God, Government & Law Enforcement

Law enforcement is the "up front" and most visible manifestation of government, and more specifically governmental authority. Does God respect government authority? How does God's view of government authority apply to law enforcement? Does God allow law enforcement to use force, including deadly force? Can a Christian be a law enforcement officer? In the Bible, Gods Word, God gives answers to these questions.Romans chapter 13, verses 1-7 specifically addresses government authority and law enforcement. Romans 13:1-7 New American Standard Version vs1 "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. vs2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. vs3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; vs4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil. vs5 Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience sake." vs6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. vs7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. Important Note: Romans 13:1-7 was written during the time of Roman government rule. The Roman government had recently put Jesus Christ to death by crucifixion. Further the Roman government was not a democracy, was known for the viciousness of it's soldiers and was by no means pro-Christian. In spite of all this God said what he did in the above verses of the book of Romans. Does God respect government authority? It is clear that there is no authority except from God, and that God establishes government for His purpose (vs1). Think about it, being a law enforcement officer means that you are working for God. Authority Before going further it is important to define and understand authority. Authority is the lawful right to enforce obedience. It is the power to influence or command behavior. An important aspect of authority is that it is given or surrendered; authority can never be taken. This does not mean that force and authority are incompatible. Force may be used in order to cause someone to submit or surrender to authority. In order for you to have authority over someone they must submit to your authority. For example, when a law enforcement officer turns on their flashing red and blue lights does the citizen pull over (or submit to the authority) because "John Smith" is driving a car with flashing lights? No, Joe Q. Citizen pulls over because "Officer John Smith", in a police car and acting as a representative of Joe Q. Citizen's government is pulling them over. Apart from the governmental authority that "John Smith" represents, "John Smith" has no authority. Truth - God is the ultimate authority, and there is no authority except from God. Application Citizens are clearly commanded to be in subjection to governing authorities according to Romans 13. Looking at this verse further, law enforcement officers should also be in subjection to authority. Officers should apply this principle by acting within the boundaries that are placed on them by society and department policy. Note to the Christian law enforcement officer: Government has a rightful authority from God that we must submit to, unless the government orders us to do something that is in opposition to God's law. In those circumstances Acts 4:19,20 teaches us to obey God before man. Acts 4:19,20 - But Peter and John answered and said to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking what we have seen and heard. In these verses, the apostles Peter and John had been commanded by the government to no longer speak or teach about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter and John knew it was against God's law to not speak about Jesus Christ, so they did not submit to the government authority. How does God's view of government apply to law enforcement? Can law enforcement use force? The Bible has established that lawful force to exercise authority, up to and including deadly force is acceptable. In Romans 13:4 God's word says that the government is a minister, a helper to those who do what is good. But to those that would do evil, they should be afraid; because the government does not bear the sword for nothing. In the time that the book of Romans was written the sword was carried by the Roman soldiers. The Roman soldier was charged with protecting the citizens of Rome, and upholding the laws of Rome. In many ways the Roman soldier was the equivalent of the modern day law enforcement officer. The Roman soldiers were given the authority by the Roman government to use force, including the sword which represented deadly force in order to exert the Roman government's authority over those that lived within the control of Rome. Based on the Biblical example of Romans 13, the modern law enforcement officer may also use force in order to protect those that do good, and to exert the governments authority over those who would do evil. This force can include the use of a gun which represents the modern sword. However in order to be in compliance to Romans 13:1 the force used by the law enforcement officer must be within the constraints of the authority given the law enforcement officer by the officers governing authority. Can a Christian be a law enforcement officer? Because all authority is from God, working in law enforcement means you are working for God. Interestingly, this applies whether you even believe in God or not. There is nothing in the Bible to suggest that Christians can not be law enforcement officers, or that they can not use force, including deadly force. In fact officers with a foundation built on a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are better equipped to deal with the evil of mankind. A final thought: God is the ultimate authority, and God uses governments and people in authority for His purpose whether they realize it or not. The Bible teaches us that those governments, and those people who no longer serve His purpose are removed by God. Having a personal relationship with God puts you in a position to not only be used by God, but to know His purpose. If you don't have a personal relationship with God, through His Son, Jesus Christ you can learn more here at our "Where will you spend eternity?" page.

 

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