Democrats Disarm the Sword, Expose the Sword-Bearer, and Shield the Violent—An Inversion of Romans 13
In my article on Virginia’s Perfect Storm, I documented Virginia Democrats’ coordinated assault on God’s created order. I showed how HB863 strips mandatory minimum sentences from dozens of violent crimes, abandoning victims and protecting criminals. But HB863 is only one part of Virginia Democrats’ war on law enforcement and the biblical principle that government exists to punish evil and protect the innocent.
Three bills—HB1314, HB7, and HB863—work together to systematically dismantle Romans 13 authority in Virginia:
- HB863 disarms the sword by eliminating mandatory minimums for violent crimes
- HB1314 exposes the sword-bearer by gutting qualified immunity and inviting lawsuits against officers and supervisors
- HB7 turns the sword-bearer into a criminal by banning police face coverings and creating civil and criminal liability
Together, these bills ensure that violent offenders receive lighter sentences while law enforcement officers face personal financial ruin, criminal charges, and careers destroyed for good-faith decisions. This is not reform. This is an inversion of God’s design for civil government.
HB863: Disarming the Sword by Weakening Punishment for Evil
I covered HB863 in detail in my previous article, but here’s the core problem: HB863 eliminates mandatory minimum prison sentences for dozens of serious offenses, including violent crimes, child sex crimes, serious DUI offenses, and attacks on law enforcement officers.
Romans 13:3-4 declares: “For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad… But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.”
God established civil government to bear the sword against evildoers. Mandatory minimum sentences guarantee baseline accountability for serious crimes—they ensure that rapists, child predators, and violent offenders face meaningful punishment.
HB863 removes that guarantee. It gives judges discretion to sentence convicted violent offenders at the bottom of statutory ranges, effectively disarming the sword by making punishment optional rather than certain.
When government refuses to execute God’s wrath on wrongdoers—when it prioritizes criminals’ “unique circumstances” over victims’ justice—it abandons its God-ordained purpose.
HB1314: Exposing the Sword-Bearer to Personal Financial Ruin
Virginia House Bill 1314, sponsored by Del. Michelle Lopes Maldonado (D), creates a new state-level civil cause of action that allows individuals to sue law enforcement officers and their supervisors in Virginia courts for alleged violations of constitutional or legal rights while acting “under color of law.”
Track HB1314: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB1314
Here’s what HB1314 does—and why it’s devastating:
- GUTS QUALIFIED IMMUNITY IN PRACTICE
HB1314 creates a state civil lawsuit allowing individuals to sue if their rights—guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution, federal laws, or Virginia’s Constitution and laws—are violated by someone “acting under color of law.” This includes police officers, supervisors, and other government officials.
While qualified immunity technically still exists at the federal level, HB1314 sidesteps it by creating a parallel state cause of action in Virginia courts. Officers can be sued personally in Virginia courts, and the protections qualified immunity provides in federal § 1983 cases don’t apply.
Translation: Officers who act in good faith, follow their training, and comply with department policy can still face personal lawsuits and financial ruin.
- MAKES SUPERVISORS LIABLE EVEN WHEN NOT INVOLVED
HB1314 allows plaintiffs to sue not only the officer who allegedly violated their rights, but also “any supervisor of such person who is responsible for directing or overseeing such person’s conduct.”
David Ostwinkle with the Virginia State Police Association explained to 13News Now: “The supervisor doesn’t need to be involved in it. They don’t even need to be aware of it. They are liable just merely on the fact that they supervise that individual.”
Translation: A sergeant who wasn’t on scene, didn’t know about the incident, and had no direct involvement can still be sued personally and held liable for an officer’s actions.
- AWARDS COMPENSATORY DAMAGES, PUNITIVE DAMAGES, AND ATTORNEY FEES
If a plaintiff wins under HB1314, courts can award:
- Compensatory damages (to cover alleged losses)
- Punitive damages (to punish the officer personally)
- Equitable relief (court orders)
- Reasonable attorney fees and costs
Officers face personal financial devastation. Even if they’re ultimately vindicated, defending against lawsuits costs tens of thousands of dollars. Most officers can’t afford that.
- ALLOWS FOUR YEARS TO FILE SUIT
HB1314 gives plaintiffs up to four years after an alleged incident to file suit. Officers will live under the constant threat of lawsuits for incidents years in the past.
- LAW ENFORCEMENT WARNS OF RECRUITING AND RETENTION CRISIS
The Virginia State Police Association warned in a statement: “Virginia’s law enforcement agencies are already facing a severe and persistent recruiting and retention crisis. HB1314 will accelerate that crisis. When officers and supervisors are told they will be personally and financially ruined for good faith decisions, the result of such legislation will result in police hesitation, disengagement, and attrition. Public safety suffers when officers are discouraged from proactive, lawful policing and when leadership is chilled by fear of personal liability.”
Campbell County Sheriff Whit Clark and Amherst County Sheriff’s Office Major James Begley told WSET: “We do things in good faith. And when we do things, we are held accountable for them.” But HB1314 goes beyond accountability—it exposes officers to personal lawsuits even when they act reasonably, lawfully, and in line with training.
Translation: HB1314 doesn’t just hold bad officers accountable. It makes every officer a lawsuit target, chills proactive policing, and drives good officers out of the profession.
HB7: Turning the Sword-Bearer Into a Criminal
Virginia House Bill 7, filed by Del. Michael J. Jones (D), prohibits most law enforcement officers from wearing facial coverings while performing official duties. The bill defines “facial covering” broadly to include opaque masks, balaclavas, tactical masks, gaiters, ski masks, and any item concealing a substantial portion of the face.
Track HB7: https://lis.virginia.gov/bill-details/20261/HB7
Here’s why HB7 is reckless and dangerous:
- CREATES CRIMINAL LIABILITY FOR OFFICERS
HB7 makes unauthorized face-covering use a Class 1 misdemeanor—unless the officer’s employing agency has a written policy allowing it. Officers who wear tactical gear for officer safety or operational security could face criminal charges.
Translation: An officer responding to a riot, civil unrest, or high-risk situation who covers his face for safety could be prosecuted criminally.
- ENABLES CIVIL LAWSUITS AGAINST MASKED OFFICERS
HB7 authorizes civil actions against officers who wear prohibited face coverings if their conduct causes injury, exposing them to personal lawsuits in addition to criminal penalties.
Translation: Officers who use protective gear during dangerous operations face lawsuits on top of criminal charges.
- AUTHORIZES DISCIPLINARY ACTION INCLUDING DECERTIFICATION
HB7 authorizes employers to discipline officers for wearing prohibited face coverings—including dismissal, suspension, demotion, transfer, or decertification. An officer could lose his career over wearing a balaclava during a winter patrol or a tactical mask during civil unrest.
- FORCES OFFICERS TO PATROL EXPOSED AND IDENTIFIABLE
HB7 is marketed as “transparency and accountability,” but it forces officers to patrol fully identifiable even in dangerous situations. Officers responding to riots, gang activity, or situations where criminal retaliation is likely must expose their faces—making them and their families targets.
Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis told 29News: “We have a real problem understanding why they’re wearing masks, our officers go around on the street, we arrest people every day, we face tough situations, sometimes called names, sometimes threatened. We don’t wear masks. We want people to know who is serving them.”
But HB7 isn’t about local departments like Charlottesville that already prohibit masks. It’s a statewide mandate targeting tactical units, federal officers operating in Virginia, and situations where officer safety requires protective gear.
Translation: HB7 prioritizes political messaging over officer safety and operational effectiveness.
The Perfect Inversion: Violent Offenders Protected, Law Enforcement Targeted
Here’s how HB863, HB1314, and HB7 work together to invert Romans 13:
Romans 13 establishes that government exists to:
- Bear the sword against evildoers
- Execute God’s wrath on wrongdoers
- Be a terror to bad conduct, not good conduct
Virginia Democrats’ three bills invert this design:
HB863 ensures violent offenders receive lighter sentences: Rapists, child predators, and killers can serve minimal time at judges’ discretion. The sword is dulled.
HB1314 exposes officers to personal lawsuits: Good-faith policing becomes financially ruinous. Officers hesitate, disengage, and leave the profession. The sword-bearer is exposed.
HB7 criminalizes protective gear: Officers patrolling dangerous situations face criminal charges, civil lawsuits, and career destruction for wearing masks. The sword-bearer becomes the criminal.
The result: Virginia becomes a terror to good conduct (law enforcement) rather than bad conduct (violent criminals). This is the opposite of God’s design.
Genesis 9:6 commands: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” God demands justice for those who shed innocent blood. HB863 undermines that justice by softening sentences. HB1314 and HB7 prevent officers from executing justice by making them lawsuit targets and criminals for doing their jobs.
Dear Pastor: Will You Teach Romans 13?
If you’re a Virginia pastor and you faithfully preach God’s Word, the question is not whether you teach Scripture—but whether you have made room in the pulpit for what is happening to civil authority in Virginia right now.
Your congregation includes law enforcement officers who face personal financial ruin under HB1314. Families whose loved ones were victims of violent crimes who will watch those offenders serve minimal sentences under HB863. Citizens whose safety depends on officers who are being driven out of the profession by these three bills.
Yet in many churches, Romans 13—the biblical foundation for understanding civil government—is rarely preached. The proper role of law enforcement, the legitimacy of using force against evildoers, the importance of supporting righteous authority—these truths are avoided because they touch “politics.”
Meanwhile, Virginia Democrats are inverting God’s design for government. While you preach on grace and love, the state is making good-faith policing a lawsuit magnet, criminals’ protections expand, and officers leave the profession in droves.
Here’s what your congregation needs to hear:
First, teach Romans 13. Explain that God established civil government to bear the sword, to punish evil, and to protect the innocent. Government that refuses to wield the sword against violent criminals while turning officers into lawsuit targets has abandoned its God-ordained purpose.
Second, distinguish between supporting righteous law enforcement and condemning real abuse. Biblical Christians can and should oppose genuine police brutality while also supporting officers who act in good faith. HB1314, HB7, and HB863 don’t target bad officers—they target all officers and shield violent criminals.
Third, help your congregation see this as spiritual warfare, not mere “police policy.” When government abandons its duty to restrain evil and instead punishes those who bear the sword, that’s a demonic inversion of God’s order. Satan hates justice because God is just.
Proverbs 17:15 warns: “He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.” HB863 justifies the wicked by softening their sentences. HB1314 and HB7 condemn the righteous by exposing good officers to lawsuits and criminal charges.
Will you teach your congregation this truth? Or will you remain silent while Virginia inverts Romans 13?
What You Can Do RIGHT NOW
All three bills are advancing through the Virginia legislature. You can stop them—but you must act NOW.
First, contact your delegate and senator immediately.
Find your legislators: https://whosmy.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
Say this:
“I am your constituent and I demand you vote NO on HB1314, HB7, and HB863. These bills invert Romans 13 by weakening punishment for violent criminals while exposing law enforcement to lawsuits and criminal charges. God commands government to bear the sword against evil, not to shield criminals and punish officers. Vote NO on all three bills.”
Second, show up at committee hearings.
Track hearings: https://lis.virginia.gov
Third, support local law enforcement publicly. Thank officers who serve your community. Let them know you oppose HB1314 and HB7. Attend local government meetings and speak in support of righteous law enforcement.
Fourth, mobilize your church. Share this article. Host prayer meetings focused on Romans 13 and God’s design for government. Organize church members to contact legislators together.
For more on God’s design for civil authority, visit our Our Nation Under God category.
Virginia Democrats are systematically dismantling Romans 13 authority. HB863 disarms the sword. HB1314 exposes the sword-bearer. HB7 turns the sword-bearer into a criminal.
This is spiritual warfare over whether government will fulfill its God-ordained purpose or abandon it entirely.
Contact your legislators. Show up at hearings. Support law enforcement. And demand that Virginia’s government bears the sword God gave it—against evil, not against those who enforce His justice.
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Categories: Our Nation Under God | Sanctity of Life
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Jeff Bayard is Content Manager at Virginia Christian Alliance, where he champions biblical values and constitutional principles. Read more from Jeff at https://vachristian.org/author/jbayard/
