Loving my neighbor is not demanding they wear a mask.
Stephen McDowell
You have likely seen the signs or heard the statement: wearing a mask is not about you but about caring for others. The intent is to justify government officials who demand everyone wear masks, first in public indoor settings and then to the outdoors, with some pushing this for private settings.
This may sound noble, but is this really what the Bible requires if we are to follow the golden rule, the teaching of Jesus, and the overarching message of the law of God?
How do we love our neighbor? Jesus said we do so by keeping the six commandments of the Second Table – we don’t steal his property, take his life, dishonor his name, covet his possessions, or promote immorality, but we protect his life, liberty, property, and God-given inalienable rights. We act in such a way that he is able to live free under God to pursue all that God wants him to do.
Liberty, both internal and external, is one great object of the Christian faith, and has been uniquely expressed in the American Republic. As opposed to pagan societies where all truth and law emanates from rulers, Christianity teaches each man can know the truth and are to govern their lives in accordance with that truth. They are to be free to follow God and fulfill His will. This is what was meant by the phrase “pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence, because pursuing God and being free to do His will is what produces maximum happiness.
Loving my neighbor means I will do all that is necessary for him to retain the great liberty Christ came to earth to give to mankind. A governmental decree demanding all men wear masks (whether that action is as beneficial as some claim or not) increases the power of that institution that historically has been the most oppressive agent to human welfare. It opens the door wider to future encroachments by government to control of our lives, liberty, and property.
In 1934 former President Herbert Hoover warned of the increasing government control of the Franklin Roosevelt administration writing: “the rise of most dictatorship in history has justified itself upon saving the country in ‘emergency.’”[1]
Under out current COVID-19 “emergency” we are seeing the rise of statism, of government control of areas of our lives not yet breached by the growing socialism of American polity. Governors have decreed who can open their businesses, how many people can enter private buildings, how many people can gather at church, what you can do in church (sing or not), where you can travel freely, et cetera. Some have imposed similar restrictions on private functions, even in your homes. In some places wearing masks are mandated, even while outside. These violations of biblical and constitutional rights and liberties are justified by arguing these actions are saving lives and saving the country. After all, it is not about you, but about loving your neighbor.
But I love my neighbor and understand that statism is a much greater threat to them than a virus that man, exercising his God-given skills, will learn how to overcome. And I also trust my neighbor to do what is right and to effectively govern his life.
Living in liberty requires us to trust our fellow man to act as he should, to be self-governed. Every day we drive our cars we trust our fellow citizens to safely operate potentially dangerous machines, which can and unfortunately sometimes do bring death and destruction. We trust them to act honestly when they conduct business with us.
COVID-19 is a real virus that brings real harm to people (although we are learning it is not nearly as fatal as initially thought). If people are infected with it, quarantining them is a biblical response. While this is generally done by individual choice, government could take action for those who abuse their liberty and purposely endanger others. But we should not quarantine those that are well. The consequence of universal quarantine produces greater death and destruction (through lost wages, lack of obtaining basic needs, lack of access to health care for other serious illnesses, etc.) than trusting citizens to act in their and their neighbor’s best interest.
Individuals who are most at risk for the virus (the elderly with comorbidities) can isolate themselves from potential infection. Others concerned for their safety can choose where to go and what to do on their own. Those who think they may have been exposed, including the asymptomatic, can isolate themselves. Individual choice shaped by biblical truth and love is a foundational component of our constitutional republic.
In a free society, we are to trust the individual citizen to act rightly. In a command society, government leaders believe they know best and must use force to get everyone to comply with their decrees. Rather than demand that my neighbor act in accordance with some government bureaucrat (knowing this will only lead to greater loss of liberty in the future), retaining American liberty while governing myself under God is a much better way to show my neighbor I love him.
[1] Herbert Hoover, The Challenge of Liberty, New York: Charles Scriber’s Sons, 1934, p. 72.
While teaching a group of current and future government leaders in Latin America, I was asked, “What specific policies would you recommend that we implement for the economic well-being of the nation?” I was in the middle of teaching them a seminar on biblical economics, where I was presenting a number of foundational principles necessary for personal and national prosperity. Before giving them a number of policies, I reiterated some of those foundational biblical principles, pointing out that the policies will work because they are an application of the biblical principles.
Following are a brief summary of some of the principles and policies I related to them. There are certainly others that should be understood and applied, but these are of first importance.
Underlying these principles and policies is the understanding that God desires His people to flourish. God’s original commission to man was for him to take dominion over the earth by producing needed goods and services that contribute to universal flourishing. Applying His principles revealed in the Bible produce prosperity.
Foundational Free Market Principles
Private Property
The Bible teaches we are to own property and benefit from the fruit of our labor.
Private property is a fundamental component of prosperous, advancing economies. The concept of private property is taught throughout the Scriptures, beginning with the creation of man and God’s original commission for him to rule over the earth as presented in Genesis 1.
God created all things (all property), and thus He owns it all. Scripture says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness. The world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). While God owns everything, He has given to man stewardship of the earth – “the earth He has given to the sons of men” (Psalm 115:16). It is man’s responsibility to care for God’s creation (Gen. 1:28). Owning property gives the family and individuals power to fulfill their mission to take dominion and extend His Kingdom in the earth.
A few Scriptures affirming private property rights follow:
The Eighth Commandment to not steal implies private property rights (Ex. 20:15).
You shall not covet your neighbor’s property (Ex. 20:17) implies individual ownership of property.
Families in Israel were given land that they owned (Joshua 12-31).
“You shall not move your neighbor’s boundary mark” or property boundaries (Deut. 19:14; Deut. 27:17).
Restitution is to be made by the thief for property stolen (Ex. 22:1 ff; Prov. 6:30-31).
Jeremiah bought a field from his cousin. He signed a deed with witnesses after paying money for it (Jer. 32:1-16). We see private ownership and the free market here.
The Parable of Laborers in the Vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16) teaches that the landowner could do what he wished with his own property: “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?” (Matt. 20:15)
The early church in Jerusalem voluntarily sold their property to help those in need.
Peter affirmed the ownership and individual control of the property of Ananias and Sapphira: “while it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control?” (Acts 5:4). It is clear that the early church did not require or practice communistic or socialistic ownership of property. Shared property was voluntary, and private property was still maintained as individuals continued to own homes after selling some of their property (Acts 12:12). This selling of excess property to meet local needs is only mentioned to have taken place in the church in Jerusalem, not anywhere else, likely due to local historical events that had been revealed to the church through prophecy (Jesus warned them that Jerusalem would fall, Luke 21, after which property became useless).
“Your own vine and fig tree” (1 Kings 4:25; Micah 4:4; Zech. 3:10) is an often used biblical phrase depicting how owning property and resources signify an idyllic condition.
According to the Bible, property is primarily to be owned by the family (and individuals who represent the family). The family is the primary institution to take dominion (Gen. 1), and to do this it must own and control land and property.
Individual Enterprise
The Bible teaches that you are to benefit from the fruit of your labor. The Apostle Paul says, “The plowman ought to plow in hope … of sharing the crops” (1 Cor. 9:9-10). The profit motive encourages greater labor, which produces more wealth.
Paul writes, “If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (1 Thess. 3:10). Conversely, the harder you work, the more you should benefit materially with more to eat, et cetera.
The Bible says much about the importance of laboring: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” (Ex. 20:9); labor to gain wealth (Pr. 13:11); there is profit in labor (Prov. 14:23); the diligent will be made rich (Pr. 13:4). Labor is the title deed to property (both external and internal).
When there is liberty for men to benefit from the fruit of their labor, then men will invent more, produce more, exchange more, and use new products.
Free market
The free market is based upon the idea that men are to be free under God to pursue their calling and provide for themselves and their families. As they do this they will produce goods and services that they should be able to freely offer to others at a price of their choosing.
The free market by its nature encourages men to serve the wants and the desires of their fellow man, voluntarily. At the end of free market transactions, both parties say “thank you,” because both parties benefit from the exchange.
Limited government
Civil government is a divine institution with an important function,[1] but it is to be limited. The power it exercises should only be enough to enable it to fulfill its biblical purpose. Any more and it becomes oppressive and tyrannical. Civil government should not usurp the authority of God or the other divine institutions He established (i.e., family and church).
Jesus taught that we are to render to God the things that are God’s, which is an argument for limited government. The concept of Christian self-government is another strong point supporting limited government because the size of civil government declines as self-government increases (and self-government increases where the Gospel is implanted in the culture). Government is not to control individual conscience. It is not to hinder biblical worship, morality, or action. History shows that centralized power leads to loss of Christian liberty in all spheres of life (religious, political, economic, and civil). That God desires men to live free is another support for small government.
Private property rights are a strong argument for limited government. God created man as His steward (delegated ruler) over the earth (Gen. 1:26-30; Ps. 8:6-8; 1 Cor. 6:3). Man has authority and freedom to manage all the resources God has given him to fulfill his calling (Mt. 25:14-18, 27; Lk. 19:13, 23). The larger the state becomes, the less private property individuals possess (through state ownership and control, as well as increased taxes) and, hence, they have less ability to fulfill the Creation Mandate.[2]
Tyrannical governments will take from man what God wants man to have (see 1 Sam. 8:10-18). The consequence of government taking what does not belong to it is enslavement of the people. If government controls all property it controls all life. It thus robs humans of expressing the image of God and living in the great liberty that God intended for man from the beginning. Statism turns a nation into a giant prison.
Policies for Prosperity
Government should act to preserve private property, individual enterprise, and the free market, while seeking to limit its power and jurisdiction. The following governmental policies stem from the above four (and other[3]) biblical economic principles.
Reduce taxes
The amount of taxes collected by governments around the world today is too large. Most taxes are unjust and unbiblical (like graduated income taxes, inheritance taxes, and property taxes) and much too high. History has shown that lower taxes lead to more economic growth. Lower taxes mean individuals keep more of their own money. With more money, they can grow their businesses, increasing jobs and wages.
Reduce government spending (and hence the size of government)
All governments not only tax too much, but they also spend too much. Most actually spend more than they collect in taxes. Deficit spending leads to many problems. The most effective way to reduce the size and spending of government is to restrict it to its limited biblical purpose of protecting the law-abiding citizen and punishing the law-breakers.
A few ways to reduce government spending include:
God created an abundance of renewable and other natural resources to enable man to fulfill the cultural mandate.
Eliminate the welfare state by following biblical guidelines for overcoming poverty, which include replacing welfare with work requirements, eliminating minimum wage, and encouraging the private sector to assist the poor and needy.
Do not borrow money or create fiat money.
Do not spend more money than that received via legitimate taxes.
Do not have government stimulus programs or bailouts that give away tax dollars to inefficient businesses.
Encourage developing infrastructure with private capital. Modernizing the infrastructure of a nation is important for economic growth. The most important infrastructure needs are private — factories, warehouses, research centers, office complexes, laboratories, and so on. Tax cuts and reduced regulations can encourage the private sector to develop these. There is also much infrastructure that benefits the public but should be operated privately, like airplanes and airports, pipelines, electric grids, communications, satellites, and so forth.
Reduce regulations
Unnecessary and burdensome regulations stifle economic productivity. Regulations should be kept to a minimum and should only apply to keeping the market free and fair. Excessive government regulations have turned America (and many nations) into a permission society. In 1950, one in 20 occupations required a government license. Today it is one in three. Meeting the requirements imposed by myriads of governmental agencies has sucked the life and finances out of just about every business in the country. Plus, many of these regulations violate the property rights of individuals.
The power to regulate (and also to tax) is the power to destroy; hence, such power must be kept to a bare minimum.
Develop natural resources
God created an abundance of renewable and other natural resources to enable man to fulfill the cultural or dominion mandate. Our task is to discover and develop the resources that exist within our own nations so as to meet our national needs (not being dependent upon other nations who may not have our best interest in mind) and have extra to sell to others. These resources include food, minerals, timber, metals, medicines, manufactured items, etc., but most especially energy resources like oil, gas, and coal, since energy runs industry and economic progress.
Secure patent and copyright laws
Patent and copyright laws are forms of property because the product of man’s brain is property just as is the product of his hands. These laws protect and reward labor, both physical and mental. These will lead to the development of new and better tools, as well as greater labor, all of which produce economic growth. Patent and copyright laws helped propel the many new inventions that originated in the United States after our independence.
Privatize social security and healthcare
It is not the role of civil government to provide health, education, or welfare to citizens. The Bible gives this responsibility primarily to the family, and secondarily to the church and private sector. The family can do it more effectively and efficiently. If government seeks to provide these things it will not only take lots of your money (with more spent on bureaucrats running the programs than on your needs) but it will also take much of your liberty.
Privatize education
Parents have the right and responsibility to govern the education of their children. As with health and welfare, the private sector will provide education — in knowledge, skills, and character — much more effectively and efficiently than civil government.
Encourage free and fair trade
Trade (in its broad meaning of conducting business locally, nationally, and internationally) is an important means of bringing universal flourishing to a nation. Government can encourage trade (and some of the above policies do this), but it should only be involved to assure that trade is free and fair.
Institute biblical immigration policies
Allowing an uncontrolled flood of immigrants into a nation will stifle and possibly destroy the economy. While having an attitude that welcomes the stranger and alien, a nation’s immigration policy should embrace biblical ideas including: Immigrants must understand and agree to live by the law of the land (i.e., the national and state constitutions) before admittance; immigrants should display self-government, good character, hard work, and a readiness to operate in accordance with principles of property, individual enterprise, and the free market. In other words, they must demonstrate the qualities of good citizens.
Protect inalienable rights
Governments exist to protect the God-given inalienable rights of citizens and provide an environment of peace and liberty.[4] These things are necessary for the effective implementation of the above policies.
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These policies will produce economic growth and lift all citizens to a higher economic status. They will produce a bigger economic pie so that everyone gets a bigger piece, including civil government via increased tax revenues while maintaining low tax rates.
Reducing taxes, regulations, and entitlements empowers people to be more productive.
Socialistic policies keep the pie small. Welfare states promise provision for citizens but only have a small pie to divide among everyone, and with increased government control of the economy, scarcity increases and the pie shrinks, leading to more poverty. Producing a larger pie causes everyone to flourish. The poor are lifted out of poverty. Only productivity will overcome poverty. In addition, productivity will lift everyone’s income level.
The above policies will create more jobs, expand the workforce, and raise incomes, all of which contribute to a larger national GDP, that is, a larger pie. These also incentivize creativity and invention, which will produce new and better tools, which multiply man’s material welfare. All the while, they enhance liberty, not just economic liberty, but also personal, religious, and civil liberty.
In summary, biblical economic and governmental principles produce good governmental policies which produce wealth and universal flourishing.
[1] Simply stated, the purpose of civil government is to protect the life, liberty, and property of citizens. See Stephen McDowell, Ruling Over the Earth, for a more detailed look at the purpose of civil government.
[2] Each of these biblical arguments for limited government are examined in more detail with much Scriptural support in Ruling Over the Earth.
[3] See Stephen McDowell, The Economy from a Biblical Perspective, for an expanded look at these and other principles.
[4] See McDowell, Ruling Over the Earth, for an examination of some of these biblical rights.
God has commissioned us to disciple nations. Thankfully, He has given us everything we need to fulfill this mission, though we must labor and develop our talents and abilities in Him to properly accomplish our calling.
By His common and extraordinary grace, God has given to man marvelous biblical resources to effect transformation in the earth. Those resources include:
We are made in the image of God with a body, mind, and spirit, having the ability to think, to create, and to develop new things for the betterment of man and the advancement of God’s kingdom.
God put natural resources in the earth for us to use and develop in accordance with the Creator’s standards as a means for taking dominion over the earth.
We have spiritual endowment from God to grow to maturity.
We have access to God’s supernatural power to experience mighty signs and wonders, both personal and national.
Spiritual Endowment
Paul writes that “His power [energy] … mightily works within me.” (Col. 1:29). This energy is the most powerful force in the universe. The spiritual resources He has given us include: salvation, the Holy Spirit, the Word of God, Christian community, and calling or vocation. Understanding our calling or vocation (that is, having a biblical view of work) is essential to fulfill our biblical mission. Os Guinness explains calling as:
The truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion, dynamism, and direction lived out as a response to his summons and service.[1]
Our primary calling is to follow Christ in all things. We also have a secondary calling to our human family, to the church, to our community, and to our vocation. Part of the mission of the family and the church is to equip people to fulfill their calling. Puritan William Perkins explains:
A vocation or calling is a certain kind of life, ordained and imposed on man by God, for the common good….Every person of every degree, state, or condition without exception must have some personal and particular calling to walk in. The main end of our lives…is to serve God in the serving of men in the works of our callings….The true end of our lives is to do service to God in serving of man.[2]
Our calling to advance God’s kingdom by serving God and man will be carried out in all spheres of life — in the church, media, government, family, marketplace, education, and science. Understanding the biblical doctrine of work is central to fulfilling our mission in the earth.[3]
Biblical Doctrine of Work
Work is not merely the job we hold to earn an income. Work is “all our productive daily activities – job, family and relationships, and community involvement – that help bring about the Kingdom of God.” “Work is simply all human activity that sustains and improves the world.”[4] This includes my job, raising my family, ministry work, tending my lawn, community service, etc. It is the means by which we occupy the earth until He returns (Luke 19:13).
We are called to work. We are first called to be – to demonstrate His character. Then we are called to do – to fulfill our divine vocation, our life purpose.
The Bible teaches that there is not any one vocation that is any more spiritual than any other. To be called as a pastor or missionary is not more valuable than to be called as a doctor, teacher, carpenter, or farmer. As long as each vocation is done in a biblical manner with God’s purposes in mind, they have equal value in God’s mind. Martin Luther wrote:
the works of monks and priests, however holy and arduous they may be, do not differ one whit in the sight of God from the works of the rustic laborer in the field or the woman going through her household tasks, but that all works are measured before God by faith alone.[5]
While we need a biblical view of work, much of Western civilization has embraced pagan and eastern ideas about work, thinking that the ultimate goal in life is to cease working and have time for leisure or meditation. This view says that leisure is good and work is bad, that one’s goal is to live a life of ease or the solitude of a “holy man” (think of the depiction of a mystic sitting on a mountain dispensing wisdom to the pilgrim). Such worldviews teach that the higher you go, the less work you do (when, in realty, the higher you go the more work you do). Therefore, retirement from work is the “higher life.” People pursue a life of leisure, not only seeking to retire early, but hoping to by-pass work and get rich through whatever means they can – winning the lottery, theft, fraud etc. Many think we work only that we may live. The biblical view is that we live to work to the glory of God.
The Bible and Work
Work in various forms is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible. God is a God of work. He is first seen as the Creator in Genesis 1. In fact, His Creation reveals who He is (Rom. 1:20). God created man in His image, which includes man being a worker. Being able to work is a gift of God. God gave man the physical and mental abilities necessary to work.
God also gave man a mandate to work. He placed him in the garden and told him to work, to cultivate the garden. Adam was to take the natural resources God had made and through his labor rearrange them, and order them to bring about usefulness for man. Through work we fulfill the purposes of God and reflect the nature and character of God. Hence, we are to glorify God and love our neighbor through work.
In the Old Testament the Jews saw work as part of God’s creation and calling. Jewish teachers had a trade that they used to support themselves, even while they taught others. Paul was a tent maker. The disciples were fishermen. While the Bible teaches it is right to support those who labor in teaching the Word, Paul often used his trade to support himself. Paul commanded Christians to continue in their work and work well (Col. 3:23-24; 1 Thess. 2:9; 1 Thess. 4:11-12).
Early Christians had this positive view of work, and they understood their work was the means of taking dominion over the creation. However, as the church backslid, many Christians began to embrace the Greek view of work; that is, laboring with your hands was for slaves or common man. The church began to embrace a pagan philosophy of work, which promoted the ideology of the secular/sacred distinction: those involved in “sacred things” did the important work of God, while all other work was secular and not as important. Thus, to have a “calling” in medieval times referred only to work in the church. Thankfully, God used the Protestant reformers (Luther, Calvin, and many others) to restore a biblical view of work.
Since the United States was primarily founded by Bible-believing Protestants, early Americans had a biblical view of work. This understanding was essential for the great advancement and prosperity that came to America. Sadly, the biblical doctrine of work is being lost in America today. Why is this occurring? One reason is that the church has failed to teach the entire Great Commission. The cultural mandate has been ignored by much of the church.
At the same time false ideas in economics (Marxism), government (socialism), and education (the state is in charge) began to grow and affect work, economics, and business as well as the government’s role in these things. We must restore the biblical doctrine of work. It begins with each one of us.
Work Is a Holy Calling
Work is included in the fundamental principles of life that God revealed to man in the Ten Commandments. “Six days you shall work,” God says in the Fourth Commandment. Here again, work is all our productive activities – job, family, relationships, and community involvement – that help bring about the kingdom of God. The type of labor or product of your labor is no more valuable than any other in God’s eyes. Significance is not found in the kind of work you do.
Our work is a part of our calling and is a primary way we will extend God’s kingdom on the earth. Work is not merely a secular activity that is unimportant in God’s purposes, nor is it a necessary evil that we must endure to obtain the necessities of life. God commissioned work before the fall and shows us by His example how we should view work.
God loves to work, and so should we! Wherever He is, there is work. Jesus said, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working” (John 5:17). When we work we are imitating God.
Heaven is not a place where we sit around the pool all day and drink lemonade. We will be working, and we will love it. Jesus taught in the parable of the talents (Luke 19:11-27) that those who faithfully use and multiply the skills and abilities God has given them will be put in charge of cities, now, but more so in the life to come. Work gives us the skills we need to govern well.
God has been working from the beginning of the creation. We first know of Him as the Creator. Paul writes in Romans: “since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made” (Rom. 1:20).
We gain insight into God’s nature, power, and attributes through everything He created. We see who He is through His work. Likewise, what is inside each of us is revealed through our work. Author Dennis Peacocke writes:
Work is the incarnation of my intangible “soul” out into God’s Cosmos….Work allows what is inside of me to be revealed in the outside world. That is why God created the concept of work and loves it so much, because what is inside God is so spectacular it must be externally revealed. It is through His work that we see who He is!….No wonder so many people hate work: It is revealing externally what is inside of them.[6]
The Bible teaches that what is inside of us will come out in our words, attitudes, and actions. This is most evident in our place of work and, consequently, the real you can be seen by your boss, co-workers, or employees more easily than by your pastor. You are at church a few hours a week and are on your best behavior. You are at work 40 or more hours a week where your true character is more likely to be expressed. What an opportunity Christians have to minister to those at work!
While we witness for God at work, work is intended for much more than this. Work is central to our mission on earth. It is through work that we will disciple nations, fulfill the dominion or cultural mandate, extend Christ’s kingdom, and occupy until He comes.
[1]. Os Guinness, The Call, Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life, Nashville: W Publishing Group, 1998, p. 4.
[2]. William Placher, ed., Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation, Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005, p. 262.
[3]. Our calling can be distinguished from our job via these definitions: Calling was defined in the text. Vocation – what you are doing in life that makes a difference for you, that builds meaning for you, that you can look back on in your later years to see the impact you have made on the world. Vocation is related to calling. Career – like a “road;” associated with a certain occupation (like lawyer, businessman, accountant). This can change. Job – it has to do with current employment and a specific job description.
[4]. Gregory F. Augustine Pierce, Of Human Hands, A Reader in the Spirituality of Work, Chicago: Augsburg and ACTA Publications, 1991, p. 16.
[5]. Martin Luther, Selected Writings of Martin Luther, Theodore G. Tappert, editor, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007, p. 430.
[6]. Dennis Peacocke, Almighty and Sons, Doing Business God’s Way!, Santa Rosa, Cal.: Rebuild, 1995, p. 22.
Why Preserving Our Biblical Roots Is Vital for Future Flourishing
[June 2020: The American republic and our founding principles are under attack. Those orchestrating the recent riots, protests, destruction of statues, and calls to defund the police seek to fundamentally transform America. Under the guise of correcting abuse, they really want to dismantle the founding principles of the most free and prosperous nation in the history of the world. They want to replace our Christian foundations with secular humanistic beliefs. But in doing so they are, in the words of Benjamin Franklin, “beating their mother.” Learn why in this brief article by Stephen McDowell.]
Stephen McDowell
In 1980 the Supreme Court ruled in Stone v. Graham that the public schools of Kentucky could not display the Ten Commandments on the walls. The Court said: “If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce the schoolchildren to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey, the Commandments.”[1]
While some think that the principles of living contained in the Bible as summarized by the Ten Commandments are a threat to the liberties of America, the exact opposite is true. It has been these moral standards of right and wrong that have formed the foundation of liberty and prosperity in our nation.
Why then has such an assault developed in recent years against these principles? A war of worldviews, between one that is Christian and one that is humanistic, is at the root of the conflict in our nation today.
Humanists argue that there are no absolutes. Right and wrong are based upon the consensus of the majority or upon the views of a minority in power; hence, law is evolving.
In great contrast is the Christian worldview which is based upon God’s absolutes as revealed in the Bible. He is the source of right and wrong. This was the view of law in America for most of our history.
Some would ask, “What difference does it make, if we have a Christian or humanistic foundation? Just as long as I have my freedoms.” We must understand that ideas have consequences. The fruit we get is determined by the seeds we plant. The fruit of America has been liberty and prosperity beyond that of any nation in history. If we change seeds, we will get different results.
Toward the end of his life, Benjamin Franklin (who was not orthodox in his beliefs) wrote a reply to Thomas Paine seeking to dissuade him from publishing a work of an irreligious tendency which spoke against Christian fundamentals. He told Paine that no good would come from his publishing his ideas, writing that “He that spits against the wind, spits in his own face.” Franklin told Paine that “perhaps you are indebted to…your religious education, for the habits of virtue upon which you now justly value yourself. … Among us it is not necessary, as among the Hottentots, that a youth, to be raised into the company of men, should prove his manhood by beating his mother.” Only evil would result if Paine’s ideas succeeded, for, as Franklin wrote, “If men are so wicked with religion, what would they be if without it.”[2]
Many today in America are “beating their mother” when they seek to remove Christianity from our public life. Christianity is what has produced the liberty and prosperity that has allowed people to pursue such unwise action.
Christianity has been the life-blood of America. If the Christian worldview prevails it will once again nourish every aspect of the life of this nation producing freedom, justice, prosperity, and life for all.
The Founders saw man from a Christian perspective; that is, man is sinful and in a fallen state. As such, they were careful to construct a form of government that would not entrust man with too much power, knowing that sinful man will tend to abuse power. John Adams wrote:
To expect self-denial from men, when they have a majority in their favor, and consequently power to gratify themselves, is to disbelieve all history and universal experience; it is to disbelieve Revelation and the Word of God, which informs us, the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…. There is no man so blind as not to see, that to talk of founding a government upon a supposition that nations and great bodies of men, left to themselves, will practice a course of self-denial, is either to babble like a new-born infant, or to deceive like an unprincipled impostor.[i]
James Madison said, in Federalist No. 51, “What is government itself but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? If men were angels, no government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.”[ii] The Founders’ view of human nature profoundly affected their view of government. The Constitution they formed limited the power of our rulers in various ways: binding them down with a constitution; holding them accountable with frequent elections; dividing the legislative, executive, and judicial powers; and setting up checks and balances within these separate governing bodies.
Christian Ideas in the Constitution
The Constitution contains many biblical ideas, some of which follow:
The Reign of Law — “This Constitution…shall be the supreme law of the land.” (Art. VI, Sec. 2)
America’s civil government is a government of laws, not of rulers. Throughout most of history people have been governed by laws imposed by their rulers. In America, for the first time ever, the people formed their own Constitution and consented to it. They established a government of people’s law, not of ruler’s law. The law they established was based on Biblical truth, which is essential for protecting the individual’s right to life, liberty, and property. Citizens must not only be protected from harmful acts of other citizens but also from abuses by their own government. Since the law is supreme and not the rulers, the people will be protected from ruler’s tyranny, as everyone — ruler and subject — is subject to the law.
Trial by Jury of Peers under Law — “The right of trial by jury shall be preserved.” (Amendment 7)
In a nation under law, any violation of the law requires a judge. Wrongdoers must be punished and required to make restitution to deter crime, yet, there must be an orderly process of justice where the guilty and innocent are distinguished. The Bible requires judges “to be honest, to refuse bribes, and not to show favoritism (Ex. 23:1-8). A person was presumed innocent unless at least two witnesses testified against him (Deut. 17:6), and the penalty for perjury was severe (Deut. 19:16-21).”[iii]
The United States Constitution provides numerous protections for persons accused of crimes. Many of these rights are contained in Amendments 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the Constitution. These rights are derived from the idea that since man is created in the image of God, his life has great value and should be guarded with care.
Creator Endowed Rights, not Government Granted — “To…secure the blessings of liberty.” (Preamble)
Since man is created in the image of God, man has an inherent value and dignity. God has endowed certain rights to His valuable creation that He expects all peoples and governments to recognize. The commands of Scripture reveal God has given man the right to life, liberty, and property:
“You shall not murder.” (Exodus 20:13) – right to life
“He who kidnaps a man…shall surely be put to death.” (Exodus 21:16) – right to liberty
“You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15) – right to property
According to the Declaration of Independence, men’s rights are “endowed by their Creator…. That to secure, these rights, Governments are instituted among men.”
Christian Self-government – “We, the people” (Preamble)
For a nation to be free from the tyranny of centralized government, each individual citizen must be self-governing. The Bible and history reveal that if men do not govern themselves under God, then others will rule over them, and those rulers will eventually become tyrants. William Penn said, “Men must be governed by God or they will be ruled by tyrants.”
Robert C. Winthrop, speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1847-1849, recognized the necessity of individual self-government for the functioning of the American Republic. He said:
Robert C. Winthrop
All societies of men must be governed in some way or other. The less they may have of stringent State Government, the more they must have of individual self-government. The less they rely on public law or physical force, the more they must rely on private moral restraint. Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them, or by a power without them; either by the Word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or the bayonet.[iv]
As Americans have become less self-governed, our civil government has grown larger and larger and become more centralized. The more centralized a civil government becomes, the more loss of individual liberty will occur.
Religious Freedom – “Congress shall make no law…prohibiting the free exercise [of religion]” (Amendment 1)
The First Amendment guarantees the right of citizens to freely worship God without fear of the national government interfering or forcing people to adhere to a certain religious belief. While this keeps the state out of the church, it in no way removes God from government. It is impossible to remove God from government; every civil government operates on some religion. America was founded on the Christian religion but in recent years has been shifting to a man-centered, humanistic religion.
Private Property Rights – “nor be deprived of…property, without due process of law” (Amendment 5)
Private property rights are a basic necessity for any society that desires to be free and prosperous. The founders of America acknowledged this truth and the Constitution protects property rights of individuals. Noah Webster wrote:
Let the people have property and they will have power – a power that will forever be exerted to prevent a restriction of the press, and abolition of trial by jury, or the abridgement of any other privilege.[v]
The private property rights found in Amendment 5 and other places in the Constitution flowed out of the understanding by our Founders of the internal aspect of private property rights. James Madison, the chief architect of the Constitution, wrote:
Property… In the former sense, a man’s land, or merchandise, or money, is called his property. In the latter sense, a man has a property in his opinions and the free communication of them. He has a property of peculiar value in his religious opinions, and in the profession and practice dictated by them…. He has an equal property in the free use of his faculties, and free choice of the objects on which to employ them. In a word, as a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights.[vi]
The Founders believed that God created everything, including us, and given us the right to possess property, both internal (opinions, ideas, talents, etc.) and external (land, merchandise, money, etc.). The Declaration of Independence acknowledges this right is endowed by God; the Constitution secures this God-given right.
Union or Covenant — “in order to form a more perfect Union” (Preamble)
The United States of America is an example of a Christian union. The original external union among the states was the result of an internal unity of ideas and principles in the hearts of the people. This voluntary working together or covenanting together is the basis of Christian union. America’s motto, E Pluribus Unum (“from many, one”), expresses this unity with union.
While the United States reveals a Christian union, the former Soviet Union was an example of a non-biblical union. External force and fear was used to hold all the people groups together. It was an involuntary union and, hence, did not last. In America, unity brings union; in the USSR, the union attempted to force unity.
Stronger internal bonds will produce a stronger union and action. If the original colonies had never formed a union, they would have never individually made the positive impact upon the world that corporately the United States has been able to make. In fact, they might not ever have survived.
Defense — “the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.” (Amendment 2)
The American people established the Constitution to “provide for the common defense.” Congress was given specific powers to accomplish this function of civil government. The Second Amendment to the Constitution recognizes “a well-regulated militia” is “necessary to the security of a free state,” and therefore secures “the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” This right of defense comes from the Biblical idea of man. Since we are God’s property and He requires us to be good stewards, we have a responsibility to preserve our lives. It follows that we have a right to defend our persons and families against those who may try to harm us. We establish police forces to help defend our life, liberty, and property from evildoers within our nation. State and national armies are established to defend citizens from aggressive nations.
Our Founders understood that a nation can only have liberty and peace through strength. Consider some of their remarks:
“[I]f we desire to secure peace…it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.”[vii] – George Washington
“To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.”[viii] – George Washington
“It is absurd, the pretending to be lovers of liberty while they grudge paying for the defense of it.”[ix] – Benjamin Franklin
“There is much truth in the Italian saying, “Make yourselves sheep, and the wolves will eat you.”[x] – Benjamin Franklin
Christian Framework of the Constitution
In addition to the Constitution containing many ideas that are Christian, its form or framework also reflects Biblical ideas. A few of these are:
Representation — “Representatives shall be…chosen…by the people” (Art. 1, Sec. 2)
The United States Constitution secures for each state a republican form of government (Art. 4, Sec 4). One characteristic of a republic is that the people choose representatives to stand in their place in the seat of government.
The principle of self-government reveals to us the right of each individual to participate in government. The people, under God, are the source of power for governments. Therefore, a Biblical civil government will be democratic in nature. A true democracy, however, has a number of shortcomings. In a democracy, just over 50% of the people rule. If they desire to abuse the individual rights of the minority they can. Hence, a democracy tends to majority tyranny.
A democracy also requires direct participation by citizens in all government matters, which is impractical. Individuals choosing their representatives allows participation in government in every situation.
Representative government had its origin in the Hebrew nation. Moses told the people to “choose wise and discerning and experienced men [‘able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain’] and I will appoint them as … heads over you, leaders of thousands, and of hundreds, of fifties and of tens, and officers for your tribes.” (Deuteronomy 1:13-17; Exodus 18:21-27)
Noah Webster revealed the importance of being involved in choosing your representatives:
When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, “just men who will rule in the fear of God.” The preservation of a republican government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted; laws will be made, not for the public good, so much as for selfish or local purposes; corrupt or incompetent men will be appointed to execute the laws; the public revenues will be squandered on unworthy men; and the rights of the citizens will be violated or disregarded. If a republican government fails to secure public prosperity and happiness, it must be because the citizens neglect the divine commands, and elect bad men to make and administer the laws.[xi]
Separation of Powers – “All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress” (Art. 1, Sec. 1); “The Executive power shall be vested in a President” (Art. 2, Sec. 1); “The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court” (Art. 3, Sec. 1).
America’s national government is divided into three branches with an intricate system of checks and balances. This division is based upon the Biblical idea that mankind is sinful and in a fallen state. While man is capable of some civic virtue, he also is self-centered and must be limited and checked in the power he exercises. If rulers are given too much power, they will abuse it for their gain and their subjects’ harm. James Madison affirmed in Federalist No. 51 (see his quote above) the need to balance power between the governed and the governing.
Every government has three basic functions: 1. Legislative – making laws; 2. Executive – enforcing laws’ 3. Judicial – interpreting laws. The Bible speaks of these three governmental functions in the Godhead (Isaiah 33:22). God, being perfect, can administer all three; with man it should be otherwise.
In his book Spirit of Laws (1748), Montesquieu said that these three functions of government must be separated to prevent tyranny. The founders of America studied his writings and agreed with his assessment. Madison wrote: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many…may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.”[xii] This is why the Founders separated the powers of government into three branches and set up checks and balances between the branches.
Dual Form or Federalism — “every State in this Union” (Art. 4, Sec. 4)
The tenth amendment to the Constitution states the idea of federalism: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The basic idea was to get government as close to the people as possible. The more remote it is from the people, the more dangerous it becomes. Jefferson said:
The way to have good and safe government is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among the many;…it is by dividing and subdividing these republics, from the great national one down…that all will be done for the best.[xiii]
James Madison explained: “The powers delegated by the…Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite.”[xiv]
In the federal republic established by the Constitution, most powers rested with the state and local governments. The Constitution establishes only 18 powers in the national government in Article 1, Section 8, and declares these powers off-limits to the states in Section 10. All other powers rest with the states and people. The national government can only make laws dealing with such items as the regulation of interstate and foreign commerce, coining money, the postal services, copyrights, citizenship laws, and the armed forces. The state governments can only make laws dealing with such things as public education, voting procedures, marriage and divorce, corporations and traffic. Neither can interfere in the area of the other without being unconstitutional.
In recent years the national government has ballooned in growth, disrupting the balance of powers between the national and state and local governments. Greater centralization of power has come as individuals have failed to govern themselves on a local level.
The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were clearly founded upon Christian ideas of man and government. Our Founders were the first men to “hold these truths” and establish a nation upon them. Without Christianity, there never would have been a Constitution. As Noah Webster, the father of the dictionary and a key Federalist in the passage of the Constitution, said:
The religion which has introduced civil liberty, is the religion of Christ and his apostles, which enjoins humility, piety, and benevolence; which acknowledges in every person a brother, or a sister, and a citizen with equal rights. This is genuine Christianity, and to this we owe our free constitutions of government.[xv]
[i] John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1856), Vol. 6, A Defense of the Constitutions of Government of the United States of America, “Chapter First. Marchamont Nedham. The Right Constitution of a Commonwealth Examined.”
[ii] James Madison, Federalist 51, The Federalist, a Collection of Essays, Written in Favor of the Constitution of the United States, a Agreed Upon by the Federal Convention, September 17, 1787, by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison, Jr., edited by Michael Loyd Chadwick, Washington, DC: Global Affairs Publishing Co., 1987, p. 281.
[iii] John Eidsmoe, Christianity and the Constitution, Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1987, p. 374.
[iv] Robert C. Winthrop, “Address to Massachusetts Bible Society Meeting, May 28, 1849,” Addresses and Speeches on Various Occasions, Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1852, p. 172.
[v] Rosalie J. Slater, “Noah Webster, Founding Father of American Scholarship and Education,” preface article in reprint of An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) by Noah Webster, San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1980, p. 14.
[vi] Verna Hall, The Christian History of the Constitution of the United States, Christian Self-government, San Francisco: Foundation for American Christian Education, 1980, p. 248A.
[vii]Our Ageless Constitution, W. David Stedman, editor, Asheboro, NC: Stedman Associates, 1987, p. 39.
So many ministers participated in the War for Independence that they were called “the Black Regiment,” in reference to their pulpit gowns, by the opposition. One member of the “Black Regiment,” Peter Muhlenberg, is honored by a statue in the United States Capitol Building. Benson J. Lossing writes of his beginning involvement:
In those days politics were preached in the pulpits and men were led to action on the side of freedom by faithful pastors. The eminent General Muhlenberg was one of this stamp. When the war for independence was kindling, he was a clergymen in Virginia, and at the close of 1775, he concluded a sermon with the words of Scripture: “There is a time for all things—a time to preach and a time to pray;” but those times, he said, had passed away; and then, in a voice that sounded like a trumpet-blast through the church, he exclaimed: “There is a time to fight, and that time has now come.” Then laying aside his sacerdotal gown, he stood before his flock in the full uniform of a Virginia colonel. He ordered the drums to be beaten at the church door for recruits; and almost the entire male audience, capable of bearing arms, joined his standard. Nearly three hundred men enlisted his banner on that day.[i]
Rev. Peter Muhlenberg became one of Washington’s primary Brigadier Generals in the Continental Army, serving with him in every major conflict from that time through the surrender of the British at Yorktown. When his brother Frederick, who was a pastor of a church in New York City, heard how Peter had left the ministry to get involved in civil and military affairs, he wrote him a letter opposing his action, stating: “You would have acted for the best if you had kept out of this business from the beginning. I now give you my thoughts in brief: I think you were wrong.”[ii] Peter responded:
You say, as a clergyman nothing can excuse my conduct. I am a clergyman, it is true, but I am a member of society as well as the poorest layman, and my liberty is as dear to me as to
Peter Muhlenberg’s statue in the U.S. Capitol with his pulpit gown draped over his shoulders exposing his military uniform.
any man. Shall I then sit still, and enjoy myself at home, when the best blood of the continent is spilling? Heaven forbid it!…
The first Speaker of the House of Representatives was a minister, Frederick A.C. Muhlenberg. His painting hangs outside the House Chamber in the U.S. Capitol.
But even if you was [sic] on the opposite side of the question, you must allow that in this last step I have acted for the best. You know that from the beginning of these troubles I have been compelled to have a hand in public affairs. I have been chairman to the committee of delegates from this county from the first. Do you think, if America should be conquered, I should be safe? Far from it. And would you not sooner fight like a man than die like a dog? I am called by my country to its defence. The cause is just and noble. Were I a bishop, even a Lutheran one, I should obey without hesitation, and so far am I from thinking that I am wrong, I am convinced it is my duty so to do, a duty I owe to my God and to my country.[iii]
The next year, in 1777, British troops marched into New York City and destroyed or burnt 10 of the 19 churches in the city.[iv] One of those they destroyed was that of Frederick Muhlenberg, after which he began to rethink his position on involvement in political affairs, realizing as did his brother Peter that if the church and her leaders do not take action in public affairs, there will be no liberty to worship or preach the Gospel. Frederick went on to serve in government, being elected a member from Pennsylvania of the first Congress under the U.S. Constitution. When the first Congress gathered in New York City in 1789, he was elected as the first Speaker of the House of Representatives. As such, he was one of only two people who signed the Bill of Rights. Thus, the first Speaker of the House of Representatives, Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, was a minister who had been inspired by his minister brother to get involved in politics for the good of the nation and the good of Christ’s Kingdom. His painting hangs in the Capitol Building today and reminds us of the important role ministers played in our history.
The world has been hit by an event unprecedented in our life time. An unseen microscopic enemy has altered normal activities throughout the nations. As a believer in the Providence of God and the progressive historical advancement of the Kingdom of God, I have been asking myself, why is this happening? What is God’s purpose in this pestilential event?
While it is often difficult to discern God’s purposes, especially in the midst of the occurrence of a catastrophic event, there are numerous things we can see and learn from the coronavirus pandemic. Here are a few of them:
We are not in control.
In the age of science and man’s wisdom, where men think they are the masters of their own fate, we have come to see that we are not in control. Where science has become the infallible religion and scientists the priests of that religion, they have been humbled by a microscopic unseen enemy that has rapidly and stealthily advanced around the world.
Nevertheless, they have launched out in their own wisdom to save themselves. Secular scientists, leaning heavily upon models they created, have greatly miscalculated the potential destruction of the coronavirus. Civil officials, acting upon the limited wisdom of man, have shut down huge segments of the economy and of every-day life, which has and will bring great loss to many. The actions of the police state reveal the danger of man as the ultimate governor.
We are not in control, but God is. He is either authoring or allowing this COVID-19 event for His purposes. He will use this for the advancement of His kingdom, regardless of what man or Satan does. God is the governor of His creation and of history. Ultimately, His will, will be done.
Thanks to the advancement of biblical truth in the earth over the centuries, mankind has discovered many liberating principles of God. This includes many medical principles (see below and the appendix). Because of this, man will find a way to combat this virus and bring it under control, if not eradicate it completely. (In addition, God created man with an immune system that fights against such things.) But events like this coronavirus are a reminder to man that he is not in control.
Satan is seeking to use this to inflict a heavy blow against mankind.
From the time he was cast out of heaven to earth, Satan has sought to destroy man – God’s highest creation – as a means of attacking God and His plan for man and the earth. He wants to keep man from reclaiming the earth for God and re-establishing all things in the way they ought to be.
Satan is attacking in many ways. He is bringing death – tens of thousands have already died and hundreds of thousands may ultimately die. He is bringing fear, which paralyzes many and causes them to do many selfish and irrational things, from hoarding toilet paper on a personal level to enacting punitive decrees against necessary actions of citizens on the civil level. Much of the media is fueling the flames by exaggerated, fear-based reporting.
Satan also hopes to bring financial ruin to many. Work is Kingdom activity. It is how we provide for ourselves and our family, and is the primary way we extend the kingdom of God in the earth. Through our work we provide needed goods and services for mankind. If Satan can keep us from working, He can slow the advancement of the kingdom.
When we consider how to deal with the coronavirus event, we should reason from numerous biblical principles. Some relevant medical principles are quarantine, cleanliness, and sanitation (see Appendix). It is good that modern scientists are seeking to apply these principles in combating the virus. However, they have failed to understand that the bible teaches that contagious persons (not the healthy) should be quarantined.[1] The draconian measures instituted by many nations have forced many that are healthy to remove themselves from being able to obey many of God’s commands for how we are to live.
Another important principle of life we must consider when discerning how to deal with situations like the coronavirus is that of work. As I said, work is a central aspect of our life on the earth. It is how we provide for ourselves and our families, it is how we elevate and ameliorate man, and it is the primary means of fulfilling God’s commission to take dominion over the earth. We show our God-likeness through biblical work.
Satan can certainly bring destruction through disease, but he can wreak much more havoc by keeping mankind from fulfilling this original and central mission. We must get back to work. Many more lives will be lost, and much more destruction done, by failure to do this than by any disease germ or virus.[2]
Satan will also seek to diminish our God-given liberty, most especially through growing man-centered government. Statism is the belief that man is the ultimate authority in the earth, and this authority is most destructive in the civil sphere. Historically, the greatest destruction and bondage has come to man through statist governments. The current action of many civil leaders will only lead to greater government power and citizens’ dependence upon the state. The 2.2 trillion dollar emergency provision enacted in America, while possibly assisting some people in the near future, will end up harming the nation at large and will result in bigger, more centralized government and, in turn, less liberty and economic prosperity for most Americans.[3]
As I said above, we will win the fight against this virus in the near future, but it will take a long time to undo the long-term unintended consequences of the present statist actions, which will likely result in more deaths and hardships by disrupting (and destroying) economies throughout the world. Especially concerning, it will grow government and take away our liberty.
God is at work advancing His kingdom and purposes for mankind.
Since the time of Christ there has been no end to the increase of His kingdom (His government, His Law-Word) (Luke 1:33). His truth has advanced in all spheres of life, including the medical field. Thanks to Christians, like Dr. Joseph Lister,[4] man has put into practice biblical medical principles of cleanliness, sanitation, and quarantine, which God revealed to man in the Scriptures thousands of years ago. (See the appendix for a summary of these principles.)
The response of most of the 150-plus nations that have been directly affected by the coronavirus reveals that the world, in general, has come to embrace biblical medical principles. They have done so because they have learned in the past century and a half that they work. God said 3500 years ago that applying principles of cleanliness, sanitation, and quarantine would work. For most of history, man ignored these and suffered greatly through many diseases, pestilences, and afflictions. These have devastated mankind many times, none as bad as the bubonic plague in the mid-14th century which killed one-third to one-half of Europe (tens of millions of people).[5]
It was not until the middle of the 19th century that Joseph Lister discovered why God presented these principles thousands of years before. He discovered that germs cause sickness and infection, and then found a way to kill these germs, and consequently, led the way for saving millions upon millions of lives.[6]
Mankind has learned to apply some of God’s principles, but he continues to violate others. In fact, it was a violation of God’s law that apparently caused this virus to come into being in the first place (people in China ignored biblical cleanliness laws in their marketplaces, and they ate unclean animals[7]). Moreover, the failure of the statist Chinese government to quarantine infected citizens and to notify the world of this pestilence allowed for the spread of COVID-19 all over the world.
God is at work in many ways through this current world crisis. The Bible reveals that God uses pestilence, plagues, disease, and sickness to execute His judgments and advance His kingdom (see for example Num. 14:12, 37). Many Christians have and will posit ideas of what God is specifically doing with the coronavirus. Certainly, repentance for national sins and crying out to God for His aid and mercy is an appropriate response, and this is occurring.[8]
Pestilence, plagues, disease, and sickness also occur due to the fallen condition of the world because original sin has affected all things. Searching out God’s wisdom and using our technological knowledge is necessary to care for the infected and combat the virus in general. This is happening as well.
In addition to bringing His judgment, God is also extending His mercy. Many people are getting saved because of the crisis, like the Italian doctor who witnessed an older Christian man coming daily to the hospital to read the Bible to afflicted and dying patients, and who himself ultimately contracted the virus and died. His selfless service caused this doctor to turn to the living God.[9] Polls have indicated that many non-Christians are thinking about God due to the virus. Pestilences can turn out as an opportunity to spread the Gospel (“it will lead to an opportunity for your testimony,” see Luke 21:10-13).
God is also working among many families, restoring relationships and an awareness of the parents’ responsibilities for health, education, and welfare. He is removing entertainment distractions, helping to show us what activities are essential in life. He is also showing His people how to trust in Him. Christians have a great opportunity to demonstrate the life and power we have in Christ. In particular, we can display, in the words of Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs “the rare jewel of Christian contentment.” God promises that we can be content in any situation. The Apostle Paul learned to be content with plenty or with lack (Phil. 4:11). We can trust in Him to provide our every need, and we can have peace in the midst of any hardship.
Pestilence, famine, and calamity are often used by God to bring His judgment, but they are also an opportunity for the Gospel. They fit into God’s providential plan to advance His purposes (see 1 Kings 17:1, Hag. 1:5-11, Amos 4:6, Rev. 8, Rom. 8:28). He controls the forces in the natural world in response to our obedience or disobedience. When we obey Him, He blesses the earth. When we are rebellious, He curses it (Dt. 28, Lev. 26; 2 Chron. 7:13-14).
So what can we do in response to this coronavirus calamity?
We are to use the coronavirus pandemic to give and show love, first to the brethren and then to all men (Gal. 6:7-10; Acts 11:27-30; 2 Cor. 8:1-7). Many Christians and Christian organizations are doing so.
We can pray with authority. God through Christ has given us authority over sickness and disease. We can repent of our sins, personal and corporate, and exercise the authority Jesus gave the church. President Trump’s call for prayer was a good step,[10] as was Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s call for a National Day of Prayer and Fasting.[11]
Ask for godly wisdom for researchers and health care providers to rightly apply His biblical medical principles for this pestilence. Especially pray for wisdom for our civil leaders to act decisively, yet with great restraint for the least long-term negative effect on the economy. Ask for wisdom for them to most quickly get everyone back to work.
We must get to work. Any solution to this and future similar problems must seek to adhere to all of God’s principles for living. Yes, we are to combat germs and viruses with all the wisdom and technology we possess; and yes, we are to apply quarantine principles to those who have communicable diseases. But we also must understand that the people themselves are primarily responsible for their safety. We can give folks accurate information, and guidelines for healthy living, but they are the ones who should have the liberty to apply these in their lives, families, and businesses. An all-knowing government who exercises all power, even for what officials think is for the people’s best interest, is not how God created man to live.
Do not respond in fear or get caught up in the fear-stoked media coverage. See this in light of all the historic pestilences and diseases — the coronavirus pandemic is certainly much less dangerous than many other outbreaks.[12] And as we get new data each day, we are learning that this is not the doomsday pestilence that many models have presented and many voices have echoed.
In everything we should respond in the confident faith we have in Christ, knowing His work and truth have overcome the negative effects of sin in the world, and have triumphed over Satan and his attempts to kill, steal, and destroy mankind.
___
Appendix
When we consider how to deal with the coronavirus event, we should reason from biblical principles. Among other truths, this includes medical principles and principles of work, as briefly summarized below.
Three General Biblical Medical Principles
Cleanliness — cleansing after contact with those who have died (Num. 19:11-22; see also Num. 9:10; and scriptures given below). Aspects of these laws included:
A person was unclean for 7 days if he touched a dead body, in a field or in a tent.
The unclean person was to wash in running water twice during the week (Num. 19:7, 12).
If someone died in a tent, whoever was in the tent or anyone entering the tent was unclean for 7 days, and every open vessel with no cover was unclean (Num. 19:15). (Dr. Joseph Lister did experiments showing that germs travel on dust in the air. God, of course, knew this, which is reflected in the Mosaic laws given to man thousands of years earlier.)
Clothes were to be washed, as well as things made of wood, leather, etc. (Num. 31:19-20). If a person touched a dead animal he was also unclean (Lev. 5:2-3; 1:8).
Thus, separation from death was required of God’s people. This was symbolic as well as for practical health reasons. Failure to adhere to God’s cleanliness principles is why 10% of pregnant women who went to hospitals to be examined in Europe in the middle 1800s died. Doctors went from doing autopsies to examining the women without washing.
Sanitation — cover excrement to prohibit spread of germs (Deut. 23:9-14).
Failure to adhere to this precept led to the Black Death spreading throughout Europe and killing tens of millions in 1348 and the few years following.
Quarantine — (Deut. 24:8; Lev. 13-15 [leprosy in the Bible included a variety of infectious diseases])
The laws of quarantine are an application of the sixth commandment, “you shall not murder,” with its positive corollary to preserve and further life. Some aspects of these laws included:
Isolation of the infected person occurs as the disease was evaluated to see if it was contagious (Lev. 13:4, 5, 21, 26, 31, 33).
If the disease was seen to not be contagious, he was to wash his clothes and be clean (Lev. 13:6, 34).
If it was contagious, then the person was to live in isolation outside the camp (Lev. 46). If he was ever healed of the disease, he was to be examined and after confirmation of his wellness reintegrated into society.
Work Is a Holy Calling
We were created by God in His image, and an important way we express that image is in our work. God created us to work. The Bible teaches much about work, including these general ideas:
Work is part of our calling and is a primary way we will extend God’s kingdom on the earth (Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 8:6; Luke 19:11-27).
God loves to work and so should we (John 5:17; Gen. 1).
“Six days you shall work” (Ex. 20:9). Work is included in His commandments given to mankind for our benefit.
Work is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible (e.g. Col. 3:23-24; 1 Thess. 2:9; 4:11-12).
God reveals Himself through His work (Rom. 1:20). Likewise, our work reveals who we are.
[1] In limited geographic areas where people live in close proximity and are hard hit by the virus, or in facilities where senior citizens live (who are most susceptible to harm from the virus), there may need to be a general quarantine for a limited time as people are evaluated for being infected. But to quarantine an entire nation when most areas are experiencing little impact is going way beyond a reasoned and biblical response.
[2] I have been contacted by friends in Africa who are desperate for their basic needs, which they have not been able to obtain since the government closed most things down. The very poor in many nations are especially being harmed by slamming the breaks on much of the economic activity throughout the world. Poverty has been diminished in many nations in the last few decades as biblical economic principles have been embraced. Stopping, even for a short time, these principles from operating will result in death and harm to many, especially the poor.
[3] Huge segments of the economy should not have been shut down in the first place, but it was done so what can government do to help those impacted? A better approach than creating money by fiat (and increasing the role of government and adding more debt to future generations) would be to provide tax cuts (income, property, sales, etc.) and reduce regulations. Government spending should also be greatly reduced to help offset loss of revenue (which means eliminating all unnecessary government jobs—and there are many of these). Government and the private sector could work together to put a pause on many loans, as well as assist those most impacted. In addition, unemployment compensation could possibly be extending temporarily to self-employed persons. These are a few ideas (and they are many other things they could be done) where the goal would not be to increase the power of civil government during this crisis. Once power shifts to government, it is very difficult to return it to individuals, families, and the private sector.
[4] See Stephen McDowell, Transforming Medicine and Business with Biblical Principles, Examples of Joseph Lister and John Wanamaker, Charlottesville: Providence Foundation, 2010.
[5] Noah Webster writes of this plague: “This plague was so deadly that at least half or two thirds of the human race perished in about 8 years. It was most fatal in cities, but in no place died less than a third of the inhabitants. In many cities perished nine out of ten of the people, and many places were wholly depopulated. In London 50,000 dead bodies were buried in one grave yard… In the east perished twenty millions in one year.—In Spain the disease raged three years and carried off two thirds of the people.” (A Brief History of Epidemic and Pestilential Diseases, in 2 Vol., Hartford: Hudson & Goodwin, 1799, p. 137.)
[7] Some people think the virus may have originated in a Chinese governmental biological lab in Wuhan, whose activity itself appears to have violated biblical principles.
[12] See Noah Webster, A Brief History of Epidemic and Pestilential Diseases, in 2 Vol., Hartford: Hudson & Goodwin, 1799. You can read the book online here:
What Does Biblical Civil Government Look Like – Join us today to hear Stephen McDowell, author of the new book “Ruling Over The Earth – A Biblical View Of Civil Government” speak on this important topic!
The following article is taken from the Introduction of the book by Stephen McDowell, Ruling Over the Earth, A Biblical View of Civil Government. Order a copy here.
The topic of civil government has been largely ignored by most of the evangelical community in the past century. Unlike in the previous centuries, especially during the founding era of America, it is rarely the topic of sermons. Many pastors avoid any talk of government and politics, whether from fear of offending church members or belief it is not their duty. They were not taught about government in seminary and, therefore, if they do address the issue, it is usually superficially, referencing the thirteenth chapter of the book of Romans saying we must obey the authorities and pay our taxes.
A majority of evangelical pastors believe that the Bible is sufficient to lead people to Christ and to teach them how to live a good moral life. However, it seems they don’t believe the Bible is sufficient to teach God’s people how to fulfill their original God-given mission to subdue and rule over the earth. More than 90% of theologically conservative pastors believe the Bible speaks to all areas of life and addresses specific civil issues facing Christians today (such as abortion, same-sex marriage, immigration, and so forth); yet only 10% of them are willing to address these issues. Because of this lack of teaching a practical biblical worldview, many Millennials see the church as irrelevant.[i]
Many reticent pastors and Christians do acknowledge that God is the ultimate governor and that no one rules except by God’s authority, but then fail to say what we must do, other than to pray and have faith that God will prevail, if those who are governing reject the higher authority of God and rule according to their own worldview. After all, they say, the Bible really does not teach that we are to work to influence government but we are to be about the work of the kingdom, that is, converting souls.
Some pastors’ approach to the topic of government centers on ethics. Some emphasize the attitudes we must have toward other believers who think differently than we do. Avoiding contention, strife, and divisions is certainly biblical and important and should be taught. Yet, it is equally important that pastors teach what the Bible says about government and civil duties. The church is to equip the saints for the works of service, including civil service (rendering to Caesar his due). It is to teach what the Bible says about all of life, including government. Without this instruction Christians will be ill equipped to act rightly and to “do justice” (Micah 6:8).
We need to be instructed in how to act biblically as well as in having correct attitudes. Varying views of church members is not a sufficient reason to avoid the subject. In fact, it is a reason why church leaders should seek out knowledge of the subject and teach the truth of God. God has one view on the subject of government, and His view is correct. Our task is to learn what the Bible says about this important subject so we can adopt His principles and obey His precepts, both personally and nationally.[ii]
I have heard many Christians and pastors say that the Bible gives no specific form of government as the biblical ideal, that the Bible or Jesus did not present a certain kind of government that we are to seek to establish. It is true that there is no systematic teaching on the framework of biblical government. There is also no systematic teaching on many subjects, like the trinity, the doctrine of salvation, heaven, et cetera. Yet, the church has developed and teaches on these “religious” subjects with authority. Similarly we can and should study the principles that the Bible and Jesus teach regarding government for they have much to say on the subject, and, in fact, we will see that the Bible does present principles that support a particular kind of civil government as best.
Rev. Jonathan Mayhew, pastor of Boston’s West Church, preached a sermon in 1750 entitled “A Discourse Concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-Resistance to the Higher Powers” which he knew some would think was “preaching politics, instead of Christ.” He defended his action by citing 2 Timothy 3:16: “‘All Scripture…is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.’ Why, then, should not those parts of Scripture which relate to civil government be examined and explained from the desk, as well as others? Obedience to the civil magistrate is a Christian duty; and if so, why should not the nature, grounds, and extent of it be considered in a Christian assembly?”
Mayhew begins his Discourse with the text of Romans 13:1-8, and then explains that civil government has “a moral and religious consideration,” with a divine origin, and hence under the authority of God. He then says:
although there be a sense, and a very plain and important sense, in which Christ’s kingdom is not of this world [John 18:36], his inspired apostles have, nevertheless, laid down some general principles concerning the office of civil rulers, and the duty of subjects, together with the reason and obligation of that duty. And from hence it follows, that it is proper for all who acknowledge the authority of Jesus Christ, and the inspiration of his apostles, to endeavor to understand what is in fact the doctrine which they have delivered concerning this matter. It is the duty of Christian magistrates to inform themselves what it is which their religion teaches concerning the nature and design of their office. And it is equally the duty of all Christian people to inform themselves what it is which their religion teaches concerning that subjection which they owe to the higher powers.[iii]
This book is a tool to assist you in fulfilling Mayhew’s admonition of learning what the Bible teaches about the important subject of civil government. As those who are to equip the saints, pastors and church leaders must understand a biblical view of government and teach it to their members. To do less is to not only be disobedient, but to leave this important sphere in the hands of those who reject the authority of God and would establish man upon the throne as the source of all authority and law.
The Bible is authoritative in all it says,[iv] and the Bible speaks to all of life. It most certainly gives us much information about that earthly government that has the power to affect every area of our lives. We should fulfill our duty to learn what the Bible says about government, teach it to others, and live out its implications every day.
End Notes
[i] James L. Garlow and David Barton, This Precarious Moment, Six Urgent Steps that Will Save You, Your Family, and Our Country, Salem Books, 2018, pp. 218-219.
[ii] Developing a biblical worldview is important for every area of life. For example, as we approach child training and discipline we need to know about having biblical attitudes toward our children, but parents also need guidance on how to provide biblical discipline. Christians have different views on how to train and discipline children, just as they have different views on government. That being so does not mean the church should avoid the subject and let everyone decide on their own how to act. If the church does not have a clear biblical position on certain topics or recognizes God allows for liberty on certain issues, the church should at least teach a variety of views in order to give believers a framework to evaluate and choose. The problem of some churches is they will not teach on the subject at all and, hence, many folks have no access to ideas to form a conviction.
[iii] Jonathan Mayhew “A Discourse Concerning Unlimited Submission and Non-Resistance to the Higher Powers,” Boston: Printed by D. Fowle and D. Gookin, 1750, John Wingate Thornton, The Pulpit of the American Revolution, Boston: Gould and Lincoln, 1860, pp. 47, 53-54.
[iv] The author presupposes that the Bible is the divine, inspired, inerrant Word of the living God. For proof of this foundational Christian belief see Stephen McDowell, The Bible, Divine or Human? Evidence of Biblical Infallibility and Support for Building Your Life and Nation on Biblical Truth, Charlottesville: Providence Foundation, 2016. In addition, the author believes the Bible gives guidance for all areas of life, including civil government, and that we have a duty to find out what God says about government and then seek to act upon His Word.
