Reformed Christian Politics and Theonomy

Last week, "A Study Report on Reformed Christian Politics" was released by two Presbyterian (PCA) pastors and Dr. Stephen Wolfe. Skimming through the report, it looks generally like a helpful contribution to the conversation on a Reformed approach to politics.

Thus far, the only chapter I have read in full is the chapter on theonomy. While I think that chapter is better than many other critiques of theonomy, and is worth reading on the topic, yet I think it errs when it says that theonomy strays from the Westminster Confession of Faith. What follows are my initial thoughts on that aspect of the report.

I think the report did a better job at exploring and explaining older theologians on the judicial laws of the Old Testament than it did explaining theonomy and theonomists like Greg Bahnsen. I do think there are some weaknesses in Greg Bahnsen's position, but not a difference with 19.4 of the Westminster Confession of Faith.

The report claims that Bahnsen equated the judicial laws and the moral law when he said that Old Testament standing laws are “morally binding” unless modified by revelation. But are not all laws of God morally binding upon those under them? Bahnsen noted that judicial laws can be modified, thus distinguishing them from the moral law.

Contrary to what the report says, Greg Bahnsen, like the Westminster Confession, looked to the general equity contained in the judicial laws as a guiding principle of application. And he recognized there are discontinuities in application due to redemptive historical and cultural differences between Old Testament Israel and us (see his comments in By This Standard (2008), p. 4 and Christ Is King (2025), p. 32-35). 

Did Bahnsen reject the authority of natural law in this interpretive process, as is claimed? While he did not use that terminology, he did assert that the moral obligations given in the law and in nature are the same and have a natural and universal obligation (see "For Whom Was God’s Law Intended?" and Christ Is King, p. 40), and he asserted that it was the moral requirements illustrated in the laws that were to be implemented. He did not reject the “expiration” of the judicial law, nor did he equate the moral and judicial laws. Greg Bahnsen wrote, “Although Israel as a political body has expired -- and along with it its judicial law as a constitution -- the general equity of those judicial laws is still required … Political codes today ought to incorporate the moral requirements which were culturally illustrated in the God-given, judicial laws of Old Testament Israel” ("What Is Theonomy?").

That said, I do think it is true that theonomy may underemphasize the role of natural law in discerning the general equity of the judicial law. Yet the concern the natural law be understood correctly, and not set against the moral law revealed in Scripture, was an important one. 

Also, 19.4 of the Westminster Confession does not simply speak of a "pedagogical function," but of a certain obligation. "To them also, as a body politic, he gave sundry judicial laws, which expired together with the State of that people; not obliging any other now, further than the general equity thereof may require." The laws themselves are binding today as far as their general equity may require. The question is, to what extent are the judicial laws of general equity and therefore binding in substance today?

The report recognizes there is variation within the confessional position. I think that theonomy should be regarded as one of these variations, rather than a view that differs from Westminster. In fact, despite statements to the contrary, I think the report helps to show that. That said, I agree that the position can be refined and that the theologians of past centuries can help us in this refinement. 

While I do not give much attention to how Bahnsen's views fit into the mix, you can find my own writings on the judicial laws of the Old Testament here: The Judicial Laws of the Old Testament and here: More on the Judicial Laws of the Old Testament. 

Christian Education

What follows here is adapted from the first lesson of a lesson series I am teaching on Christian education. You can listen to the recordings here. The series looks at a Christian view of education and the various fields of study. This first lesson is an introduction to Christian education, giving an overview of some biblical principles for education.

Great are the works of the LORD,

        studied by all who delight in them.

Full of splendor and majesty is his work,

        and his righteousness endures forever.

He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered;

        the LORD is gracious and merciful. (Ps. 111:2-4)

The works of God are great and are studied by all who delight in them. We delight in them, since they are wondrous works full of splendor and majesty, and therefore we study them.

The works of God include not only his work of redemption, which is an especially wondrous work, but also his works of creation and his works of providence in general. His world ought to be studied, as it is the work of God. It should be studied as his world, as our Father's world, in the light of his word. It should be studied to the glory of its maker and governor, for that is what we are doing in this psalm, saying, "great are the works of the LORD." One motive in education and study is simply to wonder and delight at God's glory displayed in his works. 

This would have been done quite easily in man's innocency before the fall. As Adam walked around the garden, he would have quickly noticed the wisdom, power, and goodness of God in creation. Sin has come into the world and hinders this realization and makes us more self-centered, neglecting our Maker. But we can still see it. We should preserve that sense of wonder, the wonder of children in their Father's creation, eager to investigate the world with that wonder and delight. 

We are to study God's word and his world, and his world in light of his word. After all, how can we study man and the world without considering God? How can we educate man to maturity while neglecting his chief end? This purely secular approach to education, an education without considering God and man's chief end - which is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever - is quite prevalent today. This approach is not only deficient. Its neglect of these things distorts education and gives it an atheistic bent. It promotes a view of the world and man that is practically atheistic. It ends up giving a distorted view of man and the world.

In the opening of John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, he notes that the study of God draws us to a better knowledge of ourselves, and the study of man also leads us to a knowledge of God, our Maker. These subjects are intertwined, we will not have a clear knowledge of the one without a knowledge of the other.

So God created man in his own image,

in the image of God he created him;

male and female he created them.

And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:27–28)

One purpose of studying God's world is so that we might be good rulers over his earth and its creatures. Any good ruler should have a good knowledge of what is under his care. As Proverbs 27:23 says, "Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds..." We are set over the world as those who are made in God's image and set over the works of his hands. If we are to rule the earth, to subdue it, to cultivate it, to take care of it, we should study it and understand it. 

Notice also that this text says that we are made in the image of God. This reality is important for education, for a correct understanding of what man is and what it means for man to be brought up to maturity. Being made in the image of God includes being made in knowledge, as rational creatures, able to perceive, able to reason (Col. 3:10). Man was first made in true knowledge with a true knowledge of God. That has been distorted by human depravity, yet man remains a being who is able to know and reason. As we are restored in Christ, we should use that faculty rightly in the light of his word.

Our use of our senses and our reason to study God's world are supported by biblical teachings. Sometimes in apologetics, we might ask the unbeliever, why do you trust your senses? Why do you trust your reason? What is the foundation of your worldview? But we should be careful to not think that our senses and reason is useless. The unbeliever might not be about to account for it, but we can. We believe that God made man, that he fit us to know him and to have dominion over the work of his hands. We believe that God is a God of wisdom and knowledge and that we are made in his image, also able to think and to reason. Our senses and reason point to God's design of mankind. Being gifted in this way as rational beings, we should use God's gifts and use them rightly and well. 

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. (Ephesians 6:4) 

First of all, this verse says to bring them up. This is of the essence of education, to bring humans up to maturity and to fit them for the responsibilities of adulthood. Education aims at the maturity of the whole person in knowledge, in virtue, in skill. It aims at fitting you to be a good member of a family, a good member of your community, a good member of your nation, and a good human, which also in this age means a good Christian, as grace restores and perfects nature unto the glory of God. To be a good human we need Christ to restore us, that we might be sanctified and truly live as we were made to live. 

The verse also says fathers. It is addressed to fathers. The family has a primary and basic responsibility for the education of children, and this is especially the responsibility of the father as head of the household. This is not to say that fathers, or even parents, must be the only the ones to teach children. They may make a wise use of other people and resources in the education of their children. But parents are the primary teachers and are responsible to oversee the process. They must bring them up.

Regarding religious instruction, not only do parents give this to their children, but both parents and children also receive it from ordained teachers of the church (1 Cor. 12:28, James 3:1, Acts 20:20). In one sense all education ought to be religious, done in the fear of God. By "religious instruction" I mean instruction in what we are to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man. The church has an educational ministry to teach Scripture, the whole counsel of God, to everyone, and especially to the whole people of God, which includes children. Christians ought to embrace this education and bring their children to it as well. The instruction is not meant to replace parental instruction, but ought to strengthen it and help equip parents. The very context of Ephesians 6:4 is Paul writing to the church, and his specific instruction to fathers is to bring up their children in the Lord, and his specific instruction to the children is to obey their parents in the Lord. 

The verse also speaks of the discipline and instruction of the Lord. In context, that especially means the Lord Jesus (cp. Eph. 4:4-6, 6:5-9, 23-24).

As man's chief end is to glorify and enjoy God forever, and as this is now only done through the Lord Jesus, all education ought to be Christian education. All of life is to be done unto God's glory, in accord with his word, through Jesus Christ. All people should be given a correct understanding of the world and the way to fulfill their chief end in all things through Christ.

In addition to this, Christian households are uniquely bound by God's covenant to give their children a Christian education. Christian parents are bound to bring up their children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord, to lead their households in the ways of the Lord (Gen. 18:19). We say with Joshua, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Josh. 24:15a). Our children are covenantally consecrated unto Christ as his disciples to be raised as such (Acts 2:28-29, 16:31-34, Matt. 28:18-20). They are directly addressed in Ephesians as fellow members of the household of God. They are to be raised up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Jesus as his disciples who have been baptized and are now to be taught to observe everything that Christ has commanded. Christ is to be their teacher.

Lastly, notice the terms discipline and instruction. This process of bringing them up includes discipline and instruction. The two Greek words are translated differently in different translations (e.g. nurture and admonition). The two Greek words are paideia and nouthesia. Paideia is the word for training and education. It refers to the whole training and education of children, mind and morals, body and soul, both by instruction and correction (related to the word for child). Nouthesia refers to admonition and instruction (to “put in mind” or “call attention to,” often with a sense of warning). It can be proactive in the giving of instruction and reminders or corrective in the giving of admonition. 

A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. (Luke 6:40) 

Disciple is not a uniquely religious or biblical word, but was the common word for a learner, a pupil, a student - someone who had a teacher and was being taught by a teacher. This verse teaches us that education aims at passing on the knowledge, skills, culture, wisdom, or character of the teacher to the disciple.

Thomas Sowell once said, "Each new generation born is in effect an invasion of civilization by little barbarians, who must be civilized before it is too late." Education involves the process of enculturation, the passing on of civilization from one generation to the next. Children must learn biblical doctrine and the language, heritage, and customs of their particular people, that they might live well as members of it. We begin as ignorant, foolish, and unskilled people, but we can benefit from the knowledge, skill, and wisdom of others as it is passed down to us. 

Of course, the Teacher that we should all be like without exception is the Lord Jesus. We should rejoice in ever greater conformity to him. 

This verse is also a warning. The verse right before this verse says, "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?" Being like your teacher might not be a good thing. A bad teacher can lead disciples astray. So parents should be sure they are not blind as they teach their children how to see. They should also be careful about the teachers and mentors that they give their children as they get older.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) 

The Lord our God is one. He deserves your single-minded devotion with your whole being. His words ought to be on your heart, and you ought to diligently teach them to your children, every day, throughout the day. You should apply them indeed to all of life - to the work of your hands, to the way you see the world with your eyes, to the life of the home (the doorposts), and to the life of the society (the gates of the city). God is one. His word ought to be on the inside and the outside all the day, in every area, as it is all under him. The one God is over all of life.

Deuteronomy 6:7 refers to the teaching of God's words. But those words that are taught diligently should inform all of life, all the rest of education, not quarantined from them. Things ought to be fit together as a system, a unified way of thought and life. So there is a need for theology and biblical ethics from God's Word to shape the rest, and for the rest to serve its proper ends unto the glory of God.

Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. (Genesis 4:20-22)

While "father" might refer here to a natural father or ancestor, it seems (with the reference to "all") that it means here someone who excelled with the field and taught it to others, as we might refer to Gregor Mendal as the "father of modern genetics." The Larger Catechism cites this verse as it notes that the fifth commandment has implications for how we treat all superiors, whether in age or gifts or authority (WLC 124). 

In Genesis 4:20-22, we see how human culture and education developed even among those who rejected God. We find here agriculture and music and technology. By God's common grace, rebellion against God did not mean a cessation of all human culture and advancement in education. Total depravity does not mean that unbelievers get everything wrong. They still live in God's world. They still are made in God's image, although it is now corrupt. God's common grace restrains the full development of sin. Unbelievers still have useful insights and studies on earthly things. As John Calvin wrote, 

What then? Shall we deny that the truth shone upon the ancient jurists who established civic order and discipline with such great equity? Shall we say that the philosophers were blind in their fine observation and artful description of nature? Shall we say that those men were devoid of understanding who conceived the art of disputation and taught us to speak reasonably? Shall we say that they are insane who developed medicine, devoting their labor to our benefit? What shall we say of all the mathematical sciences? Shall we consider them the ravings of madmen? No, we cannot read the writings of the ancients on these subjects without great admiration. We marvel at them because we are compelled to recognize how preeminent they are. But shall we count anything praiseworthy or noble without recognizing at the same time that it comes from God? Let us be ashamed of such ingratitude, into which not even the pagan poets fell, for they confessed that the gods had invented philosophy, laws, and all useful arts. Those men whom Scripture calls ‘natural men’ were, indeed, sharp and penetrating in their investigation of inferior things. (Institutes of the Christian Religion, 1.2.15)

Thus, Christian education does not mean you have to turn everything on its head, teaching the opposite of what pagans teach. We need not cast away what good has been done by non-Christians. We should ascribe to God the glory for his gifts given to them and put these developments to a right use, reforming what is amiss. Augustine compared this process to how the Israelites "plundered the Egyptians" when they left Egypt. The idea is that of receiving what is good and in accordance with the truth and putting it to the right use. Sometimes reform is simply that, directing something to the right end. Other times, man's sin has further distorted his culture, causing there to be greater need for reform. Discernment is needed.

"Plundering the Egyptians" is part of a biblical motif. The biblical model is that the treasures of the nations, both material and intellectual, are brought into the service of God as the kingdom advances (Hag. 2:6-9, Mic. 4:13, Rev. 21:24-27). This must be done with wisdom, not simply uncritically adopting everything, but neither simply rejecting things because they came from the pagans. Remember that the treasures received from Egypt went to the building of the golden calf as well as to the tabernacle. When done rightly, the treasures of the nations come in and glorify the house of God. As he extends his kingdom among mankind, Christ is taking human culture away from the service of the devil unto the glory of God.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7) 

The fear of the Lord is fundamental to a good education. Those who do not fear God will remain fools in a very important respect. Even if they are insightful on one thing or another, this is God's world and we must not leave him out of our calculations. To be ignorant of some very important factor is to be unwise. The most fundamental thing is God, the Creator of all things. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. Education without the fear of the Lord will be deficient and distorted by this neglect. Speaking of the importance of an education in the fear of God, A.A. Hodge wrote,

The claim of impartiality between positions as directly contradictory as that of Jews, Mohammedans and Christians, and especially as that of theists and of atheists, is evidently absurd. And no less is the claim absurd and impossible that a system of education can be indifferent on these fundamental subjects. ... The physical as well as the moral universe must be conceived either in a theistic or an atheistic light. It must originate in and develop through intelligent will - that is, in a person - or in atoms, force, or chance. Teleology must be acknowledged everywhere or be denied everywhere. … I am as sure as I am of the fact of Christ's reign that a comprehensive and centralized system of national education, separated from religion, as is now commonly proposed, will prove the most appalling enginery for the propagation of anti-Christian and atheistic unbelief, and of anti-social nihilistic ethics, individual, social and political, which this sin-rent world has ever seen. (A.A. Hodge, “The Kingly Office of Christ,” Popular Lectures on Theological Themes (1887), p. 281-284) 

Likewise, those who fear the Lord will be teachable. If we fear the Lord, we will be humble. We will be eager to learn. We will be able to receive correction. We will prize wisdom and instruction enough to diligently seek it out and to endure correction, which is unpleasant. This is a theme that you will find throughout Proverbs. The one who is humble, who fears the Lord, will be ready to endure the hardship of education. Is it sometimes hard to do schoolwork? Can it be hard to press on? Yes, but if you love wisdom, if you love knowledge, if you delight in God's works, then you are going to be able to do the hard work of doing the study, writing the paper, getting corrections on your homework, and growing. 

Let us therefore be diligently to raise up our children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. And may we all delight in God's works, and therefore continue to study them, unto his glory and for the good of ourselves and others. 

John Wallis: Minister, Cryptographer, and Mathematician

John Wallis (1616-1703) was a remarkable figure in 17th century England, serving as a minister, cryptographer, mathematician, and more. 

In 1640, he was ordained in the Church of England and served as a chaplain. He became the chief cryptographer for Parliament as the English Civil War broke out in 1642, decoding secret messages. As the Westminster Assembly gathered in London in 1643 to reform and clarify the government, worship, and doctrine of church, it asked Parliament to appoint Wallis, "a godly & industrious young man," as an assistant to the scribes of the assembly. He was appointed and he eventually became one of the non-voting scribes himself. In 1648 he wrote the earliest commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism. 

At the same time Wallis joined a group of scientists that would become the Royal Society, of which he remained a member when it was formally organized. While he opposed the execution of King Charles I, he was appointed by Cromwell as a professor of geometry at Oxford in 1649, a post he would fill for 50 years.

He received the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1654. Upon the restoration of the monarchy, he was appointed a royal chaplain and was one of the presbyterian members of the Savoy Conference. While he was presbyterian in his doctrine, he remained in the Church of England.

He was a leading English mathematician of his day and an influence on his younger contemporary, Isaac Newton. He made significant contributions to trigonometry, geometry, and the origins of calculus. He is credited with introducing ∞ as the symbol of infinity. 

He was skilled in doing mental calculations. “On one occasion he extracted the square root of a number expressed by fifty-three figures, and dictated the result to twenty-seven places next morning to a stranger. It proved exact.” (DNB). He did this at night to test the strength of the mind at night. This feat was described in the journal of the Philosophical Society of Oxford.  

He continued to serve as a cryptographer throughout his life, deciphering codes for parliament and later for King William. He wrote books on mathematics, music theory, logic, grammar, and theology, defending infant baptism, the sabbath, and the Trinity.

You can read more about John Wallis here:

John Wallis (Oxford Mathematics)

John Wallis (Dictionary of National Biography)

John Wallis (Wikipedia)

"He Made from One Man Every Nation of Mankind"

In Acts 17:22-31, Paul spoke in defense of the faith to the Athenian Areopagus. In the course of his speech, he taught some important truths about the peoples of mankind. 

In verses 24-25 and 28-29, Paul taught that there is one Creator of all. Everything owes its source to him. All of us are God’s offspring, made in his image. God is not our offspring - a tribal god or a product of man’s imagination and art.

In verse 26a, Paul said, "And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth..." There is only one origin to the human race. We are all sons of Adam. We are ultimately one biological race. We have a shared history (the first 11 chapters of Genesis). We all inherit the image of God, with its dignity and honor, as well as the guilt and corruption of sin. In Adam’s fall, we sinned all. This unity in Adam should promote respect, sympathy, and humility.

In verse 26, Paul teaches that from this one man came a diversity of people - every nation of mankind on all the face of the earth. God said, “fill the earth,” dispersing them over the earth. He had them disperse as communities. Genesis 10 describes this dispersion: “in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations” (10:5). 

These people groups were bound together by location, language and culture, and family ties. The Bible realizes there are multiple factors that bring people together, and describes people groups with multiple terms like tribes, peoples, languages, nations, and lands. These things tied people together in communities for mutual support. It is good for people who live together to have a shared way of life. At the same time, none of this was immovable. People can assimilate into another culture. While it took effort, a person could move, learn a new language, marry someone of a different people or culture, or be adopted by a family or people (e.g. Gen. 12:1, Num. 12:1, Ruth 1:16, 2 Sam. 11:3).

Notice the difference between diversity of this kind and sex difference. During the creation week, God made from the man a woman. The sex difference is part of the creation order. Thus men and women are forever distinct and this distinction should not be blurred (Deut. 22:5). But the subsequent diversity of the peoples of mankind is is not rooted in creation, but develops in the course of God's providence and is more superficial and flexible. That there would be variety is natural, but the particular varieties are not fixed parts of the creation order.

Paul says in verse 26 that God made from one man every nation of mankind, "having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place..." As families seek a home to live in with boundaries, nations also seek homelands to dwell in with boundaries. National borders should be respected by all and wisely regulated by the civil authorities. But what does it mean that God determined their allotted periods and boundaries? It means that God is sovereign over the times and boundaries of the nations. This is neither a call to ethnic purity or to the abolition of borders, but a call to humility before God. Cultures and peoples change over time. They can improve or decline, they can expand or shrink, they can become prominent or marginalized, and they can develop over the generations, responding to their situations. But God is sovereign over it all. The earth is his, and he portions it out to the peoples as he desires (Deut. 2:1-12, 32:8). He uproots and he plants. He divides the peoples and gives them what they have. Each people owes its existence to God. No people is guaranteed its current position - not even ancient Israel was. God blesses the peoples and judges them.

Men error when they confuse existing providential conditions as static and fixed in nature, or as demonstrating their might and superiority. Let no one say with Nebuchadnezzar, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30), lest he be humbled like him. Let all flesh be humble and grateful before the Lord. “The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts” (1 Samuel 2:7).

Finally, in verses 27, 30-31, Paul makes the point that all peoples ought to seek their common Father, repent from their idols, and turn to the risen Christ. God’s intention was that all peoples should seek him. Even as they are united by common decent from Adam, so they are called to be united in the service of their common Creator through Jesus Christ. God now commands everyone everywhere to repent. Salvation is offered to all without partiality. Christ preaches peace to all peoples. Those who turn to him become fellow members of the household of God (Eph. 2:11-22). The church of Jesus Christ is composed of the redeemed from every tribe, tongue, and nation, with a Christian communion extended to everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord Jesus. This unity does not abolish national or ethnic distinctions, but it ought to bring about spiritual unity and fellowship among those of different nationalities; peace among the nations rather than ill-treatment of one another in thought, word, and deed; and the reformation of each one according to the word of God (Is. 2:1-5).

The Nature of Civil Government

"Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good." (1 Peter 2:13–14) 

The apostle Peter exhorts Christians to be subject to civil authorities “…for the Lord’s sake.” The Lord Jesus commands it. Why? As Paul in Romans 13 explains, God has ordained human government. He is the supreme ruler over all, and he has ordained that humanity, in its various commonwealths, be governed by men who will be under him and over the people. Kings and rulers are God’s ministers, governing the peoples of the earth.

Civil government is a natural institution, baked into God’s design for humanity. God created man as a social creature, to join together as mankind multiplied, forming communities. Mankind forms into clans and tribes, cities and nations, each with corporate responsibilities before God and a common life and a common good, requiring common government for good order and leadership. As authority existed in the household before sin, so it would have existed in some form in the community before sin as well.

Civil government now has more duties due to sin. The punishment and suppression of sin is now necessary, and the promotion of good is more pressing. God has authorized the civil authorities to use the sword against man, to exercise even capital punishment and, on just and necessary occasion, to wage war. After the flood, God charged man with the responsibility for avenging innocent blood of his fellow man (Gen. 9:5-6). He did not there first institute civil government, but he assumed and implied it and gave it this task. As this was a corporate responsibility, it was to be carried out by the public authority.

Civil government is a “human institution,” that is, a government among men, and, with respect to its execution and particular form, by men. Civil government varies in form among the peoples of the earth. Nations might be monarchies or they might be governed under a different form of government. Men must be governed, but each community or people may appoint a government that best fits them.

“…sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” Peter mentions this intention as a good and proper thing. This is one more reason to submit to civil government, since it aims at a good thing. While the Roman governors imperfectly fulfilled this charge, this basic function of civil government was correct. God intends civil government to do these things (cp. Rom. 13:1-4, Prov. 16:12-13, 20:26), and even pagan nations understood this.

By stating this, it also implies what civil government ought to do. This is a main duty of the civil magistrate. When a ruler neglects to do these things, or even punishes those who do good or praises those who do evil, they are being faithless to the obligations of their office and are being bad rulers.

These statements, then, not only serve as reasons for you to honor and maintain civil government, but they also give direction to those who participate in politics, whether in office or as citizens. As citizens in our republic, may we seek to promote good government.

To Punish Those Who Do Evil

Evil is that which is corrupt, wrong, destructive. Outward expressions of impiety, immorality, and injustice are evil and are to be punished by the magistrate. God’s law is a guide to human flourishing. So evil things like sorcery, blasphemy, sabbath-breaking, some expressions of false religion, rebellion, murder and unlawful violence (including abortion), adultery and pornography and homosexuality and fornication, theft and fraud and human trafficking, and perjury and slander - things like these are evil and ought to be punished by the civil magistrate. Rulers and legislators should use wisdom how best to do this, in a way that befits their situation. The Bible says that rulers need to be wise (Deut. 1:13). They need to discern how to rule the particular people in front of them. Consider how Moses and Nehemiah took different approaches in different situations for the same ends (e.g. how they enforced the sabbath). Whatever particular measures are taken, the aim is the same, to punish evil and suppress it. 

The magistrate ought to maintain justice when it has been violated, putting things right, enforcing restitution, delivering victims from wrongdoing (Deut. 16:18-20, Ps. 82:3-4). Now, some people think that vices that do not directly harm another person should not be punished. But this usually comes from a superficial view of evil. As John Witherspoon said, “It is common to say of a dissolute liver, that he does harm to none but himself; than which I think there is not a greater falsehood that ever obtained credit in a deceived world.” Impiety and immorality corrupt people and society, and they give birth to other evil practices that do directly harm one’s fellow man. Rulers should strike close to the root. 

There is so much evil that is not only practiced in our society, but even exalted and celebrated. The civil government cannot convert people by its use of force, but it can suppress and restrain evil for the good of the people, preventing it from leavening the whole society and destroying it. Evil does not stop on its own, but continues to move on to the next corruption unless it is stopped. 

To Praise Those Who Do Good

Good is that which is excellent, right, beneficial. God’s ways are good. Piety, steadfast love, and justice are good. As Micah 6:8 says, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Righteousness is good. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34). Civil government should seek to praise and encourage justice, faithfulness, courage, and true religion, even as it discourages the opposite.

Note that rulers are both to punish and praise, discourage and encourage, suppress and promote, rectify and reward. They are not only to fix problems, but are also to lead their people to what is good. Those who rule need a positive vision of the public good, taking measures to encourage it.

Preeminent aspects of the public good to be maintained are piety, justice, and peace. In 1 Timothy 2:2, Paul teaches us to pray for “kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” That is a positive vision for which rulers ought to aim. In other words, the aim of civil government, that we should pray is achieved, is the flourishing of peace and order in society, of godliness (that is, piety toward God), and of justice (the idea of “dignified” being honesty and uprightness). This is why the Westminster Confession of Faith says that magistrates “ought especially to maintain piety, justice, and peace, according to the wholesome laws of each commonwealth” (23.2).

The ultimate purpose of civil government is God’s glory and its immediate purpose and end is the public good - the common good, the good of the people. As Paul says, the magistrate is “God’s servant for your good” (Rom. 13:4). 2 Samuel 5:12 notes that good king David recognized that “the LORD has established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.” David was unique in that his people was the covenant people of God, but he held an office that existed in other nations, and it was as a good king that he recognized that God had put him there, and that he was exalted for the sake of the people over whom he ruled.

Even pagan governments can promote the public good. Yet not all governments do this equally as well. Some do this better than others. So we value and submit to civil government, even as we also pray and work toward reform according to our place and calling. Christianity is hostile to sin, but it is not hostile to civil government, culture, or nation. These things are rooted in God’s natural order, doing some good even when corrupted, to be restored rather than destroyed.

Exiles: Is That the Right Word in 1 Peter?

In his first letter, the apostle Peter describes Christians as "elect exiles of the Dispersion." At first it may seem like he is writing to the Jews or to Jewish Christians, since "the Dispersion" usually referred to the Jews living outside of Palestine. But the actual content of 1 Peter will show that he is writing to the church, Jew and Gentile. In fact, it seems his readers were predominately Gentiles given the way Peter describes their past. Instead, what Peter is doing - and will continue to do in this letter - is applying such language to the church of Jesus Christ as the continuation of God’s covenant people.

As the Jews had been dispersed among the nations, so Christians (whether Jew or Gentile) are dispersed among unbelievers throughout the world. As the Jews had been chosen by God out of his mere mercy, so it is the case with Christians, whether Jew or Gentile. As the Jews had been literally sojourners in foreign countries looking to Jerusalem as their home as a type of the city of God, so Christians - still having their various earthly nationalities and homes - are sojourners waiting for the heavenly city to come in all its glory.

I think “exiles” is a poor translation. The definition of the Greek word does not refer to the sense of being exiled or forced out, but rather to dwelling in another land as a foreigner. As one lexicon explains, the word refers "to staying for a while in a strange or foreign place" (BDAG). Some other translations translate the word as sojourners, strangers, pilgrims, those who reside as aliens, those living as foreigners.

The Greek word translated here as “exiles” (parepidémos) is found in two places in the Greek translation of the Old Testament: Genesis 23:4 and Psalm 39:12. In Genesis 23:4 it is the word translated as “foreigner” in Abraham’s statement, “I am a sojourner and foreigner among you…” In Psalm 39:12 it is translated as “guest” in David’s statement: “For I am a sojourner with you, a guest, like all my fathers.” In neither case does the word mean “exile.” (A different word is used in the Greek Old Testament to translate the word “exiles.”) 

In both Genesis 23 and Psalm 39, the word is paired with a similar word, translated sojourner in both cases. The Greek word used to translate this word for sojourner (paroikos) also appears in 1 Peter. Both words are found together in 1 Peter 2:11 like they are in Genesis 23:4 and Psalms 39:12, where Peter exhorts them as such. A form of paroikos is also found in 1 Peter 1:17, translated by the ESV as "exile" in "the time of your exile." A better translation would be "the time of your sojourn." 

It is true that Peter is applying terms that would have been used for the Jewish Dispersion, which originally began with exile, but the dispersed Jews were no longer “exiles” by the time of the New Testament. They were sojourners, resident aliens.

The Jews of the Dispersion were sojourners among the Gentiles. This meant they were distinct from those around them and that they saw another place as their home. The term is applied to Christians in a modified sense. Christians are not an earthly nation and ethnicity like the Jews were, but are a spiritual nation, intersecting all the earthly nations. They are spiritually distinct from unbelieving neighbors. Christians are foreigners to the kingdom of darkness. The home they look to is not Judea, but the kingdom of God; not the earthly Jerusalem but the heavenly Jerusalem. This identity exists along with natural earthly bonds to family and nation. Your identity as sojourners refers to your distinctness from the fallen world as the people of God (1 Peter 2:9-12), and to your hope of your eternal inheritance (1 Peter 1:3-9).

Realizing that parepidémos does not mean “exiles” but something more like “resident alien” is important for our conception of what is being said in 1 Peter. Think of Abraham’s sojourning rather than the Israelites’ exile from Jerusalem. In 1 Peter, we are not going back to the place we came from. We have left the darkness and have come into the light and we await glory. We have been called out of one place and are going to another. The people in the old place want us back, but we must press on and not turn back, looking to the hope set before us. We have left the city of destruction and are headed to the celestial city. It is a pilgrimage through time - a perseverance in the land until we possess the full inheritance.

If you belong to the church of Jesus Christ, you are sojourners of the dispersion. Therefore, be distinct from the ungodliness around you and look with hope to the eternal inheritance that awaits you. You do not belong to the fallen world of unbelief and sinful passions around you. Hold fast to Christ with an endurance supported by believing hope.

Five Earnest Exhortations from Rev. John Thomson (c. 1690-1753)

John Thomson (c. 1690-1753) was an early American Presbyterian minister. He was born in Ireland, educated in Scotland, licensed to preach by the Armagh Presbytery in Ireland, and ordained as a pastor in Delaware. He pastored churches in Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and died while engaged in an itinerant ministry on the North Carolina frontier. He was an important figure in the passing of the Adopting Act in 1729, by which the Synod of Philadelphia officially adopted the Westminster Confession and Catechisms. He wrote several books, including An Explication of the Shorter Catechism (1749). You can read this commentary on the Westminster Shorter Catechism online here or order the newly published edition of the book here. 

What I want to share from this book comes from his short epistle to the Christian reader at the end of the book. In that epistle, he gives several concluding exhortations. I have kept the original spelling and capitalization. 

Now, Christian Readers, and dear Souls, for whose Sake I have been at Pains to make this little Collection of Christian Doctrines; whether you be Dissenters or of the establish'd Church, I will shut up this little Epistle, with an earnest Request to you all in the Bowels of Jesus Christ, that you would hearken unto and practise these following Particulars.

First, Make serious Piety and Religion, both as to Knowledge and Practice, your main Study, remembering, that without Holiness no Man shall see the Lord. Heb. 12.14

2dly, Endeavour so to be aquatinted with the Principles of Religion as to have your Faith founded on the Word of God, not contenting yourselves with an implicit Faith on the Credit of any Men or Church on Earth; but labour to search the Scriptures daily, whether these Things be so. Acts 17.11

3dly, As we all profess to adhere to the same infallible Rule, viz. the Word of God, to believe the same Christian Doctrines, to submit to the same divine Law, both Moral and Gospel, to believe in the same common God and Saviour, to adhere to the same Covenant of Grace, to hope for the same eternal heavenly Inheritance; as we have the same common Friend and Enemies, the same Helps and Impediments of our Edification and Salvation, &c.

Let us all cordially endeavour to be united in our Christian Affections and Charity towards one another, as well as true Love towards God; let us cordially strive to imitate, emulate, and encourage one another, in every Thing that is commendable before God, and agreeable to our own Consciences; and let us beware lest our differing judgments and Sentiments in lesser Points of Religion have more Influence upon us, to alienate our affections from one another than our Agreement in the more substantial Parts of Religion can have to unite and cement our Souls together in mutual Christian Love. 

4thly, Beware of sitting down contented with any Measure of Grace or Knowledge that you have attained, but still strive to grow in Grace, and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 

5thly, Be frequent and earnest in wrestling with God by Prayer, that he may pour out his Spirit, as a Spirit of Power, Light, Love, and a sound Mind, on this degenerate, backsliding Generation, that by the power of his Grace, accompanying the Gospel, he may heal the many dangerous, deadly Diseases of this sinful Age, such as Ignorance, Prophanity in Cursing and Swearing, Sabbath-breaking, Uncleanness, lifeless Formality in Matters of Religion, the prevailing prophane Neglect of Family Religion, and secret Devotion; that he would stir up all Ranks to endeavour to extend and diffuse their Influence for this Purpose, according to their Capacity, Station and Character, especially those in Authority, whether Parents, Masters, Ministers or Magistrates, by their Instruction, Example and Authority. 

O! how happy and glorious a prospect should we have if this were brought to pass! Then God's Salvation would be near us, and God, even our God would bless us: But if it should never be our Lot in this World to see such happy halcion Days; yet still it will be your Wisdom and Interest to strive to be of the few that enter in at the strait Gate, of the little Flock to whom your Father will give the Kingdom; and as the Furtherance of these Things was the main Design of this whole Performance; so it is and shall be the Prayer of one who desires to approve himself the Servant of your Souls, for Jesus's Sake.