Calvin on Civil Government

Let's return to our good friend John Calvin and see what he had to say about civil government. The fact is, he had a lot to say. In fact, Calvin ends his magnum opus, the Institutes of the Christian Religion, with a discussion of civil government. In book four, chapter twenty, the very last chapter of the Institutes, Calvin turns his attention to civil government.

He opens this chapter with these words: "For although this topic seems by nature alien to the spiritual doctrine of faith, which I have undertaken to discuss, what follows will show that I am right in joining them, in fact, that necessity compels me to do so." Calvin is telling us that not only should a discussion of civil government be included in his discussion of theology but that it is necessary, it must be there, and so he turns his attention to it. He tells us right off the bat that we need to recognize the distinction between Christ's spiritual kingdom, as he calls it, and the civil jurisdiction. But just because they are different, they are not at odds. They are both ordained by God, both the kingdom—the spiritual kingdom or the church—and also the magistrate.

Calvin also tells us that Scripture has a lot to say about living as a citizen in civil jurisdictions. He says that sometimes we need to live submissive lives. For truly, Christians ought to be the kind of men who bear slanders and injuries, who are open to the malice, deceits, and mockeries of wicked men. They ought also to bear patiently all these evils. That is, they should have complete spiritual composure at having received one offense as they make ready for another.

Calvin goes on to speak about our sometimes living with a perpetual cross. He also tells us, and this is sort of a counterbalancing notion, that even though we need to endure those kinds of insults and hardships, we also need to be zealous for the public welfare. And so, he has much to say about how we speak up for public welfare, how we speak up for what we would say—our natural-law or common-grace principles, or even biblical principles, for that matter. He has a lot to say about obedience to the government, of course, and that's how he ends this chapter. When he gets to the very end, he also turns his attention to the idea that obedience to man and government must never become disobedience to God. In fact, his very last words remind us, as Peter said in Acts 5:29, "We must obey God rather than men." And then Calvin adds this: "Let us comfort ourselves with the thought that we are rendering that obedience, which the Lord requires, when we suffer anything rather than turn aside from piety."

Calvin is reminding us that if we find ourselves in situations where laws or governments or those in control require us to do something that is clearly against God's Word, we should not compromise, we should not cower, we should not cave. But instead, we should recognize that we are required to render obedience to God and that we ought to suffer first before ever turning away from our piety and from our commitment. Calvin asks that we would have the courage not to grow faint. And then he ends with these three words: "God be praised." That's Calvin on civil government.