Police Devotional 9-9-20
Two Arms of the Law
“Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.” (Romans 13:1-4)
God ordained human government. It wasn’t just an idea someone cooked up long ago. Our passage says so: “…the powers that be are ordained of God.” You’ve probably heard the phrase, “the powers that be.” Maybe you didn’t know where that phrase came from. Well, now you do.
Maybe you’d never thought about how the government came about. Well, God’s Word has much to say about how you should do your job, and since He’s God and Sovereign overall, and since He has your best interests at heart, it would certainly be a good idea to pay attention to what He has to say, right?
Here’s a good place to start. “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 12:17) Jesus said it. It means we should obey civil law (Caesar) in its proper authority. The civil government doesn’t have supreme authority. Some elected officials may act like they have supreme authority, but only God has that. Yet the civil government has authority under God to enact laws. That’s part of your job, to vote on and enact laws. People who break civil laws, besides committing crimes, are also committing a sin against God. Our passage says, “Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, [breaks the law] resisteth the ordinance of God:”
God has also ordained government’s enforcement arm–the police: “For he [the police] is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain:” Those words are very serious. They mean police don’t just carry weapons for show. God knows criminals can be violent and endanger citizens’ lives and officers’ lives. God Himself ordained for police to carry deadly weapons to confront violent criminals ON THE TERMS THE CRIMINALS SET if need be.
God ordained your position to enact laws and the police position to enforce them. If no one enforces laws against offenders, laws are meaningless. Please don’t demonize the police. Their job is ordained by God as much as yours. Their job of enforcing laws is also far more dangerous than your job of enacting them.
Isaiah 26:10 also says, “Let favour be shewed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness:” As an elected official, also, please do not encourage crime. Looting, terrorizing citizens, and destroying property —no matter the stated reason—is not protest. It’s violent crime and it’s wicked. Favoring wicked people is SIN against God. As Isaiah 26:10 also says, wicked people won’t learn to act righteous when you favor them. Instead, they’ll have every reason to continue their wicked conduct.
On any police incident, also, don’t rush to judgment. Get the whole story—including the police side–before you say anything. Proverbs 18:13 says, “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” On any incident, also, ask yourself what YOU would have done if you were one of the officers involved. Go on police a ride-along, too. You’ll meet citizens personally affected by crime, understand better what police are up against, and become better-informed. You may even have some fun.
You have a duty before God to citizens but also to your officers who put their lives on the line for those citizens. Decent citizens want and need aggressive police work, especially in tough areas. Don’t abandon them to the mercy of criminals. Finally, if you want to see from the Bible how to be sure you’ll be in heaven, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 9/9/2020
Cleveland Baptist Church 4431 Tiedeman Road, Brooklyn, Ohio 44144 216/671-2822