Compare Matthew 5 (the Sermon on the Mount) to Romans 13:1-7 (which talks about the role of government), and you will see right away that an established government does not, and cannot, function according to the same principles that regulate private, Christian discipleship.

Understanding this basic distinction between Church and State would save people a lot of confusion when trying to think through public policy issues as a Christian.  

Example: If someone insults me I have to forgive them. But if someone violates the laws of the State, the State's priority should be justice and punishment, not mercy.

It's easy to understand why this is the case too. A personal offense can destroy my own heart and engulf me in the lust for revenge. So I have to learn to let things go, for my own sake just as much as the other person's.

But if the State were to adopt the same posture, they would be empowering evil and creating a worse society for everyone, so their prerogative is justice and the sword, so we can all live with some peace and dignity.

Moreover, the tension between personal obligations to mercy and the State's obligation towards justice actually makes it easier for me to show mercy, because I know that my mercy cannot be taken advantage of, because a personal offense can only go so far before it will cross into the jurisdiction of the State and be met with justice.

So someone may insult me and I have to bear that, but the minute they try to break into my house and steal my property or harm my family I have recourse to the State and laws of self-defense in my favor that shield me from having to exercise excessive mercy to the point of self-destruction.

In summary, be careful of pastors and ministry leaders who only harp on the Sermon on the Mount as a guide for Christian political engagement. Such an approach is actually dangerous and unbiblical.

But likewise, be equally as wary of paradigms of Christian discipleship that never engage seriously with the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus does call us to be something different than the world, and finding the balance of how to live in these two spheres, Church and State, is no easy task but it is our responsibility. -Travis M Snow