Over the last month, our country has witnessed multiple incidents of horrific and deadly violence and profound evil. These disturbing events, almost all of which were accompanied by viral, chilling video footage, took center stage in our national political discussion.

In August, we wept over the horrific school shooting at the Church of the Annunciation in Minneapolis, when an unhinged transgender terrorist gunned down small boys and girls while they were praying.

National attention then turned to Charlotte, where a young Ukrainian woman, Iryna Zyrutska, was gruesomely stabbed in the throat while riding public transit. To no one’s surprise, the killer had 14 prior arrests and had been repeatedly released by our criminal justice system as recently as this spring on cashless bail.

Most shocking, of course, was the assassination of Charlie Kirk three weeks ago. Charlie was one of the most prominent Christian voices in America, and he was struck down on a college campus in Utah while hosting an open forum to discuss truth, engage in friendly debates, and promote the free exchange of ideas.

This is to say nothing of the recent attacks on ICE facilities, television stations, and everyday citizens that dominate daily headlines and the discourse on social media. Or last summer’s attempted assassinations of President Trump, the murder of Laken Riley in Athens, Georgia, and the racially-motivated mob violence in Cincinnati. Demonically motivated acts of political violence committed by Leftists are becoming far too common in communities across the United States.

In the wake of all this, many of the responses have been both predictable and quite telling.

The radical Left and their enablers are telling everyone to pay no attention to the common denominators that unite these events. Smug, condescending pseudo-conservatives are parroting the line that this violence is a “both sides” issue and everyone needs to lower the temperature. 

What should be our response, then?

The Romans Road on Dealing with Political Violence

Many faithful Christian voices have rightly pointed to the way we should respond as individual Christians, citing Romans 12:9-21 and our duty to forgive others and not return evil for evil, but instead to entrust ourselves to the Lord and His vengeance.

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them….Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Yes, we must follow the example of our Lord and the apostles and not seek vengeance. We are to forgive, even as we have been forgiven. The example of Erika Kirk resonates within our hearts.

After Paul tells us we are to be “patient in tribulation,” he tells us not to seek personal retribution because we have a promise of God’s vengeance upon the wicked. We ought to receive this promise as a comfort to us.

But trusting in God’s vengeance is not merely eschatological, reserved for the final day of our Lord’s appearing. Romans 12 is not the end of the book, nor is it the final word on biblical instruction for what Christians should look for and do when confronting political evils.

Amid the suffering and chaos, we must remember that God is not slow to bring about his promise. Romans 13 continues the theme of individual Christian behavior. Additionally, it conveys the very real and tangible wrath of God, which He executes through the swords of men as agents of His wrath. Romans 13:1-5 reminds us of this dual reality:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

Despite what you may have heard in recent years, this passage has a lot less to do with COVID-19 mandate compliance and much more to do with what we should expect and demand from civil authorities in response to the violence and bloodshed around us today.

In the span of Romans 12 & 13, Paul simultaneously tells us that vengeance belongs to the Lord, and that vengeance is carried out by God through the state. As individuals and citizens, we don’t respond to the violence of our day by returning violence upon our enemies via vigilante justice. But we should ask God to bring his vengeance, and we must expect and demand that our rulers carry out their duties as agents of that vengeance.

God’s vengeance in the here and now is a promise for believers, and it’s an outcome that we must now demand from our appointed leaders. When they fail to do this, we must be faithful to call them to repentance.

Some scoff at this and say that it puts our faith or hope in the power of the state rather than in God, as if God only works through miracles and not through ordinary, appointed means. However, I doubt those who say this would fail to call 911 during an emergency or refuse medical treatment when suffering a broken bone. Or, as another example, we rightly proclaim that our trust is in God and His Word as the ultimate authority in the local church; yet, we also expect faithful men to answer God’s call to serve the local church as elders and deacons. We believe God will fulfill the Great Commission, and we also send missionaries.

This isn’t complicated. Our faith is in God and in His appointed means of deliverance, which includes the power of the state to punish evil and protect the innocent, according to God’s moral law and just standards. We see this all over the Bible, as in the case of Habakkuk, who lamented that justice in Israel had been perverted and pleaded with God to intervene (Habakkuk 1:2-4). God answered his prayer with the news of the impending Babylonian invasion, which would execute justice upon his unrighteous countrymen (1:5-7). Or when the Jewish leaders sought to persecute and kill Paul unjustly, he was aided by help from the Roman state (Acts 21-23).

Or consider world history. When German Christians prayed that God would deliver them from the evil men of their day, God answered their prayer through American tanks, bombs, and soldiers. And every time that a convicted murderer is justly executed, God himself is erecting the gallows and tying the noose through the hands of lawful men who are protecting the lives of other citizens whom they are called to defend.

Let us pray for God to raise up men of justice in our day! Let us rain down scorn and woe upon those who justify the wicked and punish the innocent!

Personal Action Is Also Required

In light of this crucial role of the state, we must go even further than simply calling our congressmen or posting thoughtfully (and critically) on social media. Republicans have shown that they are quite good at harshly worded letters that accomplish nothing but driving ratings for Fox News. We live in the United States, where we can be actively involved in shaping our country’s direction.

Men from our ranks who fear the Lord and know the truth should be actively involved in the affairs of the state. Yes, the Lord can and does use the ungodly to accomplish his purposes over nations and kingdoms (Nebuchadnezzar, Abraham Lincoln, perhaps Donald Trump, etc.), but how much more blessed will we be as a people when the servants of the Lord in the state are simultaneously servants of the Lord in their private lives, men who can execute God’s vengeance with an understanding of the sacredness of their duty as unto God.

Many Christian men reading this may need to consider running for public office so that they can be a blessing to their neighbors with their gifts of administration, legal acumen, and financial savvy, serving their countrymen as unto the Lord. You have a duty to God to pursue this.

Christian men need to flood the ranks of police academies, sheriff’s departments, county commissioner offices, branches of the military, intelligence agencies, and other relevant institutions. Since the magistrate carries this weight, it should rest on the shoulders of those who bend the knee to Christ.

And we all must vote thoughtfully and enthusiastically for those who will advance the cause of justice and commit to punishing evildoers. Law and order are biblical values; will we defend them at the ballot box? Our very lives and the lives of our children hang in the balance.

We must work tirelessly to promote justice and remind our rulers that they must serve God, lest his vengeance fall on them, too, for their dereliction of duty.

Conclusion

Given what we have seen in recent days, do we dare trust the godless to protect us from the criminals who prey upon the innocent with impunity? Do we want more train stabbings, mob violence, and political assassinations? Do we want more career criminals foolishly turned loose on cashless bail by judges who do not fear God? What more proof do we need that the current leaders are not up to the task?

Men of God, rise up! If Christians won’t demand that leaders fulfill their God-given duties to punish evildoers and protect the innocent, then who will? Do we dare leave it to the Left to assume the sword?

It is time to demand that our leaders fulfill their role to bear the sword and to bring it down swiftly upon the heads of the wicked. And we will rejoice when our rulers punish evildoers and serve as a terror to bad conduct, thanking God for using them as his servants. After all, it is God who is executing vengeance through them.