Are elected officials leaders or public servants?
We should not allow a hyper-libertarian mindset to destroy our respect for authority. Read Romans 13.
I have taken heat from the Right when I refer to elected officials as "leaders." They are not leaders, they are public servants. But is that true? Are they leaders, or public servants?
Yes.
It is not one or the other. It is both. Elected officials are put in power by the voters to advance our interests and can be dismissed every two or four years if the voters decide they are not doing that. But they are also leaders. They were granted authority. That could be legislative or administrative authority, but it is authority nonetheless.
We are blessed to live in a nation where government is limited by our founding documents, and where individual liberty is paramount. But we should not allow a hyper-libertarian mindset to destroy our respect for authority. Romans 13 teaches us that all authority is delegated by God, and that authority bears the sword for Him. God commands us to respect the authorities He has set over us, and that includes the civil magistrate.
Bearing the sword, and being "a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil" (v. 4) makes it clear that the Apostle Paul was writing about the government. The Apostle Peter also tells believers to "honor the king" in 1 Peter 2:13-17. This is clearly a reference to the civil magistrate, and that principle is transferable to elected leaders today.
No, this does not mean blind obedience. Some orders are illegal and sometimes civil disobedience is required. But American Christians who rail against the civil magistrate should remember the context in which the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter to write this: God's people were oppressed by the wicked, pagan Roman Empire - a truly brutal and murderous regime where the emperor proclaimed himself to be a "god."
So yes, leaders are public servants and we should use our votes and our voices to hold them accountable for how they are using the authority that has been temporarily granted to them. This includes being a moral example by upholding the rule of law in their words and deeds. But we should also respect and submit ourselves to our leaders. Do not fall into the ditches. Maintain a balanced, Biblical view of government.