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We live in a jaded and cynical age, especially in how we view political leaders and those with civil authority. It’s understandable given how often power is misused. Even those who start well often end up corrupted if not crushed by it.

But to think what we are experiencing today is some new development is naïve. Pick up the history of any nation, including what the Bible records, and you will find many examples of corrupt leaders intoxicated with their own importance and harmful to the people they are to protect and to care for. Should we be surprised, given what the Scriptures tell us about the fall of man and the curse of sin? Whether you look at human institutions or the individuals that make them up, no one escapes the poisonous effect of our sin nature—none but Jesus, the God-man.

Further, an accurate picture of those in positions of political power and influence is not all pessimism and doom. The Bible records any number of standouts. Though flawed human beings, there are men and women who brought major positive blessings to bear on their people: Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Solomon, the reformer kings like Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiah, to name only a few. During the captivity years we read of the stellar career of Daniel, along with the bold self-sacrifice of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And who can forget the godly leaders of Ezra and Nehemiah, or the timely courage of Mordecai and Esther? In the New Testament we see Christ and the apostles interacting boldly with community leaders—some were “vipers,” and others were sincerely trying to do the right thing however imperfectly. Joanna, the wife of Herod’s household manager, provided for Christ and His apostles out of her means. Paul had many encounters with those who wielded political power. Although he suffered at the hands of many of them, several came to his aid, and he intentionally engaged them for the gospel. Until Nero came along, the Roman Empire’s commitment to law and order resulted in the protection of Christianity, in contrast to the religious elites, who hated and hounded the apostles.

Our attitude regarding politics tends to swing toward one extreme or the other. Either we hate (I use the word on purpose) and demonize those in public service, as if they are really any different from ourselves, all of us sinners by birth and by choice; or we idolize them as if they will achieve the ideal world for which we long, again forgetting that they are sinful, finite human beings serving in a broken world. If we choose to enter this area of work so full of both opportunity and treachery, we often do so with unjustified idealism regarding all we will be able to accomplish and leave with wounded cynicism about how messed up the system is, along with the people in it.

The Scriptures do not leave us without direction about how we ought to be interacting with those who carry authority. It is striking how much help the Bible actually offers, but how often even Christians seem to ignore it, drifting instead into what amounts to worldly attitudes about politics.

First, we need to be faithful in praying for them.

1 Timothy 2:1-4
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Praying with this kind of breadth displays the compassionate heart of God for all people. It expresses a gospel attitude even in the difficult arena of politics. It is striking what happens to our own heart for other people when we start praying for them. We watched an attitude transformation in our own church when, in response to this passage, we started praying for other gospel-preaching churches, along with government officials, gospel partners, and a particular country in the world.

Gospel truth shapes our entire attitude toward those in authority and all people, even those who mistreat us. And it shifts our focus to how we can help those in need, in part because we understand how needy we ourselves are and how desperately we needed God to rescue us from ourselves.

Titus 3:1-8, 14
Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.

Paul’s words remind us of the direction Jeremiah gave to those living in captivity in Babylon.

Jeremiah 29:7
But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. 

If God would call His people conquered and deported to a pagan country to seek and pray for the welfare of the city of their foreign captors, to put down roots and rear families while they made the most of their sojourn, how much more should we be seeking welfare of our own city and our own people, Christian or non-Christian alike? Perfect courtesy toward all people, with obedience and respect toward those in authority is Christianity 101. We aren’t supposed to be the rabble rousers and proudly defiant. Such a spirit shows rebellion toward God not just men and does significant harm to other people in the community where we live as well as to the reputation of the gospel we say we believe.

Romans 13:1-10
Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

 2 Peter 2:12-17
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. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

When we go back to the greatest commands to love God supremely and love our neighbor as ourselves, we find a fruitful foundation for how we treat those in public office as well. The responsibilities they carry do not remove them from being a human neighbor in need of genuine love, and how we treat them expresses whether we actually love God, who has in fact given them the responsibilities they have for a season.

Why were persons like Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther put in places of power and influence? For the good of God’s people in particular and all people in general. The connections they made touched the lives of literally thousands of people for good. That is the value of the relationships God providentially gives us with public servants. Even if we never serve in public civil service ourselves, our connection with such leaders can bring blessing not just to them, but to the entire community they serve. If we remain unknown to them and convey a spirit of smug isolation or critical nitpicking, what kind of influence for good and for God can we expect to have? Accountability requires relationship, and the more difficult the issue, the more important credible relationship is. 

As Americans we’ve enjoyed many freedoms and kind blessings from the hand of God for many years. We can feel entitled to them and become selfish and ungrateful in how we steward the opportunities they give us. Nations rise and fall, and people come and go—as will we. Will it make any difference to those who live in our community and our nation that we were here? Not if we never engage with them in godly ways. What could happen for good if we did redeem the time here the way Christ and His apostles did? God gives the increase, but we reap what we sow.