Finally, the Church should be a guiding voice for our society. The Church understands the big picture. The Church speaks from an eternal perspective. Even as Paul sought to guide Felix to the truth of Jesus, speaking about righteousness, self-control, and the judgement to come (Acts 24:24-25), the Church should also seek to guide governing authorities at every level of government, in our school boards, city councils, county commissions, in our statehouse, and in the capitol of our nation. The Church’s responsibility is to share what God says about issues the government is wrestling with (Luke 3:18-20).
The Bible speaks to the root of every issue the government faces. These biblical principles are timeless. The Church must lay out these biblical principles before the nation’s “kings” as the government works to administer justice. The Church is the moral compass and advisor to the “king.” Without the Church, the “king” will only receive worldly counsel and will never be able to administer true biblical justice. The Church must check to ensure that public policy includes the full counsel of God and not just a single issue.
The Church in America must recognize and adopt the attitude that majority parties come, and majority parties go. Daniel is an excellent example: He was a voice to four different emperors ruling in two different empires. This was possible because Daniel did not come from the institution of government. He was an outside voice. He came from a completely different kingdom. When the kingdoms of earth changed, Daniel’s job continued and did not change. The same is true for the Church in America. If the American government dissolved tomorrow, the Church’s responsibility would not change. The Church must simply approach and guide the new king the same way.
The Church is of this world but first and foremost represents God. This truth is essential to be a proper witness of Christ in the civic arena. The Church must get this right if it is ever going to get the relationship between Church and state right. The Church must assume its proper role and loyalty – as a moral compass and guide to the institution of government as well as an ambassador of its true king, God alone.