Chapter 24: Civil Government
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Chapter 24: Of the Civil Magistrate 1. God, the supreme Lord and King of all the world, hath ordained civil magistrates to be under him, over the people, for his own glory and the public good; and to this end hath armed them with the power of the sword, for defence and encouragement of them that do good, and for the punishment of evil doers. ( Romans 13:1-4 ) 2. It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate when called there unto; in the management whereof, as they ought especially to maintain justice and peace, according to the wholesome laws of each kingdom and commonwealth, so for that end they may lawfully now, under the New Testament wage war upon just and necessary occasions. ( 2 Samuel 23:3; Psalms 82:3, 4; Luke 3:14 ) 3. Civil magistrates being set up by God for the ends aforesaid; subjection, in all lawful things commanded by them, ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but for conscience sake; and we ought to make supplications and prayers for kings and all that are in authority, that under them we may live a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty. ( Romans 13:5-7; 1 Peter 2:17; 1 Timothy 2:1, 2 ) |
Chapter 24 Civil Government 1. God, the supreme Lord and King of the whole world, has
ordained civil authorities to be under him and over the people, for his own
glory and the public good. For this purpose
he has armed them with the power of the sword, to defend and encourage those who
do good and to punish evildoers.1 1Romans 13:1-4. 2. Christians may lawfully accept and carry out the duties
of public office when called to do so.
In performing their office they must especially maintain justice and
peace,2 according to the wholesome laws
of each kingdom or other political entity.
To carry out these duties they are authorized now under the New
Testament to wage war in just and necessary situations.3 22 Samuel 23:3; Psalms 82:3, 4. 3Luke 3:14. 3. Civil authorities are established by God for the purposes
given. So we should submit in the Lord
to them in everything lawful that they require, not only for fear of
punishment but also for the sake of conscience.4 We ought to make requests and prayers for
kings and everyone in authority, so that under their rule we may live a quiet
and peaceful life in all godliness and honesty.5 4Romans 13:5-7; 1 Peter 2:17. 51 Timothy 2:1, 2. |
posted by Stan @ 1:05 PM
3 Comments:
It is difficult to capture with precision in a modern rendering what might have been meant by "civil magistrates" in 24.1 because (1) 21st century civil government structures don't precisely reflect 17th century English government (parliamentary (1647), commonwealth (1658), or monarchist (Restoration (1677) or After the Glorious Revolution (1689))); and also because (2) Various 21st century English speaking readers of the confession live under different constitutional arrangements (Democratic Republic (USA and South Africa) and various forms of more or less mediated Constitutional Monarchy (UK, Australia, Canada, NZ)). Did "magistrate" focus on the judicial function in the confession, or did it have a wider focus including legislative and executive functions? If we render it with "authority" then does that imply a wider scope than a rendering such as "judicial authority"? Granted this modern rendering is only a help and a guide to understanding the original, would the unqualified rendering "authority" lead some to think that they don't precisely agree with the confession at this point. We'd all agree that the christian is "under" the law of the land (agreeable to God's word) but is he "under" all civil authorities?
Maybe I'm splitting hairs. But it is interesting to note how the change of the readers situational context affects our approach to this. Didn't post-Revolutionary US Presbyterian documents get amended in this area?
2.2 - Does "New Testament" refer to the canon or the covenant? Again this may be a fine distinction.
The American version of the WCF retains the term "civil magistrate" everywhere.
The original confession mentions both kingdoms and commonwealths and doesn't seem to draw distinctions between judicial, legislative, and executive powers (para. 2). If one is to submit for the sake of conscience to what is commanded, that at least suggests submission to legislative authority and not just judicial.
Regarding the reference to "New Testament," I wrestled over that. I tend to think it means "in the era of the New Testament." Under the new covenant wouldn't make sense for all people living in this age, would it? And I don't think it would've been worded this way merely to say that this is what the NT teaches. To be safe, I left it basically like it was.
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