continue to expand while keeping all citations and find the sources of ideas cited with a reference list in Havard style at the end. Include in-text citations for all sources in the reference list: Civil Government
God established civil government as a blessing to human beings, to protect us against the great evil of anarchy. Governments should punish evil and encourage good, executing justice on wrongdoers and defending the weak and defenseless. God is sovereign over all nations even today. Citizens should obey the laws of the government except in certain circumstances.
It is important for governments to safeguard human liberty, which is essential to human flourishing on the earth. However, government cannot save people or fundamentally change human hearts. Regarding the relationship between church and state, the church should not govern “the things that are Caesar’s” and the civil government should not govern “the things that are God’s.” Civil governments should never try to compel religion but should protect freedom of religion. Governments should however support and encourage bona fide religious groups in general. It is wise for governments to establish a strong and clear separation of powers, and even rulers must be subject to the rule of law. Governments should be chosen by the consent of the people. Nations should value patriotism. Christians should seek to influence governments for good. Christians have influenced civil governments positively throughout history.
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Other Authorities
In the workplace, employees should be subject to the authority of their supervisors. They should not steal but should work diligently as serving Christ. Employers should treat their employees fairly, knowing that God will repay their good and evil deeds.
With respect to the church, church members should be subject to the authority of the elders, and elders should exercise their authority willingly, eagerly, and as examples to others.
With respect to schools, Scripture does not contain explicit teachings about the authority of teachers with respect to their students, but in a school situation parents may rightfully entrust some of their parental authority to teachers. Students should be submissive to the authority of their teachers, should honor them, and should work hard on their academic work, as serving the Lord.
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Capital Punishment
God’s words to Noah after the flood in Genesis 9:5–6 established the basis for human governments to carry out capital punishment, at least for the crime of murder. That principle is reaffirmed in Romans 13:1–4. Objections based on alternative interpretations of Genesis 9, the teachings of Jesus, a “whole-life ethic,” or questions of results and fairness are not persuasive.
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War
The commandment against murder (Ex. 20:13) does not prohibit all participation in war because the Hebrew verb used in this commandment is never used to speak of killing in war. Governments have a responsibility to defend their nations against attacks by other nations with military forces if necessary. There are eight commonly used criteria for deciding if a war should be considered a “just war,” and four commonly recognized moral restrictions on how a just war should be fought.
A Christian soldier who participates in fighting a just war is not doing something morally wrong or morally neutral, but something that is morally good in God’s sight. But it is morally wrong to serve in a war that is clearly unjust. The pacifist arguments promoted by Jim Wallis, Greg Boyd, and others are not persuasive. Now that nuclear weapons exist in the world, it is necessary for some peace-loving nations to have them in order to defend against potential aggressors. In addition, antimissile defense systems should continue to be developed and strengthened. Nations should not send women into combat situations.