falls in the application portion of the book of Romans.

Chapters 1-11 are as close to a full outline of Christian doctrine that we get in the New Testament.

It is not a systematic theology. It is a letter.

But in it, Paul unpacks the full counsel of the Gospel and its theological framework with a concise brilliance.

As you get to chapter 12, there is a turn in the way Paul speaks.

He begins to apply all of this wonderful theology that he has written about in the eleven chapter prior.

Romans 12:1 (ESV)

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

His appeal is based on the great Gospel theology that he has taught them throughout the letter thus far.

Romans 13 falls in the midst of this application portion.

And it doesn’t come out of nowhere.

Paul tells believers how they are to live in the world:

Romans 12:17–18 (ESV)

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

Paul is building on this principle in speaking to how the Christian relates to the governing authorities.

Romans 13:1–4 (ESV)

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 whoever 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 the one 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. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

ALL AUTHORITIES ORDAINED BY GOD (v. 1-2, v. 4)

The chapter begins with Paul saying, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.”

I actually don’t want us to start with every person being subject. Instead, let’s start with the governing authorities. Let’s see what we can learn about them in these verses.

First of all, they are from God.

We know that because Paul says “there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

In fact, he goes on to say in verse 2 that if you resist the governing authority that is in place, you are actually resisting authority that has been appointed by God.

And when you resist those authorities and you are punished, that judgment is coming upon you because God has placed authority in the hands of the state.

We see the idea repeated one more time in verse 4 where Paul calls the government, “God’s servant for your good.”

Later in the verse he says that the one in authority is “the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”

Clearly, it is beyond argument that the New Testament views the governing state to have its origin in God and its authority and purpose come from God.

Teaching Point #1: All governing authorities are appointed by God (v. 1-2, 4).

So when did God do this? And why did God do this?

To understand this, we need to go back to the beginning and take a look at Adam and then Noah.

We need to look at covenants.

In fact, it is through God’s covenant promises to humanity and to His people that we can begin to understand how government came from God.

It is through an understanding of the Lord’s covenants that we come to see God’s purpose for government.

GOD’S GOVERNMENT

When we talk about government, we start with God’s government.

God reigns over the earth.

Psalm 103:19 (ESV)

The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all.

Psalm 145:13 (ESV)

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words

and kind in all his works.

There is nothing in all of existence that does not fall under God’s rule.

Society. Family. The arts. Industry.

And certainly, government.

THE COVENANT OF WORKS

As the ruling Creator of the universe, God chose to create man in His image and give man certain responsibilities:

Genesis 1:27–28 (ESV)

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Be fruitful and multiply

Fill the earth

Subdue—have dominion over it

Adam, representing all humanity, is given commands that establish the foundation for culture as we know it.

Husbands and wives. Mothers and fathers. Agriculture.

All of this is instituted by God’s blessed command.

And Adam is like a King who God has placed on earth to run the world in His stead

God chose to rule the world through a man.

Scott Aniol

Then, when we get to Genesis 2, we see more detail regarding the work of dominion that Adam will perform.

Genesis 2:15 (ESV)

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

He will work and keep the garden.

That language of “work and keep,” is Levitical. It is way the priests are spoken of in Torah as they perform their duties.

They kept the Law and offered spiritual service to the Lord.

In other words—in the same way that the priests worked in the temple and kept the temple as an act of priestly worship to God...

Adam was to work and keep the Garden as an act of priestly worship to His Maker.

In other words, God placed Adam on the earth to be a Kingly Priest that would bear His image—ruling the world in His place and worshipping Him day and night.

It was designed to be a perfect marriage between dominion and worship.

The perfect marriage of King and Priest.

This was a covenant of works.

If Adam was the King-Priest he was called to be, he would be blessed.

If he did not, and he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and disobeyed God, he would be cursed—he would die.

We know that Adam did just that. He disobeyed God and he failed in the covenant.

And as a result, there was a curse pronounced:

Genesis 3:14–17 (ESV)

The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all livestock

and above all beasts of the field;

on your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;

in pain you shall bring forth children.

Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,

but he shall rule over you.”

And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree

of which I commanded you,

‘You shall not eat of it,’

cursed is the ground because of you;

in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

But did you catch the promise there in the midst of the curse.

A child of the woman will bruise the head of the Deceiver in the Garden.

But that does not happen right away.

ESTABLISHING THE COMMON KINGDOM

After the Fall, the world is chaotic and sinful.

Brother murdering brother.

The thoughts of humanity are hopelessly sinful

Genesis 6:5–7 (ESV)

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

And so the Lord floods the earth.

Prior to the flood, there are moments of God’s gracious and merciful hand providing hints of what we know as government.

Genesis 4:17 (ESV)

Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.

Cain builds a city, which hints at some form of societal structure coming about to prevent evil from running completely amok

But after the flood, God institutes government for the common kingdom of man in plain language.

Genesis 9:1–7 (ESV)

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

“Whoever sheds the blood of man,

by man shall his blood be shed,

for God made man in his own image.

And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

Notice that in the covenant with Noah, God repeats the words of Genesis 1:28— “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”

Have kids

Work the ground

But notice what is not there in the Noahic Covenant—there is no command to have dominion over the earth.

That is a command that was given to Adam as our royal representative, but he failed in that.

And because of his failure, we are all born separated from God, dead in our sins and unable to exercise dominion over creation.

We can’t rule the world the way God designed us to. We are not perfect. We are fallen.

And yet, God is merciful toward His creation.

In this covenant, He promises to preserve His world.

He will never flood the earth again as we fill it—so He will preserve nature and those who live in it.

But He also promises that whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image.

Meaning, He will not only preserve the world by not flooding it, but He is establishing government in the world to preserve the life of men from the evil that lies within.

That is what you are seeing in the Noahic Covenant.

The sword—capital punishment—will be placed in the hand of man to keep man from destruction.

God gave this responsibility to govern the world and its people once again to all humankind as a means through which God would sovereignly control man’s sinfulness and preserve the world and its order until the Second Adam would establish his reign as the perfect king/priest.

Scott Aniol

There will come a day when Christ returns to the earth and establishes His perfect rule and reign as the Second Adam.

Until then, Adam’s kingly role in the garden carries on in the form of government.

And that government keeps humanity from ripping itself apart.

They are the hockey referee that keeps everyone from using their blades and sticks to kill each other and puts people in the penalty box.

This is a part of God’s common grace to all human beings that live in the common kingdom of man.

The common kingdom is this fallen earthly society we are all apart of—believer and unbeliever alike.

God has certain graces that He allows everyone in the common Kingdom to enjoy.

Matthew 5:45 (ESV)

so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

He also gives the sword of the government to the evil and the good. The just and the unjust.

It is a common grace blessing to all of humanity to preserve our lives.

It is the imperfect way in which humanity is carrying out Adam’s garden activity until the perfect government of Christ comes.

All human government has been instituted by God for these purposes.

It is evidence that God is merciful and does not abandon His world.

People who subscribe to a secular humanistic view that removes God from His rightful place as Creator and relegates humanity into being nothing more than evolved animals claim otherwise.

They say that government is a human invention.

The state and government, magistrates, and so on, are not a human invention, they are not a human desire or device. In spite of the views of so-called ‘leading authorities,’ we assert from the Scripture that men and women have not evolved from animals. And neither have their culture and government…The evolutionary view will tell you that humanity has gradually thought these things out, that they have evolved as a result of trial and error. That is quite wrong.

Martin Lloyd-Jones

Government is not an accidental reality. It is not a necessary force invented by humans after generations of evolution by chance.

It is a tool employed by God for the safeguarding of humanity.

THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT (v. 3-4)

And what this does is really reveal to us the purpose that God has for government.

It exists as a tool of preservation for humanity.

We see this in the Noahic Covenant, but we also see it in the text this morning.

Rulers are a terror to bad conduct

God has not put them in place to conjure up righteousness, but to curb unrighteousness—preservation

Rulers approve of what is good

Because what is good is not harmful and does not transgress their purpose of preserving society

They are God’s servant for your good—carrying out God’s wrath on the evildoer

They serve goodness by combatting evildoing —preservation

Teaching Point #2: All governing authorities are appointed for preservation (v. 3-4).

PEACEFUL AND QUIET LIFE

A passage we must set up next to Romans 13 when discussing the New Testament’s teaching on government is 1 Timothy 2:1-2

1 Timothy 2:1–2 (ESV)

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

Why do we pray for kings and all who are in high positions?

That we may lead a peaceful and quiet life.

This is the opportunity that the preserving force of government is designed to provide.

A tranquil life in which godliness is able to be pursued and love can abound

It is the life Paul describes in Romans 12:18

Romans 12:18 (ESV)

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

God appoints the state to limit the evil of humanity, which threatens this life.

This is why Paul says in Romans 13:3 that rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad.

The sword of the state limits the effects of depravity.

If you think the world is bad, you can only imagine how awful it would be without God’s servant for good—the government.

God uses the threat of the state’s sword to warn us and then punish us if we transgress the laws that are designed to provide a peaceful and quiet life.

When Paul speaks about the peaceful and quiet life in 1 Timothy 2, he is speaking of the life of Christians.

We should pray that the state would operate in such a way that Christians can live a peaceful and quiet life.

But a society in which Christians can pursue a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way, is a society in which others can be law-abiding citizens in a free world.

For example, it is the Christian worldview’s influence on society that brought an end to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

What Christians prayed against and said no to was to the benefit of society.

Another example would be the constitutional religious liberty in the United States of America.

It is freedom that finds its roots in the Christian worldview and yet it is to the benefit of all the different religious people in the country who can practice their faith without harassment.

Wherever you find governments allowing Christians to pray more, give more, preach more, congregate more, sing more, serve more, evangelize more and minister more, you will find societies better off.

A negative way to state the government’s purpose is to say that it limits evil with the sword.

A positive way to speak about it is that they should promote the welfare of all by providing a pathway to a peaceful and quiet life.

GOD RULING THE WORLD

But whether we state it positively or negatively, the bottom line is that the Lord has chosen to rule over the global, common kingdom of man, through human rulers.

Sometimes He is doing this through unbelieving human rulers.

In fact, we would say that is the case most of the time.

And yet, since God has chosen to preserve the world through these human rulers, what Paul is telling us is that these rulers are God’s servants.

They might be unbelievers, but God has them doing His bidding.

Peter even says they are sent by God.

1 Peter 2:14 (ESV)

or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

And when they justly bear the sword against evil, it is God carrying out punishment Himself.

That is why Paul says the “avenger carries out God’s wrath on the evildoer.”

THE CHRISTIAN AND THE AUTHORITIES (v. 1)

SUBMISSION OR OBEDIENCE

Now, the question is, what is the believer’s relationship to this sword-bearing servant that is the state?

This takes us back to verse 1. God’s Word does not leave us guessing.

Romans 13:1 (ESV)

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.

We are to be subject to them.

What does that word mean? Does it mean that we are obedient to the governing authorities?

This is how some people interpret and teach this verse.

They say the Christian is to obey the government.

But is that what the Apostle is really saying?

Is he saying that we mechanically obey the governing authorities without question?

Well a couple of things about this...

First of all, the New Testament writers generally use one of three Greek words when they are speaking of obedience in the New Testament and Paul chooses to use none of them here.

Secondly, the same word that translates to “subject” here is used in Ephesians 5:21

Ephesians 5:21 (ESV)

submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

If you try to substitute obey in there, it doesn’t make any sense.

We do not obey one another out of reverence for Christ in the local church.

So we shouldn’t say that Christians obey the government.

Instead, we should say that Christians are submissive to the government.

We are subject to the government.

It is what Paul is talking about when he tells Titus:

Titus 3:1 (ESV)

Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,

It is what Peter is talking about when he says:

1 Peter 2:13–14 (ESV)

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 evil and to praise those who do good.

After the flood, the Lord instituted human government as a blessing to restrict evil and praise good on earth.

It was part of His preserving love to the common Kingdom of man.

And now, as believers, we seek to be submissive to that institution.

We subject ourselves to the state’s authority.

This is who we are as Christian people.

The Lord has conquered our rebel hearts and He has granted us a salvation we could have never earned on our own.

It is a humbling thing.

And the humility we have learned from the very Cross that saves us, beckons us to be submissive.

Submissive to one another out of reverence for Christ

Church members submissive to their pastors

Wives submissive to their husbands

Employees submissive to their employers

And certainly, Christian citizens must be submissive to the governing authority

3. All Christians are to be subject to all governing authorities (v. 1).

WHEN GOVERNMENT GOES WRONG

But we do not say use the word obey.

And that is because there may be times in which we cannot obey.

We remain submissive in our spirit.

We long to be subject to a government that is rightly bearing the sword that God placed in their hand.

But if the government is requiring something of us that we simply cannot adhere to, we cannot be obedient.

We saw an example of this as we studied Acts 4. The ruling council tells Peter—the same guy who wrote a letter to dispersed Christians and told them to be subject to every human institution—that the church must stop preaching the name of Christ.

Here is the response of Peter and the Apostle John:

Acts 4:19–20 (ESV)

But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”

Peter and John are not rebellious. They are not obstinate.

But they cannot obey commands that directly go against the commandments of Christ.

They have been told to be witnesses and fishers of men, therefore, they cannot obey.

And the theological reason for this is that God is still the Ruler of the Universe.

He may institute imperfect human governors to rule on earth until His Son’s perfect government comes, but that doesn’t meant that government is not accountable to God.

God is the One who put all governmental offices in place.

They are meant to be a preserving extension of His loving and good rule.

Therefore, they are subject to the moral law of the God who put them in place.

The question is—what do Christians do when governments and leaders and those in high places cast off their accountability to God and rule with evil intentions?

What happens when they bomb innocents?

What happens when they tax beyond the ability of the people to pay?

What happens when they kill babies?

Should Christians, who are subjecting themselves to the authority of the state, seek to change the state?

This is a complicated question and I have about three minutes left this morning.

But let me just say this—In the United States of America, we do have a way to change the state.

We serve a God who moves the pieces of history in and out of positions of power at His will.

And We live in a constitutional republic where we can vote people in and out of office.

Therefore, when you are out of sorts about your governors and magistrates and senators and Presidents failing to uphold the moral law of the God who appointed them, you know what to do, American Christian.

At the very least, you get on your knees and pray.

And you drive to your local polls and vote.

THE PRAISE OF SUBJECTION

But at the end of the day, our attitude toward government should be one of subjection, not rebellion.

That is the Christian position toward the state.

Not blind obedience.

Not angry rebelliousness.

But Christ-honoring subjection

We should honor our leaders. We should pray for them. We should respect them. We should follow all of their laws that we can.

We should put ourselves under them and submit to them.

And we should seek to do good in their societies.

And again, as Peter has shown us, this will be for our good.

It will be to our praise.

1 Peter 2:14 (ESV)

or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.

The governor praises the one who does good.

And our hope is they will look beyond us and glorify our Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:16 (ESV)

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

INDIVIDUAL APPLICATION

So the individual Christian cannot say that God has left them guessing. Just the opposite. He has spoken clearly.

In Romans 12:9-21, he gives clear instructions for individual believers on how their faith is to be lived out in the world.

Genuine love

Hate was is evil and cling to what is good

Love one another like brothers

Outdo each other in honor

Don’t be lazy in zeal, but have a passion to serve the Lord in your spirit.

Rejoice in hope.

Be patient in suffering.

Be constant in prayer.

Meet the needs of your brothers and sisters and open your lives to one another.

Bless those who persecute you

Live in harmony with one another

Don’t be proud and be found with the humble

Live peaceably with all

Love your enemy

And right on the heels of all these commands, we get another one for every Roman Christian who was under the authority of domineering Emperor Nero— “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities...”

This is part of your Christian duty, as you wait for your Lord to return.

But what about the church as a whole?

Does the entire body of Christ submit to the government?

That’s next week.

We’ve seen how God is governing the common kingdom of man with the state.

But what about the redemptive kingdom?

And how does it co-exist with the common kingdom?

And what do I do in the face of the evil in the common kingdom as a member of the redemptive kingdom?

We will wait for verses 5-7.

CONCLUSION

As the band returns, I want to let you know how much hope I have in the piano.

It will lead us well in this final song.

It will make sure we stay in tune and stay together and lift our voices in a God-honoring way.

As the pastor of this church, I have full hope in this piano to lead us in worship!

Of course that is ridiculous and I am being ridiculous, but that ridiculousness represents the great tragedy of the American political idol.

How many people, Christians included, are putting their hope in government to fix all their problems?

In doing this, they are putting their hope in a tool that God is using to preserve humanity.

The truth is that I do not hope in the piano to lead us.

I hope in our worship pastor.

I hope in our musicians and our A/V Team.

But I know the piano is just a servant.

It is a tool being used by those who are actually in control.

Government preserves your life and it exists to provide a peaceful and quiet life, but it cannot preserve your soul and it cannot quiet your conscience.

Only God, the Appointer of government can do that.

And He has sent His Son Jesus to give all the answers to the questions your soul is asking.

Government cannot forgive your sin, but Christ can.

Turn away from it and turn toward Him in faith.

Government cannot save you from God’s wrath, but Christ can.

Trust in the One who died in your place as if He committed your sin.

Government cannot bring your eternal victory, but Christ can.

He rose again to defeat sin and death on your behalf.

Turn and believe in Him today.