CHRISTIANS IN POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE: SERVING WITH INTEGRITY? By Anyim Pius Anyim

In articulating my thoughts on this critical issue of leadership, I am going to be mindful of my audience. Accordingly, I believe my audience—the ECWA Community in Nigeria—would want to know why the failure of leadership in Nigeria; even among Christians. You would want to know whether the fault is ours or God’s. You would want to be reminded of what God says about leadership and where we missed the mark. You would want to know why or if integrity is not inherent in every Christian’s life. You may wish to know the appropriate description of the work of a public officer i.e. whether his/her work could be described as service or ‘rulership’. I believe that a conscious effort to find answers to these questions will adequately address the topic Christians In Politics And Governance: Serving With Integrity?

    In approaching this topic, I shall not waste much time in definitions. I shall therefore just attempt the ordinary meaning of the key words since I believe that we all understand the spirit and the challenge that gave rise to the topic or even the reason for asking me to speak on this topic. I shall then raise key issues in leadership, highlight what God says and allow you to draw your conclusions.

Definition

a.       A Christian means a follower of Jesus Christ, the son of the God of heaven. Someone who has resolved on his own conviction to be like Jesus Christ in words, actions and deeds.

b.       Politics is the art of managing public affairs. That is, the art of managing the destinies of many people with their consent. It means the art of exercising authority as mandated by the people to be affected by such exercise of authority. In ordinary parlance, the person exercising authority on behalf of others is commonly referred to as the leader of those people. It is believed that since the leader is usually mandated to perform the functions of his authority by people that he, in true sense, is serving the people.

c.        Governance means to rule over others. I must say that lack of integrity in public service accounts for the failure of leadership in our country today.

The Nature Of Rulership

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Gen 1:26-28, RSV)

Please note:

1.       After creation, God did not make provision for man to rule over its kind. Man was to rule over all that was created and the language of ‘rulership’ was to SUBDUE and to DOMINATE.  

2.       God created man to be His pet. i.e. he was to rule (guide) man by Himself.

“And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed” (Genesis 2:8)

“And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8).

3.       The need for man to rule man arose as the human race increased in numbers and establishes societies,

When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, the daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose. Then the LORD said, “My spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years”. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown. The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (Gen 6:1-5)

We can see from the above that the issue of rulership over man was an exclusive reserve of God, (Palm 62:11). Therefore for man to rule man, it is not enough that he is mandated by the people, he must be delegated by God because he is going to assume the position of God over man. “Once God has spoken, twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God” (Psalm 62:11).

If a ruler is not delegated by God, two things will happen,

-          He will apply the language of rulership (over other creatures) maximally on man -  subdue, dominate etc

-          He will really think that he has become God unto his subjects and he will start to play God. I must say at this point, that any man, who does not know God and find himself in the corridors of power, is a dangerous weapon in the hand of the devil. In dealing with the people there cannot be integrity in him, such a person will trust in oppression and robbery to make himself richer and richer but the LORD advised him thus: “Put no confidence in extortion, set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them” (Psalm 62:10).

It is not possible for a man to be righteous with power except he is delegated by God,

The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the Earth, and it grieved him to his heart (Gen 6:5).

-          The idea of democracy and rule of law is founded on the realization of this scripture, because no man can be perfect, it is therefore thought that people should come together and set out rules (law) guiding every conduct and when the ruler is elected, he must not be above those rules (law) for no matter how good-natured a man must be, he cannot be God, as his heart is continually evil, particularly when endowed with power over others.

Who Can Rule?

“Men of low estate are but a breath, men of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. Put no confidence in extortion, set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, set not your heart on them. Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God; and that to thee, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For thou dost requite a man according to his work” (Psalm 62:9-12)

-          You cannot do the job because you are  lowly placed

-          You cannot do the job because you are highly  placed

-          You cannot do the job because you have authority to oppress

-          You cannot do the job because you are rich

     The only person who can do the job perfectly well is God because it is reserved for him and so only he can delegate the function. It may be necessary to point out why power is reserved for God.

-          Because mercy belongs to him (Psalm 62:12)

-          Because he is a just God (Psalm 62:12)

-          Because he is a righteous God. “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan” (Prov. 29:2).

Who Is Qualified To Be Delegated By God?

-          A man who fears God. “The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: when one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he draws on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth upon a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth” (2 Samuel 23:34)

-          It is only a man who fears God that can be righteous because Jesus is our righteousness. “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan” (Prov. 29:2).

-          He must know God and the power of His might otherwise the fear of being brought down will make him to seek help from outside God and the devil will take him over. “How long will you set upon a man to shatter him, all of you, like a leaning wall, a tottering fence? They only plan to thrust him down from his eminence. They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly, they curse”(Psalm 62:3-4).

While I was in office, I served with integrity because I not only know God, I fear Him. 

This article is culled from the book, "SERVICE WITH INTEGRITY The Christian In The Nigerian Project," published in November 2008 by ECWA Goodnews Church Ungwar Rimi Kaduna. It is published here with the permission of the publisher.