In the Reformed tradition, specifically the Kuyperian branch, there are typically thought to be three primary spheres of government outlined in Scripture, with a fourth often thrown in for good measure. Each level of government has a sphere of authority with certain rights and responsibilities afforded to its leaders and members. These governments are as follows: the self, the family, the Church, and the civil magistrate. My goal in covering these is to give a survey of these governments to provide an introduction to the subject, a springboard from which you can jump into deeper study.
Over the last few years, thoughtful Christians have been forced to think about their submission to these governments and in what order their loyalties should lie. Along these same lines, Western society has pushed egalitarianism for so long that many of us don’t even stop to think about whether or not it’s the right way to view the world. When I say egalitarianism, in one sense I mean in marriage but I also mean it in the broader sense, that everyone has an equal station in society.
There are, of course, some good things to come from this view, and, in some instances, it’s biblical. In Scripture, justice is always egalitarian; God is no respecter of persons. We are judged by the same moral standard whether we’re a noble or a common man, a CEO or a server in the local diner. Also, we are all sinful, so checks and balances of power and accountability regarding responsibility are important to provide barriers against man’s sinfulness.
However, where it becomes an issue is when everyone thinks they are equal in everything, no matter what. Everyone gets the same respect, the same income, the same amount of societal influence, the same weight for their opinions, etc. No one can be in authority over the individual, although, ironically enough, most individuals want people over whom they get to be in authority.
As a quick aside, this is my primary issue with libertarianism: it atomizes everyone and its logical conclusion is that no one bears any responsibility for anyone, except themselves, unless they choose to. People under that system should, in theory, be absolutely free, even to abandon their responsibilities if they want. Someone may object that that individual would bear the consequences of his actions, to which I say yes, he would. However, what about the other people who bear the consequences of his actions? For example, a drunk driver whose recklessness results in multiple deaths, including his own, comes to mind. Yes, he had to deal with the consequences of his actions but so did the family in the car he hit head-on. God did not design creation to facilitate autonomous and individualistic people; we are all connected to those around us in a web of responsibility.
The reason I go into all of this is that it’s important to have that foundation as we begin to look at authority. Rights and responsibilities are a large part of this discussion and if we go into the discussion thinking that we are, first and foremost, individuals who can act in a vacuum, only associating with or affecting others when we choose to, then we won’t be able to understand our place in society. So, having all of that as a background, let’s dive into the first sphere of authority: the self.
Self-Rule
A clarification that needs to be made immediately is that when I say self-rule, I truly mean self-disciplined submission to God’s authority. All of these authorities and governments we’ll be discussing are going to be discussed within the framework of what God has assigned to them; biblical authority is not arbitrary. True authority is assigned by God to different governments and individuals. Because we are sinful, we do not want to submit ourselves to God. Once the Holy Spirit has regenerated us, we are able to obey Him and are slaves of righteousness; however, it is clear that this takes self-discipline.
As we turn to Scripture to teach us about discipline and self-rule, we see a lot about how we should view discipline in Proverbs. These passages are about receiving discipline from parents, elders, and God. The reason I mention them here is that this is a part of being self-disciplined: we have to be able to receive discipline from God, whether through His word or others. Some of these passages can also apply to self-discipline, so keep that in mind, as well. Just a few passages from Proverbs that highlight this are:
My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father [corrects] the son in whom he delights. - Proverbs 3:11-12 New American Standard Bible 1995
My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother; Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck. When you walk about, they will guide you; When you sleep, they will watch over you; And when you awake, they will talk to you. For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life - Provebs 6:20-23 NASB95
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, But he who hates reproof is stupid. - Proverbs 12:1 NASB95
Poverty and shame [will come] to him who neglects discipline, But he who regards reproof will be honored. - Proverbs 13:18 NASB95
He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof Will dwell among the wise. He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding. The fear of the LORD is the instruction for wisdom, And before honor [comes] humility. - Proverbs 15:31-33 NASB95
Clearly, the wise person receives discipline and understands its importance to a godly life. Notice that the one who receives discipline or disciplines himself is both protected from certain things and blessed with certain things. Discipline is how we keep our lives within their God-given boundaries. God created everything to work a certain way and when we discipline ourselves, by the power of the Spirit, to live within our roles in that order, He blesses us. Much of that blessing comes through the natural fruit borne by following God’s ways because His ways are in accordance with reality. When we live within those boundaries, there is life and fruitfulness; when we disregard or reject the boundaries, there is death and decay.
We also see discipline and self-control as characteristics of God’s people (or a lack of self-control as a characteristic of the ungodly) in the following New Testament passages, among others:
But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and [also] for the [life] to come. - 1 Timothy 4:7-8 NASB95
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but [only] one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then [do it] to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. - 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 NASB95
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. - Galatians 5:22-25 NASB95
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. - 2 Timothy 3:1-5 NASB95
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in [your] moral excellence, knowledge, and in [your] knowledge, self-control, and in [your] self-control, perseverance, and in [your] perseverance, godliness, and in [your] godliness, brotherly kindness, and in [your] brotherly kindness, love. For if these [qualities] are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these [qualities] is blind [or] short-sighted, having forgotten [his] purification from his former sins. - 2 Peter 1:5-9 NASB95
Again, in that 2 Peter passage, notice that the discipline is aimed at spiritual fruitfulness. In the same way that we become stronger and more capable to accomplish certain tasks when we are regularly exercising and pushing our bodies to their limits, so when we exercise spiritual disciplines we are training ourselves to be stronger spiritually, to stand against trials and hardships.
An important thing to notice here is the link between our bodies and our spiritual state. By disciplining our bodies, we simultaneously train our spirits. We are not gnostics who disconnect our bodies from our spirits, the former being bad and the latter being good. Practicing disciplines with our bodies is an important part of maturing spiritually and governing ourselves to submit to God.
The primary principle of self-government is, ironically, submission to God’s word. As a man governs himself, he governs himself to obey Christ. And, really, that’s what every government is tasked with: submission to the rule of Christ.
The Family, or Household
Now we come to the family (or the household), the foundation of which is marriage. Paul gives a couple of household codes in the new testament, two of which can be found in Eph. 5:22-6:9 and Col. 3:18-4:1. These lay the groundwork for how relationships in the household should work. For the sake of space, let’s just look at one of these codes here:
Wives, [be subject] to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself [being] the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives [ought to be] to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also [does] the church, because we are members of His body. FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must [see to it] that she respects her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. - Ephesians 5:22-6:9 NASB95
In our time and culture, not many of us have live-in servants or employees, nor are our economies based out of the home, which makes some of the instructions seem odd, not to mention these commands being in opposition to Western culture’s ideals of individualism, sexual expression, and rebellion against authority. I’d like to just do a survey of the roles in the household since a study of each role would be much too long for this newsletter.
The husband is the head of the home. I believe he is the federal head, meaning that he both represents the family and is responsible for the family. He’s the one responsible to ensure that the household is operating under the rule of the Word of God. In Scripture, God generally speaks to the husband as the head of the household (think of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; not to mention Adam, Noah, etc.). He is specifically commanded to train his children in Christian culture and education and to avoid provoking his children. The husband is focused outward, working to obey the command to take dominion of the earth and be fruitful, which leads us to the next rule.
The wife submits to her husband’s headship in the home. This does not mean the wife is a doormat for her husband, as many feminists would have us think. That is not the picture of godly women portrayed by Scripture. Think of the Proverbs 31 woman, a productive, skilled, industrious woman, ensuring her family is clothed and well-cared for even during hard times. I’ve heard it said many times that her focus is on her family, or inward, and a wise and godly woman does this so well that the fruit of her labor overflows into the community around the household.
The children in the household are to obey their parents; this is how they obey God. Paul applies the fifth commandment to them in Ephesians, citing the promise that comes with it. The standard in the home is Scripture, for everyone, and children learn to submit to the authority of God and His instituted authorities by submitting to and obeying their parents and the commands of Scripture.
Slaves are to obey their masters, serving them as they would the Lord and remembering that, in Christ, they are free. They are to serve, not just when their master is looking but with integrity, again, as unto the Lord. This could also apply to the employee-employer relationship, which is much more common today. We should work for our bosses or clients as if we were serving the Lord Himself.
Masters are to be fair and just to their slaves, remembering that they and the slave have a master in heaven. Masters are to remember that they are Christ’s slaves, just as the slave is to remember that they are free in Christ. Just like above, an employer should also treat their employees as Christ would treat them.
Now, the family has several roles in Scripture and the responsibilities it bears are several, as well. We see in 1 Timothy 5:8, among other examples, that what we would call welfare is the family’s responsibility. Biblically, the first line of defense against need is the family, even extended family. This is a difficult thing to practice but is important; it serves to help keep our priorities straight. This practice also reduces families’ reliance on government handouts.
In the Ephesians passage noted above, it’s clear that education is also a responsibility assigned to the family. There is no problem with outsourcing, as long as the education is a thoroughly Christian one, but the responsibility falls on the family. And, as Douglas Wilson has pointed out in numerous places, it’s more of a Christian inculturation than it is what we would normally think of as education; i.e. the cramming of facts into a little person's brain.
Until Next Time
As you can see, I only covered two of the four governments I mentioned in the introduction. With the scripture I wanted to reference and the amount of material to cover, I quickly realized that this month’s post would need to be broken up into two parts. So in either August or September, I’ll survey the church and the civil government.
As I stated in the introduction, these posts are not at all meant to be exhaustive but to give a survey of the governments laid out in Scripture. I’m hoping that this gives you a framework and then you can go to others much more knowledgeable and experienced than myself to fill it in. I’ve listed some of those resources for personal discipline and family government below.
C.R. Wiley has some great resources on the household (see here for a good starting place)
The Bright Hearth podcast with Brian and Lexy Sauve has been a big help as my wife and I try to make our household more productive.
Canon+ has been amazing for educational resources for us as we learn more about theology and classical education. I’ve been starting to work through James Jordan’s library of courses and lectures that are now available on Canon+ and it’s been a huge blessing.
The Bookening podcast has been a great educational resource, as well, and is one of my favorites. It is one of only about three podcasts to which I’ll listen to every episode as they come out.
That concludes part one; come back next month for part two! Let me know what you think and any resources or suggestions you have for self and family government.
In Him and For His Glory