God's Plan for Governing the Earth
By Buddy Hanson The Covenant News ~ September 12, 2009
In setting up a system through which we can bring about His will on
earth, God ordained four self-governing spheres: the Individual,
Family, Church, and State. Each of these spheres has been given
specific duties and is accountable to God for fulfilling them.
Individual
The apostle Peter instructs that judgment must begin "at the household
of God." (1 Peter 4.17) Before we can have any reasonable expectations
of turning our culture around, we must first make certain that we turn
our churches around, and before we can expect to turn them around, we
must turn ourselves and our households around. The two fundamental
ingredients in successfully governing ourselves, our homes, our
churches and our civil government are these:
* A reverential fear of the Lord (because this is the beginning of
wisdom; Proverbs 1.7; Job 28.28; Ecclesiastes 12.13), and
* Applying God's ethics to our daily decision-making.(Since only His
Word is true, any plan we have to improve culture will fail unless it
conforms to biblical ethics; Psalm 119.160; 2 Samuel 7.28; John 14.6;
Colossians 1.5; 2 Timothy 2.25; Revelation 21.5)
Our retreat to the sidelines of the culture war is marked by an attitude that there is really nothing we can do to imp;rove things (i.e.,"there are giants in the land," Numbers 13). Yet, God's Word says once we come off the bench and onto the field of play by applying biblical ethics through which God enlightens others, the hearts of our non-Christian neighbors "will melt." (Isaiah 13.7)
Family Government
The starting place for responsible citizenship and an orderly society is in submitting to the instructions and discipline of parents. William Shakespeare had it right when he wrote, "The voice of parents is as the voice of God, for to children they are heaven's lieutenants." It is in the family that one is introduced to the cornerstone of civil government. It is here we train up the next generation to respect those in authority and to work together to accomplish our goals. Teaching, leading, and guiding one's family is also great preparation for producing church and civil rulers. In the words of the apostle Paul:
If a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God? 1 Timothy 3.5
Church Government
When the church limits its sphere to the spiritual realm (e.g., "let's
have the state handle it," "politics is dirty," etc.) God is viewed as
being little more than an absentee landlord of His creation who
provides no answers as to how to go about our daily routines. This
apostate view of God and His Word needs to be corrected. The Bible
must be seen and appreciated as God's law-word for all spheres of life
and not merely viewed as a personal devotional guide. Jesus is "King
of kings, and Lord of lords." (1 Timothy 6.15) In order for us to
carry out our Calling from God we must correct our misinterpretation
of Scripture that allows the state to claim sovereignty over social
service programs and the education of our children. (Responsibilities
that belong to the sphere of the Individual and Family).
State (or Civil) Government
The self-governing real of the state reveals a dramatic dichotomy
between the way Christians and non-Christians view the world.
Non-Christians, with their self-centered interests, are motivated to
amass power and control while bringing honor and esteem to themselves.
This was the self-expressed motivation behind the building of the
Tower of Babel: "Let us make a name for ourselves," was their rally
cry. (Genesis 11.4) At the opposite end of the spectrum, Christians
should be motivated to build a name for God an to serve His interests.
This is why we read of decentralized governing bodies throughout
Scripture. Being self-governed and insisting on a variety of
independent, small, civil governing bodies is an antidote against the
tyranny of a huge, consolidated, central government. For example:
* Moses instructed Israel to "Appoint judges and officers in all your gates [cities]," and Joshua "called twelve men...one from every tribe..." into leadership roles. (Joshua 4.4)
* Moses' father-in-law (Jethro) advised him to: ...select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens." Exodus 18.21-22
Clearly, the Christian view of society is one of decentralization, with each of God's four self-governing spheres cooperating to produce a peaceful and pleasant place in which to live, work, play, raise our families and worship God. It is only as we live in accordance with and in conformity to God's laws that we will have personal liberty.
Next week's topic is "The Difference between Conservative and Christian Civil Rulers."
Buddy Hanson is President of the Christian Policy Network and Director
of the Christian Worldview Resources Center and has written several
books on the necessity of applying one's faith to everyday situations,
circumstances and decision-making.