39 between good and bad government somewhat meaningless, for all governments are worthy of rebellion in the pacifistic sense of the term.9 This view is, I think, difficult to square with the biblical evidence. While there is no doubt that government is influenced by sin, just as everything else is, and that government is uniquely capable of destruction and evil, there is almost no direct teaching in Scripture that government, as an entity, should be seen this way. Reducing all government to such a condition also presumes a disturbing amount of moral equivalence that makes it impossible to characterize governments as “good” or “bad.” While no government this side of heaven is perfect, some are morally and ethically better than others and to lump them all into an equivalent stew of evil seems ethically naked and theologically stunted. Regardless of where one comes down on these matters — whether government is a consequence of sin or part of who we are as imagebearers — the basic answer to our question is still the same. We have government because God instituted it for His purposes. This matters, not just for academic purposes, but as a contrast with the world that surrounds us. Whether you are orthodox or a heretic; a premodern, modern, or a postmodern; a Libertarian or a Green; a Democrat or a Republican, the divide between “God” and “not God” still persists. Our culture, in its effort to minimize God, has answered the question of where government comes from with “not God.” I disagree. What Is Government’s Purpose? There are at least three possible answers to this question, two of which were previously referenced. First, government performs an ordering and collective decision-making function that is necessary within human community. As described above, this task may transcend the existence of sin. Second, Paul describes government’s most obvious responsibility in Romans 13:2–4 — to reward good behavior and punish evil behavior. Government punishes with what Paul refers to as the power of the “sword.” This is government in its most basic sense. The pursuit of justice might demand many things, but legally it requires government to provide people what they deserve in the here and now — either reward or punishment — based on their behavior. Government functions to restrain evil in our world. Even if the seeds of government were indeed sewn before the Fall, after the Fall, government’s task includes this necessary restraint. 9 Yoder, 200 (f.n. 8).
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