Democracy and Legislating Morality: An Inescapable Theology
Civil Government and It’s Purpose 
What is the purpose of civil government? Should the civil government provide food for the hungry? Clothes from The Fifth Collection for the naked? Protection for the righteous? What is the role of civil government, and more importantly, who should be the one to answer these questions? If these questions are left up to each individual, then which ones should be enforced? Why are those opinions enforced instead of others? Opinions are like hearts; everyone has one. The issue is what god that heart serves.
This is the ongoing war in history. It is ongoing because men are still in disagreement. It is a war because they are in direct conflict on several levels. Until Christ has finished reigning for a thousand years (not a numerical thousand), these questions must be not only be answered, but be applied and acknowledged like u did with the rush nutrition .
Civil government is established by God; that is the first point that should be stated in this discussion. If God has not established civil government, then autonomy wins. If God did not give power to civil government, then it has no power. If God has not designed civil government for a specific purpose (not a general one), then justice is non-existent. If there is no objective, transcendent authority and source of law, then civil government is a tyrannical institution that imposes subjective law. Without God, civil government will perpetually enforce a subjective law that changes over time. Men will be in jail for buying an illegal substance, and in 5 years could still be imprisoned when that same substance is made legal. Men will be put to death for blasphemy against the king a year before it was legislated to be acceptable. Unjust, unrighteous, damaging legislation is what exists without a higher authority — God.
Autonomy makes the definition of righteousness subjective. During the lifetime of one generation, pedophilia will be looked down upon and outlawed, while a generation later it will be considered perfectly fine and acceptable. Murder is now considered evil, while it could change to be considered morally good. This system of legislation will be a curse upon the nation that embraces and enforces it. It will be the mark of a coming disaster. (Isaiah 5:20, 25-26)
Inescapable Theology
This is one of the clearest aspects of the Christian faith (and life in general) that all believers should believe. If one uses a presuppositional apologetic to defend their faith from the likes of atheists, agnostics, Muslims, etc, then that same presupposition should be alive in every area of the believer’s life. The renewed mind knows nothing of autonomy, and the new heart cares nothing for it. God’s law should be that presupposition. Scripture is God’s law. God’s law is the objective, eternal, unwavering standard that all men are commanded to repent and believe in. Theology is inescapable. Whether a theology curses God and denies His existence, or if it embraces Him as Lord and Savior and conquering His enemies, theology is forever present in the life of the individual. This is inescapable.
The late Greg Bahnsen, in his amazing work “By This Standard”, stated,
“All human behavior and character is subject to appraisal according to moral value; every one of our attainments (whether they be aims that are fulfilled or character traits that are developed) and every one of our actions (whether they be mental, verbal, or bodily behavior) expresses an unspoken code of right and wrong. All of life is ethical.” – Greg Bahnsen, “By This Standard”
The question that sums of all of history is, “Which theology is in power?”. If one were to sit down and find the common denominator in all events of human history, they would discover human action as being the culprit. God causes all things for good for His people(Romans 8:28), yet He uses human action to show man what to do and not to do, and the causes of those actions. The obedient actions of man brings blessings (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). The disobedient actions of man brings curses (28:15-68). Human action does not autonomously control history, however it does framework it, not by autonomy or free will, but by the sovereign plan of God. This is why theology is inescapable; those human actions have motives. Motives require a theology. If your theology teaches that God does not exist, then the human action will express subjective morality. If your theology teaches that God does not care what the civil magistrate does, then the human action will express that theology in apathy. However, if your theology teaches that Christ is Lord, that God established civil government to protect the righteous and punish the unrighteous (Romans 13:3-4, 1 Timothy 1:8-11), and that civil government would be held accountable according to their actions, then human action will express that theology. The problem is that most Christians do not actually believe that theology.
Since theology is inescapable, the question should be, “What theology is being enforced?”. If theology is inescapable, then morality will always be enforced. If subjective morality is the path to go down, then government cannot enforce any law, except to ensure that everyone can do whatever they want to do, which even that falls apart upon examination. If your theology teaches that wealth should be redistributed according to the needs of individuals, then government will force you to give away your income to do that. If the reigning theology is that Israel is of significance to God, and that she should be protected, then that government will spend however much money, send as many troops, and create as many enemies it takes to protect her. Morality will always be enforced by civil government; that’s it’s purpose. The issue needs to be that the proper, objective, and correct morality is being enforced.
Modern Christian Theology
American Christian theology is composed of 95% spiritual lessons, and 5% earthly lessons. Everything in Scripture has been spiritualized, thanks to hermeneutical errors (leading to amillennialism) and interpretative errors of the words of Christ. Parables are now interpreted to be void of any historical context when they were said. Joel McDurmon states,
“Most people don’t realize that many if not most of Jesus’ parables were intended not as general morality tales, but as particular pronouncements of coming judgement and change. Jesus was warning Jerusalem to repent and to accept its new King (Jesus) or else fall under ultimate condemnation of God. In fact, much of Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels pertains primarily to that pre-AD 70 crowd, and without reading it in this light, we misunderstand it. And when we misunderstand it, we misapply it.” – Joel McDurmon, Jesus V. Jerusalem: A Commentary on Luke 9:51-20:26, Jesus’ Lawsuit Against Israel
McDurmon saw the implications of such errors, leading him to correct them by offering an accurate explanation in his book. If the parables of Christ had nothing to do with the things that would happen after His death, then His parables were only morality tales. However, if His parables were said to a specific people for a specific purpose, then the implications are devastating, since the parables warned of judgement based on the disobedience of Israel. The four Gospels all contain deep, thick theology all about human action, and the will of God.
If the New Testament is filled with the judgement of God poured out on disobedient Israel, then this means that human action has an effect still today. If God struck down Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5), then He will still do the same today. Man does not control God, yet God has promised a blessing or curse, contingent upon man’s actions. It’s not that God is a vending machine, so that if you put in good works you get blessings, instead God is a provider and promise-keeper. He is a God of covenant and relationship. God is a good God that has entered into covenant with man. This is why human action is important. This is why the American church today should believe it. The lack of this doctrine in the hearts and minds of believers is the reason the American civil government is so corrupted with ungodly legislation. It is why the American social norm is open sexual relationships, homosexuality, lying, drunkenness, and disobedient children. This is because the theology that runs American society is vastly anti-nomian and humanistic. If Christians can just sin and go ask for forgiveness with no fear or regret for their actions, then their theology does not offer a real change of life when abiding in Christ. Their god does not give a new heart, a new mind, and a new spirit. Their god does not make them a new creation in Christ and promises no inheritance, thus their god is a god that is powerless to change the individual, and therefore has no law that is bearing on mankind. The law of that god is irrelevant because he/she cannot overcome the condition of man, and therefore is not the true, living God. If the true and living God is not making the rules, then do not follow that theology.
The typical American eschatology is also an expression of bad theology. American Christians cling to a pro-national Israel, impending doom, great persecution, idle rapture eschatology that has sent the nation into a entangling foreign policy with Israel, creating more enemies for the US. This poor eschatology will force Christians to vote in such a way to protect Israel by means of military force. The same eschatology and lack of education on the objective standard of civil government, will cause Christians to vote for men who are Biblically unqualified to be civil leaders. Christians who cling to this theology have spent so much time on predicting the end of the world, the rapture, and charting these predictions, using time that they otherwise could have spent keeping up with their local politicians, studying what Scripture says about God’s law in all areas of life, practicing evangelism, street preaching, and understanding proper education for children. This theology is a time-consuming beast that enables idleness and irresponsible stewardship.
Conclusion
Autonomy is sin. Autonomy is rebellion against God. It is an open declaration of, “I hate you God”, for John stated, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3). The People do not dictate what is right and wrong, nor do they have any bearing on moral objectivity.
“Will your life be founded upon the sure rock of God’s word or the ruinous sands of independent human opinion? Will your ethical decisions be crooked and inaccurate, following foolish and lawless standards, or will you wisely employ the yardstick of God’s revealed word?” – Greg Bahnsen, “By This Standard”