There is a dangerous idea among modern Christians that politics is a dirty business best left untouched by the faithful. We’ve been trained to treat government like background noise—something to be tolerated but not examined. But that posture has made the Church passive, even blind, to one of the greatest threats to freedom, truth, and the gospel itself: the unchecked growth of the modern state.

The nature of many things is to grow. That is how God created life. Trees stretch their limbs. Children become men. Seeds become harvest. But not all growth is good. Not everything that expands is healthy. Cancer grows. So does mold. And so does government.

Throughout Scripture and human history, there has never been such a thing as a good big government. When government grows beyond its God-given limits, it becomes what the Bible calls Babylon. Pharaoh. Ceasar. The Beast. Or Leviathan.

Leviathan is described in the Bible as a massive sea creature, fierce and untamable. In Job 41, God uses Leviathan to humble Job, reminding him that no man can control it. It is dangerous, chaotic, and proud—“king over all the sons of pride.” In Isaiah 27:1, God promises that He will slay Leviathan, the twisting serpent, the dragon that dwells in the sea. Leviathan is not just a monster. It is a picture of worldly power, a force beyond human control, opposing God and threatening His people.

The imagery is not accidental. That is what happens when government is no longer restrained. It becomes a dragon, devouring what it was meant to protect.

A Friend That Becomes a Foe

We live in a time when many people, including some Christians, believe the solution to our problems is more government. More regulation, more programs, more spending, more surveillance, more control. We are told that only the state can fix education, health care, poverty, racism, and even morality itself.

But this belief ignores history—and Scripture.

Government begins as a servant. We feed it, build it, and even celebrate it. We imagine it will keep us safe, solve our problems, and make our lives easier. But like the person who adopts a tiger cub, we’re shocked when it turns on us. “How could it betray us? We raised it. We cared for it.” But wild animals don’t change their nature, and neither does power.

Power, unrestrained, always grows. And unless it’s held back, it always becomes a threat.

Government is no different. It starts by managing roads, delivering mail, and enforcing basic laws. But over time, it grows. It reaches into schools, medicine, business, speech, religion, family, and the very thoughts and beliefs of the people. It justifies its growth by calling it progress or protection. But more often than not, it’s control.

The larger a government grows, the more it intrudes. The more it promises, the more it demands. Every empire starts with order and ends in tyranny. Every Leviathan begins as a savior and becomes a master.

Even in democratic systems, the danger is real. Bureaucracy expands. Liberty shrinks. This is not a bug in the system—it’s a feature of human sin. Power, when left unaccountable, always corrupts.

This isn’t a political theory. It’s biblical truth. From Pharaoh’s Egypt to Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon, from Caesar’s Rome to today’s technocratic superstates, the pattern is the same. Governments grow. Left unchecked, they become monsters.

Christians Cannot Afford to Stay Silent

Some Christians say politics has no place in the church. Many pastors avoid speaking on government at all, fearful of controversy or political labeling. They speak of private faith, personal salvation, and inner peace, but say nothing of the laws that govern our children, the taxes that fund corruption, or the ideologies that shape society. They insist we focus on “just preaching the gospel” and avoid the dirty business of government and law. But that is a dangerous lie—one that benefits tyrants and leaves the people of God defenseless.

This retreat is not humility. It is surrender.

The gospel does not exist in a vacuum. It is not floating above the world, untouched by earthly powers. A collusion of religious and political authorities crucified Jesus. The state imprisoned, beat, and eventually executed Paul. The early church was hunted by emperors who saw their loyalty to Christ as a threat to the power of Caesar.

Even today, every church operates under laws, codes, and threats shaped by the government. Whether it’s tax law, speech restrictions, land usage, education mandates, or family policies—none of us escape the long reach of the state. So, pretending that we can remain neutral or detached is naïve at best and cowardly at worst.

God governs all things—not just salvation, but society. Not just church life, but civil life. He sets the boundaries of nations and the limits of rulers. In Romans 13, Paul describes government as a servant of God. Not a god, not a master, not a redeemer—a servant. And like any servant, it must be held accountable to its Master. But servants can become traitors. And when they do, God’s people must recognize it, resist it, and call it to account.

Government Must Be Limited

The founders of the United States, many of whom feared God even if they didn’t all walk with Him, understood this. They built a system of limited government precisely because they understood the corrupt nature of man. They knew that unchecked power should not be trusted to any man or institution. That’s why we have checks and balances. That’s why the Bill of Rights exists—to restrain the Leviathan.

But those restraints are loosening. Our modern state is swelling beyond recognition. And instead of warning the people, many Christians are asleep—or worse, defending the Beast out of misguided loyalty to parties or ideologies.

Limited government is not a political preference. It is a theological necessity. No government is God. And no government should try to be.

Time to Speak Up

The question is not whether Christians are political. The question is whether we will be faithful in the political world. Every believer lives under laws, pays taxes, sends children to schools, uses currency, obeys (or disobeys) mandates, and navigates systems created by the state. To pretend that these things are outside the scope of Christian life is dishonest and dangerous.

God governs all things. That includes education policy, economic regulation, criminal justice, social order, and national sovereignty. If we believe in the Lordship of Christ, then we must care about how governments rule—because all rule is either aligned with or opposed to His kingdom.

So we must talk about government again. Not because we love politics, but because we fear what happens when Christians abandon the public square. If we do not speak, others will—pagans, ideologues, tyrants. And they will not hesitate to take control.

Leviathan lives.