Where Government Begins
This is a chapter from my book: Government and Its People- How the Church can Participate in Government
I live in Washington state, a place where many pride themselves on being self-sufficient. We are the state of Lewis and Clark, those intrepid explorers who forged the way to the Pacific Northwest in a bold, rugged fashion. (Led by a very pregnant Native American squaw, incidentally.) Indeed, my nation, the United States, is known for the independent attitudes of its populace. We are citizens who believe in pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. And yet, we are interconnected, dependent on each other in ways we do not always appreciate. Some of that connectivity is in the form of laws.
Whether we acknowledge them or not, rules and authority govern our everyday lives. Everywhere a person goes, authority rules over them. When we get into our cars, we better have up-to- date registration and insurance. As we drive away, must obey traffic laws. At work, our employer has authority over us. Rules and the authority they convey are everywhere—restaurants, grocery stores, schools, even in our homes. We even need a building permit to add a room to our house—our very own house! Everything has an associated rule to follow.
Why?
For the sake of order, peace, and safety. So, where does authority come from? God, of course. It is not man-made; it was established from the beginning.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Colossians 1:16 (ESV)
God created a world that runs on authority, and he instituted government to administer that authority, bringing peace and order to our lives.
Let’s look closer at the tiers of authority that God created as identified in Colossians.
Throne
a ceremonial seat for rulers
a chair of state having a footstool
assigned to kings and queens, hence, royal power
representing God’s throne as the governor of the world
representing Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, partner and assistant in the divine administration, hence all divine power belongs to Christ
Dominion
power, lordship
Principalities:
beginning, origin
the person or thing that commences, the first person or thing in a series, the leader
that by which anything begins to be, the active cause
the extremity
the first place of ruling angels and demons Power
choice
liberty to do as one pleases
leave or permission
physical or mental power
the ability or strength one possesses or exercises.
authority (influence) and of right (privilege)
rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)
universally: authority over all mankind.
specifically: the power of judicial decisions; the authority to manage domestic affairs
metonymically: a thing subject to authority or rule; jurisdiction; one who possess authority; a ruler, a human magistrate.
This covers every level of power, government, and authority in this world and beyond. Nothing and no one is outside God’s authority, and Scripture says that all of this has all been given to Jesus.
All authority [all power of rule] in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Matthew 28:18 (AMP)
Other scriptures continue this idea.
Who is gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
1 Peter 3:22 (ESV)
Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Ephesians 1:21 (ESV)
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power
Colossians 2:10 (KJV).
For to us a child is born, a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom to establish it and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forever more.
Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV)
Notice from Isaiah that God’s government never ends. It continues to grow and expand. We will never escape it, nor should we.
So if God instituted governing and government, when did this government begin? For us, it began “In the beginning,” when God created the heavens and the earth, as recorded in the book of Genesis. It expanded with the creation of man and his governance.
So, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:27- 28(ESV)
According to Pat Robertson in his book, The Secret Kingdom:
Almighty God wants us to recapture the dominion man held in the beginning… The Genesis account uses two colorful words to describe this. One, radah, we translate “dominion.” Man was to have dominion. The word means to “rule over” or “tread down,” as with grapes. It comes from a Hebrew root meaning “spread out” or “prostrate.” The picture we get from it is one of all the creation spread out before man, whose dominion would extend wherever his feet trod.
The other word, kabash, is translated “subdue.” Man was told to subdue the earth. The root means “to trample underfoot,” as one would do when washing dirty clothes. Therefore, in kabash we have in part the concept of separating good from evil by force. With the first word, radah, God gives man the authority to govern all that is willing to be governed. With the second, kabash, He grants man authority over the untamed and the rebellious. In both instances, God gave man a sweeping and total mandate of dominion over this planet and everything in it.”
In other words, God, who is supreme and has all authority, transferred that authority to humankind to rule and govern by the order He set in motion when He created the earth. While this may sound good at first, it presents an enormous challenge, one that humankind was never intended to face alone.
How do we carry out our God-given dominion and authority? Clearly, we do it through the institution of government. This is how we separate good and evil, the wise and the foolish, the just and the unjust. With the wisdom and mercy of God, we use laws, ordinances, and rules to live, govern, and reign in this world. This is what God had in mind when He commissioned Adam and Eve. Throughout the Bible, we see God delegating, transferring, and imparting His authority to people he has chosen to fulfill His plan for humankind. The forerunners, patriarchs, and prophets had specific roles to fill, and today, the Church has specific roles to fill. One role is to engage in modern government. In the proceeding chapters, we will examine how God appointed, prepared, and anointed his servants in governmental positions, establishing His will upon the earth and setting the example for us to follow.
Thanks for reading. You can find the book here:
https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mary-Salamon/author/B07JBN3997