Dear Christians, Are We Showing Honor to Our Leaders in Government?
Christians live in a time when it seems as though virtually every decision made by leaders in government, especially in higher levels of government, is against them. What are described as “traditional values” are mocked and trampled down, and the Bible is given a token reference at best.
Add to that the age of cynicism in which we live. We are told to trust no one, so we don’t. We nitpick and fault-find to justify not trusting any so-called leader.
Throw the instant nature of sharing information into the mix and you have a serious situation. We can easily hit “share” on any article and it jumps on our Facebook page or Twitter timeline. We can leave comments on blog posts or throw in our thoughts virtually instantaneously on social media.
All of that, though, can lead to a problem. It is when Christians fail to show honor to whom we are commanded to show honor.
I fully understand how we can get frustrated, angry, and upset at various policy decisions. The undertow of immorality and anti-God sentiment seems to only get stronger. Christians in a free country have the ability and right to speak out for what we believe in, and we should exercise that right.
However, we are ultimately governed by the laws of God, which means I cannot just say “anything” in any fashion and be justified in doing so. And that is where, I fear, we often fail.
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament make it clear that governmental leaders are not perfect, but are to be honored.
Exodus 22:28: “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.”
1 Peter 2:17: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor” (KJV, “king”).
Romans 13:1-2: “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.”
In each of those passages–one from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament–there is a clear connection between God and governmental leaders. I just wonder if we make that connection in how we speak about our leaders.
Does that mean that Christians are to just follow whatever the government tells us to do? Of course not. The overriding principle is still to “obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29).
But part of obeying God is how we speak of others, including our governmental leaders. God has made it clear throughout the pages of Scripture that even bad governments sometimes are used to do His ultimate will. (If you don’t believe me, just spend a little time with the Old Testament prophet Habakkuk.)
Still, due to our freedoms, we are able to speak out when something goes against the ways of the Lord. That said, there is a way to speak out against a policy or decision that we feel is unbiblical without dishonoring the leaders.
As I read through Facebook and Twitter, I see people calling our president names like “idiot,” “buffoon,” and other derogatory terms. I see Christians selecting certain politicians and making fun of their physical appearance in extremely derogatory terms. I have even seen Christians say that they wish a particular leader would just die (or, maybe even more horrific, be assassinated).
Is there any way we can say such things and claim to be following the will of God toward our governmental leaders? Somehow, difficult as it might be, we must be willing to separate the way we speak out for or against policies from the way we speak about the policy-makers.
We must always remember that both Peter and Paul wrote in a time when the Roman Empire was ruling. Peter’s first epistle (quoted earlier) was written in a time when Christians were already going through persecution, and he made it clear that it would get worse. Paul wrote the book of Romans when none other than Nero was sitting on the emperor’s seat in Rome. If anyone had reason to disagree with governmental policy, it was these early Christians. Yet, there is a deafening silence at it pertains to speaking out cruelly toward the leaders themselves. Instead, Christians were called to honor them! How much more true should that be in a time when we are far more free than many of our First Century brothers and sisters?
Look at this verse and see if it describes how you talk or write about our governmental leaders: “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as it good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear” (Ephesians 4:29).
Or how about this one: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person” (Colossians 4:6).
Solomon, himself a leader in government, gave us the well-known proverb, “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).
So, before you type out that comment on Facebook, click the comment button the blog, or hit “send” on that email to your Congressperson, maybe you need to think twice. Are you speaking out clearly and passionately about an issue while remaining Biblical, or are you speaking cruelly about our leaders in government in a way that goes against the will of God?
Christians must always do the will of God, even in times when it may not be easy. Are you? Am I?
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