Thread by @NicolasGold1

As expressed in Rom 13, government is a power created by God to fight, punish, & hold back evil, particularly thru violence (though not to defeat it). Government executes vengeance b/c it receives that authority from God (Rom 12:19; Heb 10:30; Deut 32:35). 1/12

Initially, God did not want Israel to have a king (1 Sam 8:7). He was to be the king over Israel while the other nations had their gods (Deut 32:8 LXX, DSS). But sin and Israel's accompanying desire to be like other nations brought this about. 2/12

In permitting a king, God warned Israel of the corruption & oppression that would follow (1 Sam 8:11-18). Noting a king would be Israel's choice (Deut 17:15; 28:36), God set rules to limit the power of the king to oppress (17:14-20). 3/12

When God predicts exile due to Israel's sins, he emphasizes their desire for a king (Deut 28:36). The OT records how the corruption, oppression, enriching, & injustice of the kings led Israel to covenant breach & exile. Even the greatest & wisest kings were corrupted. 4/12

Because of sin, none were immune to the corruption & oppression that came w/ the government power to steal & commit violence. As both 1 Sam 8 & Rom 13 note, theft & violence are the inherent accompanying characteristics of government (see my article). 5/12 panis-circenses.blogspot.com/2017/07/govern…

Importantly, while government is an interim ethic to punish evil, it does so through violence with eye-for-an-eye justice. This is the justice of the world, the instinct & sense of fairness common to all societies & peoples. But it isn't the highest of ethics. 6/12

When Cain murdered Abel, God gave him grace, a punishment far less than what he deserved. This was the first case, & God was unjust. Indeed, God promised a 7-fold unjust vengeance for anyone who executed justice on Cain. Grace is unjust. 7/12

But in Gen 4:23-24, Lamech says he executed a disproportionate, unjust 77-fold vengeance by killing two people who hit him. Lamech cites the 7-fold vengeance of Cain. Lamech assumed the prerogatives of God. 8/12

In Gen 9:6, God establishes the eye-for-an-eye justice meant to prevent disproportionate revenge, a reason why vengeance is executed by government. Possibly connected to Lamech & the violence necessitating the flood (6:11ff). But this differs from the grace in Gen 4:15. 9/12

Going back to Romans 13, the justice of government in 13:1-4 is deliberately contrasted with the justice for Christians mentioned just prior in 12:14-21. This is a higher ethic that corresponds to Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:38-42) and God in Gen 4. 10/12

The central point is the difficulty of the Church partnering with the State to advance the Kingdom. Government has a lower ethic of theft & violence that necessitates significant limits, but even then, it easily slides into corruption, oppression, & personal enrichment. 11/12

To support government beyond its narrow parameters, or to use government to supposedly correct societal issues of health & wealth redistribution & coercion is unethical, contrary to the gospel, and unjust. 12/12