Statecraft (pt. 1/2)

The idea of government comes from God. Paul the apostle to the Gentiles writes, “For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1) I have previously pontificated on this to describe how therefore that every government formed by man is an attempt to copy the original, which is the government of God. This attempt has always and will always fail because of one aspect: Our formulations of government are emblematic of the nature we possess. Hence why it is expedient that by the gospel dispensation we become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) we recieve a new government, what Ezekiel calls, “a new heart” (Ezekiel 36:26) For the Gospel is merely a reestablishment of the Government of God on man. Unfortunately, every government formed by man is and will be tarnished by the blight of man’s fallen nature.

Does this mean then that all civil government is unnecessary? Yes it does. If men would live under the government of God, if people were self governing, that is to say self-controlled, there would be no need for men’s government. Yet we see that not all men are thus. Paul writes, “But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?” (Romans 10:16) And so secular government becomes necessary in an attempt to copy the government of God and present a semblance of the rule of just law over men, including & especially over these that reject the government of God.

It follows therefore that this government of men, in order to best effect the rule of just law and secure the liberties and happiness of all who form it, must operate in a certain pescribed triune way. There are three principles upon which the government of God is based and must be copied by all governments formed by men or else a tyranny is certain to emerge and this as a natural result from the decrepit and fallen nature of humanity.

God’s government is sustained by His divine and perfect nature, it is why His government is perfect. Man’s attempt to copy this, absent of the change in nature that the gospel avails to all men, is a heroic effort to effect in secular terms and for secular ends that which the gospel accomplishes spiritually. It is doomed to failure yes, but it allows men just as much freedom in the secular as is possible, so that they may reconsider the divine offer and find refuge in true government.

1. Purely a representative form of Government

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them (Job 1:6)

In God’s dominion, all his subjects live in federated local governments. This federation or devolution is according to nature, and with the head of each intelligent race as the representative of that race. Thus it was with human beings. Adam was the head of the human race, the father of all humans and thus the head. His position was to mirror and localize that of God to the human race. As long as Adam maintained the self-government of God, He was a perfect example of God’s position.

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God….For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. (1 Corinthians 11:3, 10)

When Adam sinned, the headship of the human race passed on to whoever he had placed as his head, the tempter. And so it is why Satan had access to God’s universal council of all representatives of the worlds as recorded in the book of Job. However, Christ redeemed Adam’s fall and became the Second Adam, becoming the head of the human race

And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit…The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:45, 47)

Secular government must copy this principle in order to provide for just law simply because it accomplishes certain things as it does in the government of God. It spreads out the governing over both space and time, and it hallmarks the equality of all represented. As humans we are equal based on our humanity. Period. And so, if we are equal, no human has any right which another does not possess. This in turn gives rise to unalienable rights, and destroys any argument for the so called divine right to rule. If any man may rule, they may only do so by consent, and so this creates not rulers but representatives. Consequently the people, not the representatives/leaders, are sovereign.

2. Limited Government

Since therefore the sovereign is separate from and does not exercise the power (but has representatives do this on his behalf) a bicameral existence of the race now exists. The sovereign people are the society and the representatives are the government. In order to ensure freedom and just law, the society must be strong enough to limit government, yay! Bigger than the government. God Himself in His government has demonstrated this principle of limited government

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23)

God only requires that we partake of His Spirit, He does not overgovern. The idea of limited government stems from the fact that He has given men free will and so over regulation is unnecessary for those who have His Spirit. Consider the Hebrews, Paul says that the 600 ceremonial laws were “added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made” (Galatians 3:19) It is because the Hebrews failed to obey by His Spirit the ten commandment constitution, that certain regulations were added, a little like braces to keep the teeth in line till they are strong enough to operate on their own. Notice, even on that it was not the original plan of God.

What limited government does for the secular is it ensures that the society will always be liberal (free) and bigger than the government. If let’s say the government was bigger than the society, which would mean politically the representatives represent their own interests or those besides the interests of the sovereign known as the public interest, then there would no longer be a separation between sovereignty and power and that by definition is tyranny. Government must be limited, it is to be limited first by clearly stating in writing (a constitution) what it can and cannot do and what it can do should be specific, short, few and clear.

3. Separation of Powers

I’ll be very brief with this one. Power is that which relates to laws, which is divided into three branches, making laws, executing laws and interpreting laws. Only God can host all these three and be not a tyrant.

The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: (Psalms 17:9)

The need therefore arises for separating these powers when dealing with fallen human nature, all this because human law can never be perfect. The Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary must all be separate. But in order to be separate they must all be equal. Therefore the design and structure of government is what ensures freedom and just law in a nation. The structure is the greatest bill of rights. I’ll leave it there with something for you to think about: Thus far I have mentioned a horizontal separation and equality of powers, between the branches of government. I submit that we stand at a great advantage seeing that we do have through devolution the prospect of separation and future equality of powers vertically between the various levels of government. The full realisation of localism & federalism will unleash the productive potential of the nation.

But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department, the necessary constitutional means, and personal motives, to resist encroachments of the others… Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man, must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. It may be a reflection on human nature, that such devices should be necessary to control the abuses of government. - James Madison, Federalist paper no. 51

Find in link the podcast with additional thought expressions: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0VTP3JVETHGk8Gkc0OejMC?si=lgZb9EuZSWK5hR2HXCNVIw