86 国家——基督徒应当尊敬政府The State - Christians mustrespect civil government
《简明神学》Concise Theology: A Guide to
Historic Christian Beliefs，巴刻（J. I. Packer）著/張麟至译，更新传道会，2007年。
86 国家——基督徒应当尊敬政府
The State - Christians must respect civil government
在上有权柄的，人人当顺服他，因为没有权柄不是出于 神的，凡掌权的都是 神所命的。所以抗拒掌权的，就是抗拒 神的命；抗拒的必自取刑罚。（罗13:1-2）
政府是神所设立以管理社会的一种方法，那是神所用诸般方法中的一种，除了政府之外，还有教会中的传道人、家庭中的父母、和学校里的老师等也是神用的方法。每一种方法都有其在基督之下掌权的范围，基督现今正代表父神管治这个宇宙，而每一个范围又受到其他地方的界限的约制。在我们这个堕落的世界里，这些权柄的结构乃是神[普遍恩典]（恩慈的天命）的制度，成为抵挡无政府主义，避免弱肉强食，和防止社会秩序解体的干城。
《西敏斯特信仰告白》XXIII.1,3根据罗马书13:1-7节和彼得前书二章13-17，设定了政府的范围如下：
神——全世界最高的主宰与君王——为祂自己的荣耀，和公众的利益，设立了民事长官，在祂的权下治理人民；为着这个目的，神将佩剑的权利赋予他们，叫善人得着保护与鼓励、恶人受到惩罚......民事长官不可自己赋予自己解释圣道、执行圣礼，或自称掌握天国钥匙的权柄......
因为政府是为着整个社会的福祉而存在的，神就给予它佩剑的权柄（亦即合法地使用权力，以执行法律，罗13:4）。基督徒必须承认这是神所设立之秩序的一部分（罗13:1-2）。可是政府当权者不可滥用这种权力，去迫害随附或不随附任何一种特定宗教的人，或庇护任何形式的罪恶。
国家可以适当地收税，以便服务交税的人（太22:15-21；罗13:6-7）。如果国家一旦禁止神所要求的事，或要求人行神所禁止的事，某种形式的不合作主义就会变得无法避免了（徒4:18-31；5:17-29）；当然，他们也得承受这种不合作主义所带来的处罚后果（好显明人承认政府有神所赋予的权柄刑罚人）。
基督徒当督促政府履行他适当的任务，他们也要为政府祷告、顺服它、为它警醒，并提醒她；神设立它是为管理、保护、维持秩序，而非施行暴政（提前2:1-2；彼前2:13-14）。在这堕落的世界里，权力常会腐败，民主制度将行政权力从众多权力分离出来，而要其行使者对人民负责，这样就为人民提供了避免暴政的最佳希望、也为所有的人确保了公义。
THE STATE
CHRISTIANS MUST RESPECT CIVIL
GOVERNMENT
Everyone
must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority
except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established
by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against
what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
ROMANS 13:1-2
Civil
government is a means ordained by God for ruling over communities. It is one of
a number of such means, including ministers in the church, parents in the home,
and teachers in the school. Each such means has its own sphere of authority
under Christ, who now rules the universe on his Father’s behalf, and each
sphere has to be delimited by reference to the others. In our fallen world
these structures of authority are institutions of God’s “common grace” (kindly
providence), standing as a bulwark against anarchy, the law of the jungle, and
the dissolution of ordered society.
Basing
itself on Romans 13:1-7 and 1 Peter 2:13-17, the Westminster Confession sets
forth the sphere of civil government as follows:
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 the defence and
encouragement of them that are good, and for the punishment of evil doers....
The civil magistrate may not assume to himself the administration of the Word
and sacraments, or the power of the keys of the kingdom of heaven. (XXIII.1, 3)
Because
civil government exists for the welfare of the whole society, God gives it the
power of the sword (i.e., the lawful use of force to enforce just laws: Rom.
13:4). Christians must acknowledge this as part of God’s order (Rom. 13:1-2).
But civil authorities ought not to use this power to persecute the adherents or
nonadherents of any particular religion, or to entrench any form of evil.
The
state may properly collect taxes for the services it renders (Matt. 22:15-21;
Rom. 13:6-7). But should it forbid what God requires or require what God
forbids, some form of civil disobedience, with acceptance of its penal
consequences (thus showing that one recognizes the God-given authority of
governments as such), becomes inescapable (Acts 4:18-31; 5:17-29).
Christians
are to urge governments to fulfill their proper role. They are to pray for,
obey, and yet watch over civil governments (1 Tim. 2:1-4; 1 Pet. 2:13-14),
reminding them that God ordained them to rule, protect, and keep order but not
to tyrannize. In a fallen world, in which power regularly corrupts, democratic
institutions that divide executive power among many and make all its holders
answerable to the people ordinarily offer the best hope of avoiding tyranny and
securing justice for all.
