Church, State, and Family: A Biblical Framework
According to the Bible, the three spheres of authority, or government, are (1) The State, (2) The Church, and (3) The Household. For each of these spheres, God has given guidelines and established an authority structure. Each sphere is presented with a different degree of specificity. The household sphere is spelled out in the finest detail, whereas the state is spelled out in the least amount of detail. However, all three have their legitimacies granted to them by God and recorded in the Bible.
Let us briefly take a look at the biblical legitimacy of each of the three spheres of authority, and then we will zoom in on the household sphere and look at how a man can lead his family well.
What does the Bible say about the state?
The first sphere for us to examine is the civil sphere, commonly called the state. Jesus grants the authority of the civil government and its right to collect taxes, although He prohibits it from having all-encompassing power. See this exchange in Matthew 22:20-21:
“Whose image and inscription is this?” he asked them. “Caesar’s,” they said to him. Then he said to them, “Give, then, to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
Further revealing the legitimate authority of the state, the Apostle Paul exhorted Christians to submit to the civil authorities, including their authority to tax, while stipulating that the authorities have a responsibility to judge evil and not to terrorize good behavior. In Romans 13:1-7, he writes the following.
Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience. And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God’s servants, continually attending to these tasks. Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor.
Peter likewise commands Christians to honor the authorities, both at the “federal” and “lesser magistrate” levels, as an act of freedom, rather than compulsion, for the sake of our Christian witness and apologetic. See 1 Peter 2:13-17:
Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. For it is God’s will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves. Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
A specific governance structure for the state or civil sphere is not spelled out in Scripture. This leaves it an open question as to whether democracy, monarchy, oligarchy, or some other system is the best one for a given society. However, God’s word is clear that the state, however structured, is legitimate, and that the civil sphere does have authority.
Sphere Sovereignty and the Church
The second sphere of authority we need to look at is the ecclesial sphere, that of the church. The legitimacy of the church as a sphere of authority is spelled out in the following verses.
In Matthew 16:18, Jesus promises to build His church: “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” It is the view of the present author that the church was not there at the beginning of creation. The church began on Pentecost, when God sent the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:1-4, we read that,
When the day of Pentecost had arrived, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like that of a violent rushing wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were staying. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and rested on each one of them. Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.
It was at that moment that the church was formed, but of course those 120 souls upon whom the Holy Spirit came were not the only people to ever join the church. After Pentecost, new believers join the church by way of the initiatory ritual of baptism. Later in Acts 2, Peter proclaims,
“Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation” (Acts 2:38–40)!
Those who believed Peter’s preaching joined the church, which we see in Acts 2:41–42:
So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added to them. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
The church grew as an institution, and God made it clear that the church is God’s idea, rather than a mere human invention. In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul calls the church the household of God and the pillar and foundation of the truth.
But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth (emphasis added).
Elsewhere in the New Testament, God lays out His approved structure for how the church should be governed. Elders are to exercise oversight (1 Timothy 3:1–7), and deacons are to serve (1 Timothy 3:8–13). There are aso roles and expectations for widows (1 Timothy 5:3–6), old men (Titus 2:2), young men (Titus 2:6), and older and younger women (Titus 2:3–5). Likewise, certain instructions are given pertaining to corporate worship and community (1 Corinthians 14:26–31; Colossians 3:16; Ephesians 5:19; 1 Timothy 4:13; Hebrews 10:25).
In Part 3, we’ll explore the household — the most detailed and personally connected sphere of authority — and what God expects of men leading their families.
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