An individual’s political stance is the outgrowth of one’s deepest philosophical beliefs. This is a big part of why there is such political polarization in our country today, and why it is often so difficult to find common ground between different political ideologies. Much of the tension can be traced back to two distinctly different philosophies: the Secular view of government’s role is distinctly different from the Bible’s view of government’s role.

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. (Proverbs 29:2)

God’s Word shows us the best way to live. Believers are supposed to live righteous lives marked by virtue. We are supposed to honor and obey the government. But when the wicked rule, they harm the people by enacting unjust laws and unbiblical policies. So Scripture also authorizes civil disobedience, that is, obeying God’s law when doing so requires disobeying human edicts. But biblical civil disobedience doesn’t mean we can just do whatever we want, and it doesn’t mean we can disobey any law we don’t like. So what should we do when the government becomes unjust? And what should our civil disobedience look like?

Nebuchadnezzar was king of the whole known world. His empire was vast, his word was law, and his temper was infamous. That’s why the actions of the three young Hebrew men were so remarkable. Throughout their service to the king they had shown courtesy and obedience, but now they refused him to his face. Stubbornly, defiantly, they disobeyed his command. What would cause these otherwise respectful men to act this way? Aren’t God-fearing people supposed to obey the government?

He could have had anything. All he had to do was ask. It would be his.

Few people have ever had such an opportunity. No conditions. No expectations. No restraints.

“What do you want? Ask, and I will give it to you!”

It was a breath-taking generosity.

The charges of racism levied against the United States of America as a whole are very grave. We have experienced and chronicled countless tales of racially-charged police brutality, mass incarceration, and the tragic murder of young Blacks, particularly men.

Ethnic minorities endure continual unwarranted suspicion, false accusations, and unprovoked assaults. Slavery, Jim Crow, the Ku Klux Klan, purposeful disenfranchisement, lynching, and redlining have brought incalculable pain.

It is not enough to hear the Word – we must do what it says. Over the past 13 articles, we’ve looked closely at what the Bible teaches about Racism, and we’ve applied it to our personal lives. But there is another step: Evaluate.

Now that you know what God’s Word says, look closely at the ideas that are being presented in the culture around you and compare them with the Word of God.

You are about to leave to go to an important meeting or date – quick! – check the mirror! Is everything in place, everything ready, everything in tip-top-shape? How crazy would it be to look in the mirror, see that something needs to be adjusted, but then walk away and do nothing? You’re probably thinking you’d never do that, but this is the same picture the apostle James uses about people who only hear God’s Word without doing what it says…

Are the messages you hear around you teaching that God gave government the responsibility to enact justice by punishing those who do wrong and commending those who do right? Are they teaching that justice requires every person be treated equally (not that there must be equal outcomes) and that those who commit offenses must personally make them right, and this payment then brings an end to the matter? Are they teaching that government should apply the principles of equality and equal restitution to all areas of law? Are they promoting Biblical values in ways that are consistent with Scripture? Are they teaching the need for Jesus to heal the hurts caused by sins of injustice, and that only Jesus can give us the love required for forgiveness and virtue?

When they heard the message of John the Baptist, the people asked him a brilliant question: “What then shall we do?” They understood that they needed to apply God’s truth to their lives, and respond with action (Luke 3:7-17).

This is also the question we need to ask as we consider God’s instructions on government and justice.

There is so much confusion and disagreement about the role of government! It’s little wonder, considering the many different types of government (monarchy, oligarchy, democracy, republic, etc.), and the many different political parties (Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Green, Communist, etc.). How are we to know what viewpoint is correct? Why do we even have a government, anyway? What is its purpose?

These days going to the gas station can be a scary experience. There’s a certain amount of fear – just how much is it going to cost to fill up? But there’s another question we don’t consider as often – how do we know how much gas we just bought? What if the pump charged you for 15 gallons, when it only gave you 10?

Imagine you are standing in court before the judge. The evidence has been presented, and you have been found guilty of committing a great crime. Your sentence is certainly coming, and it will be terrible: you will be faced with a fine so large you will never be able to pay it off, even if you work for the rest of your life. It will mean isolation, suffering, and death.

Do you have a favorite movie or TV show from your childhood? Mine was The Lone Ranger. It was incredible how he could sense someone’s need for help, out-shoot, out-think, out-ride, and out-fight everyone, restore order, put the bad guys behind bars, and wrap up every detail in just 30 minutes, while still managing to sneak away in the last scene, so the people he had helped would be left saying “I never even got to thank him!” and “Who was that masked man?” To me as a nine-year-old, that formula never got old!

It can be difficult to define “justice” when put on the spot. Many of the greatest philosophers of the Western tradition, from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the doctoral professors of the 21st Century have struggled with the question, “what is justice?” But amazingly, even when we can’t define it, we all somehow know that justice is important.

In this series of articles, we will dig deeply into Scripture to see what God’s Word says about justice, and how we can to apply it to our lives and to our culture. The Bible’s teaching may surprise or upset you, but remember that we are seeking wisdom from God — looking to discover what the whole of His Word truly says, not just what we would like it to say.

In the aftermath of the death of Botham Jean, many people were rioting. Most were heartbroken or angry. Most wanted justice. But Brandt Jean spoke words of such supernatural power that they were shocking to those in the courtroom. His words are still shocking today.

A slave girl. A slave boy. They had suffered unspeakable pain. They had been separated from friends and family. He was thrown in prison because of false accusations. She was made to serve those who had likely ordered the raid on her homeland. How would they respond to those who wronged them?

In the last article we learned the importance of bringing justice to a culture through biblical restitution. But before we start implementing reparations, there are two common misunderstandings that must be cleared up.

We’ve seen that racism is sin, that Jesus is the antidote for sin, and that heart change stems from the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit when we submit our lives to Him. We know that because of the fall, sin cannot be fully eliminated before Heaven. So, what is to be done when someone commits the sin of racism against their fellow man?

What happens to a country if there are bad laws? What about when those individuals tasked with implementing the laws don’t do it fairly? These are issues that God deeply cares about.

God is very careful to instruct His people not to favor the poor or the rich, the powerful or the powerless, and He wants equal justice to be shown to all without favoritism. Biblical justice requires everyone to be treated equally under the law. Racism is inherently unjust because it insists on giving some people special treatment while intentionally holding back or punishing others because of their “race.”

Slavery, like all other vices, has been around since early human history – at least as far back as the Ancient Egyptian Empire, but likely reaching back to Noah and the tower of Babel. Sinful man has always used the mistreatment of his brothers to vault himself into personal power, and oppressive slavery has been used again and again to further that end.