God created three governing authorities- Family, the Church and Civil Government; each was established to complement the others; to do otherwise spells disaster.
How do we govern? President Abraham Lincoln famously addressed the nation from the field of battle during the civil war. He attempted to show his resolve to end slavery and preserve our nation under its guiding principles of freedom, gifted from God, for everyone, when he said, “that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom- that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” We echo those words in many places, today, as music to the ears of the human soul: “of the people, by the people, for the people”. But do we truly know what he meant and where those words came from?…
Those words were a quotation from John Wycliffe, the master of Balliol College, Oxford, in the late fourteenth century. President Lincoln knew that. Wycliffe was called the “Morning Star of the Reformation”. They came from Wycliffe’s introduction to his translation of the Bible into English in 1384. Listen to this….Here’s his quote: “This BIBLE is for the government of the People, by the People, and for the People.” When President Lincoln spoke those words America was Bible literate and knew the entire quote and, that the words were from Wycliffe. Not so today. So how do we govern? The BIBLE! Os Guinness, in his book, Last Call for Liberty, says regarding this: “….religious freedom goes hand in hand with civil freedom…” Let freedom ring!
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3: 16-17
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 1 Peter 2: 13-17
