Government of-by-for the People

Dr. Earle E. Lee

How many forms of government did God ordain in the HIStory of creation? God ordained three forms of government recorded in his Word, the Bible. In order they are:

First, God ordained family government in Genesis when he created Adam and Eve, male and female, husband and wife and commanded them to multiply and replenish the earth. Family government involved husband, wife and children with parental responsibilities to govern the family. The family would raise children to become mature, respectful adults who in turn would marry and create more units of family government. (Genesis 1 & 2)
Second, God ordained civil government as evidenced by the ten commandments in Exodus 20:1-17. These concise commandments dealt with man’s relationship to God first and established life principles for how each individual in society should treat his fellow man, woman, and children. These principles formed the basis of the laws of the USA, which made our country great.
Third, God created ecclesiastical/church government in Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church…”, and verse 24, “…The afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church.” Christ started the church which exists today and gave specific governance principles for the church.

These three God-ordained governments can be best illustrated by three interlocking perfect circles with the church at the top, family and civil government side by side below that.

Here are distinct roles for each form of government that our founding fathers recognized in order to create government of the people, by the people, and for the people. In basic brief details they are:

The family had authority and responsibility to govern the family with father and mother working together to raise and govern the children. Civil government and ecclesiastical/church government had no authority over the family other than to encourage strong families in their duties as the basic unit of good government and churches, but never to usurp family governmental duties to themselves.
Civil government had authority to provide national defense, protect civil liberties by rewarding good and punishing evil doers, and exercise capital punishment. Family and ecclesiastical/church government was to support civil government in its duties, but never to usurp civil governmental duties to them.
Ecclesiastical/ church had authority and responsibility to lead the individuals that made up the family to a right relationship with their Creator by understanding God’s purpose for their life here on earth and after death. Family and civil government were never to usurp ecclesiastical/church governmental authority to themselves.

As the illustration above depicts the trinity of God-ordained government, patterned after the triune Creator God, it is clearly revealed by the interlocking of the circles that each of the governments work together to create harmony through government of the people, by the people, and for the people, while supporting each other’s distinct God-ordained roles.

In God’s order of establishing three governmental bodies, it is abundantly clear that individuals that make up family government are and must be the individuals that are involved in civil and ecclesiastical/church government.

Christian family members that do not get involved by voting, and running for office in civil government and attending with active involvement in ecclesiastical/church affairs are failing to meet God’s ordained role of the members that make up family government.

May God grant each of you the wisdom to exercise your God-ordained role as an individual in the elections of 2010, and beyond; fulfilling your role in government of the people, by the people, and for the people that our founding fathers gave us to make our country the greatest country on the earth since creation.

“The things that are wrong with the country today are the sum total of all the things that are wrong with us as individuals.” — Charles W. Tobey

This article was featured in The Bible View #274.