Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 179:715 (Jul 2022)
Article: The Table Briefing: Government And The Believer
Author: Darrell L. Bock

BSac 179:715 (July-September 2022) p. 343

The Table Briefing: Government And The Believer

Darrell L. Bock

and

Kymberli M. Cook

Darrell L. Bock is Senior Research Professor in New Testament Studies and Executive Director for Cultural Engagement at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. Kymberli M. Cook is Assistant Director of the Hendricks Center and a PhD student in Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary.

In this age of rabid politics, it is difficult to remember that the phenomenon of government is actually a means by which God providentially guides and cares for his creation. Government can be (and is supposed to be) a very good thing. Reality, unfortunately, has taught us that in our fallen world it can become a very bad thing. Wyatt Graham contrasts those with societal oversight as having the potential to be “God’s ministers” or “God’s monsters.”1 At the Hendricks Center, we spent time discussing these potentials for government with Patrick Schreiner, who digs deep into the Bible and historical backgrounds to surface practical implications. We also had the privilege of sitting down with those serving in the checks and balances of the American government. We spoke with Greg Adams, a civil servant, and Kelly Shackelford, a lawyer, who both spend time thinking through religious liberty. Within these conversations, we have consistently seen three exercises for relating to any government in a godly and biblical manner. Believers must develop both a skill and strength in all three.

The Exercise Of Submission

As part of God’s eternal law, he established an order in creation. Government is a part of that order. Perhaps one of the most well-known passages supporting this idea is Romans 13:1: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted

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by God” (ESV). As a general rule, followers of Christ should submit to governmental authorities as an act of worship and faith in God. As part of their conversation on Christian engagement in public spaces, Patrick Schreiner, author of Political Gospel: Public Witness in a Politically Crazy World, and Associate Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Darrell Bock discuss passages involving God’s instruction on law and politics.

Schreiner: I’m not a political theology person. I’m not a political theorist. I didn’t do political science in my BA. But I have studied the biblical...