What qualifies as “good” government and “bad” government? Does God have anything to say about it? Yes, He says plenty.
And if we look closely, it might surprise us to realize our Constitution goes hand-in-hand with the Bible.
1 Timothy 1:2 says, “There I exhort first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings (or presidents in the case of America) and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet ad peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”
Does God care if we have a good government?
Well, according to the verse above, not only are we to pray for those in authority and in our government, but it is to be done FIRST! God obviously cares what is happening. Does it make sense we would pray for bad government? Let’s look further.
In Derek Prince’s book, Shaping History Through Prayer and Fasting, he asks the question, “Does the kind of government we live under affect the way we live? Obviously, it does.”
How? Because the form of government over a country determines how and if the gospel can be preached.
Is that something God cares about? We know He does!
Let’s go a step further and look for the connection between good government and the preaching of the gospel. Which kind of government makes it easier to preach the gospel—good government or bad government?
To answer that question let’s contrast the effects of good and bad government as they relate to the preaching of the gospel.
A good government:
- Maintains law and order
- Promotes a sound infrastructure
- Keeps communications open
- Preserves civil liberty
- Protects freedom of speech and freedom of assembly
It is interesting to note that nearly all these points are covered in the U.S. Constitution and provide a climate in which the gospel can be preached effectively.
On the other hand, characteristics of a bad government are:
- A break-down of law and order
- Permits unsafe conditions for citizens
- Censors communication and free speech
- Restricts freedom of assembly
- Destroys infrastructure
- Imposes unjust and arbitrary restrictions
Based on those characteristics a bad government hinders the effective preaching of the truth.
What kind of government is America now under?
Prince stated in 1973, “At its worst, bad government either restricts or totally suppresses the universal right of all people to believe in God and to express their faith by public worship and proclamation.”
He continued, “In one degree or another, we see these conditions in countries under communist or totalitarian rule today.”
Although Prince wrote that description almost fifty years ago, it very clearly describes America today under the Biden administration.
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We are now under a government in which:
- Lawlessness rules.
- Conditions for citizens have become unsafe as police are defunded and removed.
- Life in the womb is not protected. Instead, baby parts are auctioned to the highest bidder.
- Christians are censored and pastors arrested.
- An “infrastructure” bill introduced to spend over 2 TRILLION dollars has more to do with passing popular liberal projects and increased frivolous spending than actual infrastructure.
- Unjust and arbitrary restrictions are created and imposed upon law-abiding citizens which don’t apply to illegal immigrants or liberals.
Without a doubt, America is currently under bad government—which hinders the gospel.
Let’s look again at 1 Timothy 2:1-4 from a logical progression of its meaning:
- The first ministry and outreach of believers when we come together should be prayer.
- The first specific topic for prayer should be government.
- We are to pray for good government.
- God desires all people to have the truth of the gospel preached to them.
- Good government facilitates the preaching of the gospel, while bad government hinders it.
- Therefore, we can come to no other conclusion but that God is for good government.
While the Left has worked for years to brainwash Americans to believe the church is supposed to stay out of government because of “separation of church and state,” the truth is there is no such law or suggestion in our Constitution.
For those who don’t know, the term “separation of church and state” was a reference made by Thomas Jefferson in his letter to the Danbury Baptists where he expressed concern that GOVERNMENT might one day encroach upon the rights of the church.
That is what is happening today.
SEE ALSO:
Our founding fathers understood the need to protect the Church from a tyrannical government which is why they wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Most of us are very familiar with that part of the Declaration of Independence, but less familiar to the important words that follow:
It is imperative that we understand the protections our founding fathers put into place. They worked to safeguard the newly established country of America knowing that there are evil people who would try to take her over.
Having fought to escape the tyranny of Britain, they wrote as a reminder, that it is THE PEOPLE who must fight against a tyrannical government.
How do we do that? We know the first step which is found in I Timothy 2:1-4. We are to pray for good government.
Prayer:
Lord, we pray for the United States of America. We are grateful for the words and instruction of the founding fathers who fought there way out of tyranny. May we learn from them now as we pray for our government—for a GOOD government. Lord we pray for a government with godly leaders who will honor You and follow after Your heart. We pray that they will allow the gospel to be shared freely and places of worship open to honor You. We pray that our governmental leaders will heed our Constitution and Bill of Rights rather than trample it beneath their feet.
We bind the spirit of lawlessness and pray for protection over the citizens of this nation and our police officers and military who put their lives on the line to protect us. We pray that censorship of Truth will be stopped and that the lying lips will be silenced which speak arrogantly against the righteous with pride and contempt. Thank you, Lord for showing yourself strong on our behalf.
Declaration: We declare that America will have a good government with godly leaders who walk in the fear of the Lord.
(Some insights for this post taken from Derek Prince’s book, “Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting”)
This article is just full of the spirit of deception and pride. The founding fathers wrote that the authoritarianism of the Church of England under the Crown was the reason for the “separation of church and state” clause. When the U.S. became a country of religious freedom (not Christian freedom, religious freedom) it was to protect all religions and belief systems from being controlled by one powerful Church that could become intertwined with the government.
It seems your belief system more closely aligns with that of the authoritarian Church of England during the 1700’s. You are welcome to move to the UK if you really want the warped governing system you described in this article. However, I think if you truly read the Bible, you would find that there’s nothing there to support your authoritarian dream.
People like me, and the majority of Americans will always fight people like you that wish to establish one main religion in America because this is a land of freedom. NOT control. Please do not ever call yourself a patriot. You are a disgrace to that moniker.
Sadly, you don’t seem to understand my article or what our founding fathers worked to create in America. I agree with you that they wanted to protect us from authoritarian control of a governmental church. I don’t want that either. My statement in the article is that we ARE a nation, a Christian nation, founded on the Bible. Also what I state is true of where the statement of separation of church and state began via Thomas Jefferson and his concern that the government would become overbearing and controlling against the Church—as we see happening now. Your assumption that my beliefs align with an authoritarian church are completely inaccurate. Your statement “people like you” reveal your offense and judgment in what you assumed I said, but which was not my meaning. I encourage you to read our Constitution and the words and intent of the founding fathers in many of their writings published in the Federalist Papers. Perhaps you would have a different view. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Freedom of speech is a principal pillar of a free government; when this support is taken away, the constitution of a free society is dissolved, and tyranny is erected on its ruins. Republics…derive their strength and vigor from a popular examination into the action of the magistrates.” America has given away their freedom of speech and freedom of religion and free government for the promise of safety, which the current administration has no intention of fulfilling.