作者：Paul Zhao
编辑：刘芳 校对：程筱筱 翻译：彭小梅
圣经不仅是一部宗教经典，更是西方政治文明的根源性文本。现代宪政民主、人权理念和国际秩序的核心原则，在历史与思想的深层结构上，都深受圣经世界观的塑造。本文将从美国宪法的建构、人权理论的来源、政府权力的限制机制，以及现代国家若抛弃圣经基础所导致的政治危机等方面，系统论述圣经在现代政治体制形成中的基础性作用，同时探讨其对中国政治未来的启示。
一、圣经的核心政治观：上帝高于君王，人按神的形象被造
圣经以宗教语言提出了两个影响深远的政治命题：
上帝是最高主权者，政府权力并非自生，而是受托而来。 《罗马书 13:1》：“没有权柄不是出于神。” 君王只是代理人，不拥有绝对权力。这一观念破除了古代专制王权的合法性基础。
人按神的形象被造，人人享有固有尊严。 《创世记 1:27》：“神照着自己的形象造人，造男造女。” 人的权利因此不可被政府剥夺，而具有神圣性与普世性。
这两个原则为现代政治制度提供了最根本的哲学前提：政府权力有限，人权不可侵犯，法律高于君王。
二、圣经对美国宪法的结构性影响
美国开国者虽建立的是世俗共和国，但其政治设计几乎全部源自圣经政治神学。以下为核心对照：
美国开国元勋麦迪逊（原文作“马迪逊”）曾说：
“人若无罪，政府则无必要；若天使治理人，政府亦无必要。但因为人有罪，所以政府必须受限制。”
三、圣经奠定现代人权理念的思想基础
1. 人权的来源：神学起点
现代人权理论的核心问题是：人为何有权利？政府为何不能剥夺？
圣经的回答是：
人权来自作为“上帝形象”的本体地位，而非人的功能或社会地位。
人的尊严不依赖政府承认，而是天赋本有。
2. 人权的不可侵犯性
《出埃及记》禁止杀人、盗窃、奴役，确立了保障人身与财产权的律法。
《利未记》强调，无论贫富，法律一体适用。
3. 人权的普世性
《约翰福音 3:16》：“神爱世人。” 圣经宣告所有民族都在神面前平等，这一普世主义为《联合国人权宣言》奠定了道德基础。
四、圣经的政治制衡机制：防止极权的思想根基
美国独立战争正是以圣经为依据：认为英国政府违背了上帝赋予人的自由，因此“革命不是叛乱，而是顺服至高上帝的公义”。
五、当政治抛弃圣经基础，将走向何种结局？
案例一：法国大革命——去神化导致恐怖与专制
法国革命将人权建立在“人民意志”之上，而非神的律法之上。结果，“人民意志”迅速蜕变为少数派意志，最终导致罗伯斯庇尔的恐怖统治与拿破仑独裁。
案例二：共产主义——以无神论为基础的政治体系
马克思列宁主义否定上帝与“人按神形象被造”的观念，将人视为生产工具，导致大规模人权灾难（古拉格、文化大革命、柬共屠杀等）。
结论： 否认上帝，就会否认人的尊严；否认人的尊严，政治便不可避免地滑向极权。
六、圣经政治理念对中国的启示
公义高于权力： 政治合法性不在于谁掌权，而在于是否合乎公义。
人不是手段，而是目的： 必然推动人权保障与法治深化。
政府必须受限： 圣经为治理提供道德边界，也为改革提供思想力量。
民族更新之路： 并非简单模仿西方制度，而是回归普世价值的根基。
“公义使邦国高举，罪恶是人民的羞辱。”（《箴言》14:34）
结语
圣经不是一部陈旧的宗教文献，而是现代政治文明的根基。 现代宪政、人权与民主，并非人类理性自发的创造，而是在圣经世界观的土壤中成长出来的政治果实。
若现代国家要保有人权与自由，就必须承认一个高于政府的道德来源； 若否认这一根基，现代文明终将崩塌于自身的虚无主义之中。
圣经的政治观不是历史遗迹，而是现代文明的源头与未来。
(2025年10月26日 于纽约)
The Biblical Foundations of Modern Political Systems and Human Rights
Author: Paul Zhao
Editor: Liu Fang Proofreader: Cheng Xiaoxiao Translator: Xiaomei Peng
Abstract:This article examines the foundational role of the Bible in shaping modern political systems and human rights concepts. It argues that two central biblical political principles—God’s supreme sovereignty and the belief that humans are created in the image of God—form the philosophical basis for limited government and the inviolability of human rights. Through comparative analysis of the U.S. Constitution, the separation of powers, popular sovereignty, and religious freedom, the article reveals the profound impact of biblical political theology on modern constitutional systems. It further demonstrates that the universality and moral legitimacy of modern human rights originate from biblical anthropology. Drawing on historical counterexamples such as the French Revolution and communism, the author concludes that once political systems abandon the transcendent foundation of Scripture, they inevitably slide into totalitarianism and nihilism. The article contends that biblical political principles not only shaped Western civilization but also offer essential insights for China’s future political transformation.
The Bible is not merely a religious text—it is the foundational document of Western political civilization. Modern constitutional democracy, human rights, and the core principles of the international order are all shaped—at the deepest historical and intellectual levels—by the biblical worldview. This article will examine the Bible’s foundational role in the formation of modern political institutions through the lenses of constitutional structure, the origins of human rights, mechanisms limiting governmental power, and the political crises faced by nations that abandon biblical foundations. It will also explore the implications of biblical political thought for the future of China.
I. Core Biblical Political Principles: God Above Kings, Humans Made in God’s Image
The Bible articulates two political principles with far-reaching consequences:
1. God is the supreme sovereign; governmental authority is delegated, not inherent.
Romans 13:1 — “There is no authority except that which God has established.”Kings are merely stewards. They do not possess absolute power. This destroys the legitimacy of ancient autocracies and divine-right monarchy.
2. Humans are created in the image of God and therefore possess inherent dignity.
Genesis 1:27 — “So God created mankind in His own image.”Human rights are thus God-given, not granted by governments, and cannot be legitimately taken away.
These two principles provide the philosophical foundation of all modern politics: government is limited, human rights are inviolable, and law stands above rulers.
II. The Bible’s Structural Influence on the U.S. Constitution
Although the United States was founded as a secular republic, its political architecture is deeply rooted in biblical political theology. Key parallels include:
James Madison famously wrote: “If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, no controls on government would be necessary.” This insight mirrors the biblical doctrine of human fallenness.
III. The Biblical Foundation of Modern Human Rights
1. The source of rights: theological, not political
Modern human rights theory asks: Why do humans have rights? Why can’t government take them away?
The Bible answers:
Human rights arise from humans being bearers of the imago Dei (God’s image).
Human dignity does not depend on social status or governmental recognition.
2. The inviolability of human rights
The Ten Commandments prohibit murder, theft, and enslavement, establishing protections for life and property.
Leviticus emphasizes equal application of the law regardless of wealth or status.
3. The universality of human rights
John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world.”This universal love forms the moral foundation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
IV. Biblical Mechanisms of Political Restraint: The Deep Roots of Anti-Totalitarianism
The American Revolution was justified theologically: Britain had violated the God-given freedoms of the colonists, making revolution an act of obedience to divine justice—not rebellion.
V. What Happens When Politics Abandons the Bible?
Case 1: The French Revolution — dechristianization leading to terror
Grounding rights in “the will of the people” rather than divine law caused that “will” to devolve into mob rule, culminating in Robespierre’s Reign of Terror and Napoleon’s dictatorship.
Case 2: Communism — an atheistic system that denies human dignity
Marxism-Leninism rejects God and the idea that humans bear God’s image, reducing humans to tools of production. The result: gulags, the Cultural Revolution, Khmer Rouge massacres—catastrophic violations of human rights.
Conclusion:Deny God → deny human dignity → political systems sink inevitably into totalitarianism.
VI. What Biblical Political Principles Mean for China
Justice above power: Legitimacy depends on righteousness, not control.
Humans are ends, not means: This demands human-rights protection and genuine rule of law.
Government must be limited: The Bible provides moral boundaries for governance.
National renewal: China’s political future requires a return to universal moral foundations, not simply copying the West.
Proverbs 14:34 — “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.”
Conclusion
The Bible is not an outdated religious document; it is the foundation of modern political civilization.Constitutionalism, human rights, and democracy are not inventions of human reason alone—they grew from the soil of the biblical worldview.
A modern nation that seeks to preserve human dignity and freedom must acknowledge a moral authority higher than the state.Without such a foundation, modern civilization collapses into nihilism and authoritarianism.
Biblical political thought is not a relic of the past—it is the source and future of civilization.
(Written on October 26, 2025, New York)
