Government of the People, and Government by the People

First, in “Government of the People,” we will examine the responsibilities of the government and its chosen representatives and leaders. Second, in “Government by the People,” we’ll take a look at the people’s responsibilities. In our next blog, “Government for the People,” we’ll see how the government and the people work together so that the power of government remains with and benefits all the people.

Of the People

What does  “government of the people” really mean? Biblically, a “good” government will protect each individual’s God-given rights. These are not “government-given” rights. If they were, then the government could also take them away. But they are not, these rights are God-given.

In the United States of America, every year on the 4^th of July we celebrate the signing of a document that was written to declare the independence of the thirteen American colonies from the tyrannical rule of King George III and the British government.

The Declaration of Independence begins to define the rights of men and women that a godly government is to safeguard. It states that all are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Let’s look just a bit at each of these rights.

God-given Rights: Life

God is the Creator, the Author of life. Our heavenly Father “giveth to all life, and breath, and all things” (Acts 17:24). After God put man’s physical body together, He breathed life into him.

Genesis 2:7:
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

The Devil only comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). The adversary is the one who wants to deprive each man of the life God gave to mankind. Hebrews 2:14 plainly describes “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.”

Jesus Christ overcame the adversary and brought eternal life through his life, death, resurrection, and ascension. When any person confesses Jesus Christ as lord and believes that God raised Jesus from the dead, they are born-again and filled with the gift of holy spirit (Romans 10:9,10). God, by His great grace and love, makes us alive with Christ!

Ephesians 2:1,2,4,5:
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;　
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air,
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).

But we still live where Satan, the prince of the power of the air, deceives and manipulates the courses of this world. What do we do about the evil and vicious attacks we see around us?

Godly governments are set up to protect each individual’s right to live. They can make, carry out, and judge laws that condemn crimes such as assault or murder. They can also preserve each individual’s right to defend himself from bodily harm. Personal self defense involves the right to bear arms. Local law enforcement can support community self defense. And governments can also maintain a military for national defense.

God-given Rights: Liberty

We not only have life in Christ, we also have true liberty. We should stand fast in that spiritual freedom and not allow men to put us into spiritual bondage.

Galatians 5:1:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.　

Religion is often defined as a set of ideals or codes that bind men to certain actions. People have the freedom to decide how they will worship God on the inside, in their own private thoughts. But when it comes to their actions, powerful religious leaders may try to force people to follow religious rules and dogmas that those people do not believe. They try to entangle others in a “yoke of bondage.” This can be seen in Biblical records like Daniel being thrown into the lions den, Paul being put in prison, or Jesus Christ being attacked by the  Pharisees.

In a godly government, one of the liberties afforded is the freedom of religion. Joshua gave the children of Israel a choice: to serve the one true God of Israel or other gods. He said, “choose you this day whom ye will serve” (Joshua 24:15). Because God gave us all the freedom to choose to love and serve Him, it is the purpose of a godly government to preserve this freedom. Government should never be allowed to set up a state religion that all would be compelled to follow. The American patriot, Patrick Henry, put it this way:

It cannot be emphasized too strongly that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity and freedom of worship here.

What about freedom of speech or the freedom of the press? Born-again believers have the ministry of reconciliation, a sonship right, to communicate God’s heart, His will, and His Word to all (II Corinthians 5:18). However, the right to freedom of speech must be protected for every individual by government to maintain a free exchange of ideas. With this right comes the responsibility to exercise it properly, so “free speech” must have certain restrictions placed upon it to guard against threats, obscenity, or incitement.

We also have the God-given right to peaceably assemble, and the right to hold private property. Godly governments will protect these rights by making laws, carrying out laws, and judging according to the laws established.

God-given Rights: The Pursuit of Happiness

God gave us each the right to pursue happiness. A godly government is set up to preserve and protect the value of each individual and to allow them to pursue their calling in life. Once the choice is made to love and serve the one true God, the value of that individual can begin to be fully realized.

Ecclesiastes 5:18:
Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

Ephesians 2:10:
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Government is to protect the individual’s right to pursue happiness, not to provide the happiness. Avenues of getting and spending, of giving and serving, are not to be commandeered by government in order to use people for its own purposes. Rather, those avenues are to be made secure for the individual’s pursuit and fulfillment of their own calling and purpose.

By the People

Godly governments are set up to protect each individual’s God-given rights. However, government is not to provide what each person needs to take believing action for himself; it is not to overstep the individual’s responsibility to pull their own weight (every man shall bear his own burden, Galatians 6:4,5); it is not to provide for those who cannot work for themselves, or those in need (this is the domain of a concerned individual, family, community, or church where freewill giving is available).

Davy Crockett, a U.S. congressman in the early 1800s, was about to vote on a bill to give government money to the widow of a naval officer. The bill was expected to pass since it seemed such a “humane” gesture. But Crockett realized that such an action would overstep the responsibility of a godly government. He showed where true giving should begin.

I have as much respect for the memory of the deceased…but we must not permit our respect for the dead or our sympathy for a part of the living to lead us into an act of injustice to the balance of the living…We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money…We have not the semblance of authority to appropriate it as charity…I am the poorest man on this floor. I cannot vote for this bill, but I will give one week’s pay to the object, and if every member of Congress will do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks.

Individual Responsibility

The famous pioneer Davy Crockett was willing to “put his money where his mouth is.” In our time when welfare, protective services, food stamps, unemployment benefits, and all sorts of aid is provided by the government, Crockett’s words may sound a bit harsh. But where should “charity” begin?

It is every individual’s responsibility to be a good and strong citizen. Mature, self-governing men and women are vital to sustain a government of the people, by the people, for the people. It is in the basic unit of society, the family, where parents are responsible to raise their children to be self-governing, mature, good, and strong citizens (Deuteronomy 4:9).

Only when a majority of good and strong citizens take on the responsibilities of self-government and raising their children into mature adults, can a government by the people continue to preserve and protect individual God-given rights. That majority will then help to promote a culture that cultivates virtue in its citizens.

In the early days of the Christian church, Peter and John took a stand and decided to do the right thing in a challenging situation. Thousands of people in Jerusalem believed what they preached about Jesus Christ. This believing “culture” made it difficult for the religious leaders to hurt these two apostles.

Acts 4:18-21:
And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.
But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.
For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.　

Stewardship

Besides being good and strong citizens, each individual is to take on the responsibility that goes along with the right to hold private property, which includes not just land or money, but even our own bodies. Everyone is ultimately accountable to God for how they live and how they steward those things that have been entrusted to them.

Stewardship goes back to Adam and Eve. God gave them the garden, to dress it and to keep it; and to enjoy the fruit of their labor. They were accountable to God for their stewardship of that property. Good stewardship includes working heartily, giving, and living within our means. That is the individual’s responsibility and it requires selfless giving and a trust in God to abundantly supply our need.

Government of and by the People

In “Government of the People,” we have looked at the responsibilities of the government and its chosen representatives and leaders. Godly governments protect the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In “Government by the People,” we noted the people’s responsibilities. Individuals and groups are to take on their personal responsibilities to give to others in need, raise their children to be good and strong citizens, and to steward their resources properly. When they apply the principles in God’s Word, He can bless them and their nation.

Psalms 33:12:
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance.　

Next time in “Government for the People,” we’ll see how the government and the people work together so that the power of government remains with and benefits all the people.