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The Christian and the government

Just those two words together might make you squirm a bit and probably with good reason. Fear not, no preacher here will tell you how to vote. You'll have to decide that for yourself. But the Spirit guides all of our lives, including our relationship with and responsibility to the government. The basic distinction between government and church is this: the government exists to promote peace and order (roads, trade, defense, etc.). The church exists to promote the Word and Sacraments by which the Spirit brings people to faith and keeps them in faith. There are more distinctions, of course, but God's Word in Romans 13 will help us appreciate the nature and authority of the church and the state God has instituted.