Why Government Cannot Be Trusted

Written By: Dan Stanley  |  Posted: Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016

If the title seems bold, skeptical, and even anti-government, it means we do not understand the nature of civil authority and how we must view and respond to it. Saying government cannot be trusted does not mean it is not good to have civil authority. We believe it is good to have it. If that sounds like a contradiction, so do many things in life. In fact, we will go further, and say it is not a necessary evil. That is, it is not a necessary evil, unless you include parents and families and bosses and teachers and a host of other institutions as necessary evils.

No, rather, we conclude that God, in His wisdom, sets up the powers that be for good purposes, and as they fulfill those good purposes, it is good to have civil authority. (Granted, most of those in civil authority, especially in our modern day and age, far exceed their true purposes, resulting in bondage and confusion). But that does not change the fact that we ought not to trust civil authority in particular.

Notice we said in particular. We can trust husbands, parents, bosses, pastors, and even friends to some degree (yet even trusting them is limited and warned against in the Bible). Really, in the end, the only One a man or woman can fully trust is God Himself.

But government authority is separated out from the rest in a distinct way in this regard. We are not to trust those in authority. It is that simple. "Put not your trust in princes." Again, this does not mean we do not respect and honor them ("honor the king" the Bible states). It does not mean rebellion or disobedience. But it does mean we do not trust them. We do not rely upon them.

Why is this? Is it because they are all dishonest at the core? No, not necessarily. It is true many enter into civil authority positions, and in time they change and become untrustworthy in various ways. Buy why can we not trust them? Here are a couple of reasons that we offer for your consideration:

First, because in no other institution is there so much power. You can be killed for resisting it, or lose everything you have, or spend your life in jail. Absolute powers corrupts absolutely is an old axiom. Is this ever true! Why does increased power corrupt? Because man is by nature corrupt. We realize most in our day and age reject that idea. But we keep proving it, and civil authority really proves it. We all tell the jokes about $600 screwdrivers and bridges built to nowhere. But they are more than jokes. Power corrupts, resulting in bribery, favoritism, waste, abuse, and a host of other sins. Power corrupts, and we see this most vehemently in civil authority. Anyone entering politics must realize they will more than likely be corrupted.

Second, because they are trying to please everyone (if they still care). The voices they hear are so many. Thousands and millions of voices. And each voice represents a will which wants it's own way! The inevitable conclusion is they will try to compromise (a huge mistake in so many areas). The result will be compromise that results in the violation of what is good and right. "In the multitude of words there wants (lacks) not sin." Have you noticed those in authority talk and explain a lot? "To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice," yet those in office sacrifice truth and principle and right regularly in order to promote their own thinking or to get along with the many voices. What makes it worse is the very nature of civil authority is centered around good and bad or right and wrong. Their very purpose is to execute wrath on evildoers (find the crooks and punish them). Therefore, all that they do is either right or wrong when they hold to their purpose. So it is impossible to please everyone, which results most of the time in a sacrifice (it is called political compromise) of right for wrong.

The moral, then, of the story is to not trust those in government, whether city council members, assemblymen, senators, judges, or sheriffs, and policeman. Honor them and obey them, but do not trust them. Pray for them, love them, and support them (when they do right), but again, do not trust them. "Put not your trust in princes (government authority)."

Dan Stanley is an owner and contributing editor of The US Journal. Email: .