The Biblical Foundations Of Government
When people hear the word “government,” they almost instinctively look toward Washington. They imagine the Capitol dome, legislative bodies, executive orders, and three-letter agencies. But this is a failure—not just of imagination—but of theology.
Government, rightly understood, does not begin at the ballot box or the Supreme Court. It begins in the human heart. It begins not with Congress, but with conscience. Not in D.C., but in the mirror.
Scripture shows us that there are multiple spheres of governance—each with real, God-given authority, and each held accountable to heaven. The individual governs himself. The family governs its members. The church governs its body. The state governs civil society. And above them all, Jesus Christ governs all governments from His heavenly throne. These jurisdictions are not optional—they are ordained. They are not arbitrary—they are covenantal. And they are not interchangeable—each is limited to its proper bounds under God.
But the order has been inverted.
Today, civil government acts like it is the only government. The State, bloated and meddlesome, stretches its fingers into the family, usurps the church, and seeks to form children’s consciences in its own image. It funds your child’s schooling, subsidizes your food, dictates your medicine, censors your speech, licenses your job, and surveils your travel—all while assuring you it is for your “safety.”
Why? Because self-government is dead. And where self-government dies, tyrants are born.
THE BIBLICAL BLUEPRINT FOR "SELF-GOVERNMENT"
In the Bible, government always begins from within and radiates outward. Paul didn’t say, “Let Caesar control your impulses.” He said, “The fruit of the Spirit is… self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). A man who is filled with the Spirit will govern his mouth, his appetites, his thoughts, his sexuality, and his temper. A man who cannot govern himself must be governed by others—and eventually by force.
Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, was disqualified from leadership because he was “unstable as water” (Gen. 49:4). But Joseph, because he controlled himself under fire, rose to govern Egypt. The principle is clear: Those who cannot rule themselves are unfit to rule others (cf. 1 Tim. 3:1–7).
This applies in every sphere.
1. The man who won’t rule his home will see it ruled by the State.
2. The pastor who won’t exercise church discipline will see wolves devour the sheep.
3. The citizen who won’t resist his passions will welcome the chains of tyranny.
A free society is not built by strong civil institutions. It is built by strong men—men who rule themselves under the lordship of Christ.
THE COLLAPSE OF GOVERNMENTAL PLURALISM
The very concept of governmental diversity—self, family, church, state—is all but forgotten today. Modern dictionaries define government almost exclusively in civil terms. Try to find “family government,” "church government" or “self-government” in a political science textbook. You won’t. And yet, for centuries, this was basic civics.
Our Christian forefathers knew this. Early American primers taught that the first government a child ever encounters is his father’s voice. The mother’s correction. The family table. The rod of correction. That household government was once honored as the cornerstone of national stability. But now, in our effeminate age, such ideas are branded as authoritarian, and the State stands ready to raise your child for you. All it requires is your passivity.
And the church? In many places, it has become a religious extension of the State—parroting the party line, baptizing rebellion, and trading keys for clout.
The result? A nation governed by ungoverned people. A civilization hollowed out from the inside. No amount of legislation can reverse this. As John Adams rightly said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
CHRIST: THE TRUE AND PERFECT GOVERNOR
Isaiah foretold that “the government shall rest upon His shoulders” (Isaiah 9:6). That is not window dressing. That is political reality. Jesus is not merely the Savior of sinners—He is the Governor of nations. He is King of kings and Lord of lords right now (Rev. 1:5; 19:16).
Every earthly government is a servant government. It borrows its authority. It exercises delegated dominion. It is accountable to the risen Christ, who now sits on David’s throne (Acts 2:30–36). And one day, every knee—whether in a home, church, or White House—will bow to Him.
So then, no institution has the right to act as if it is ultimate. The family must submit to Christ. The church must submit to Christ. And the civil magistrate must kiss the Son (Psalm 2:12) or perish in his pride. There is no neutral ground.
SELF GOVERNMENT AND AUTONOMY
Let me be plain. Self-government is not autonomy. Autonomy is lawlessness. It is self-rule without divine accountability. It says, “I am my own god. I make my own laws.” But biblical self-government is submission to God’s law when no one else is watching. It is inward discipline. Personal responsibility. The Spirit-driven ability to do what is right because it is right—even when no one else applauds.
The sinner blames the world. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. Cain blamed God. The self-governed man takes responsibility. He confesses. He repents. He reforms.
And through such men—slowly, steadily, generationally—Christ brings dominion.
DOMINION BEGINS IN THE MIRROR
If we want to reclaim the culture, we must first reclaim the man. Reform does not start in Congress—it starts at breakfast. It starts with a man rising early to read his Bible, lead his wife, discipline his children, confess his sins, and take dominion over his home and calling.
A self-governed man doesn’t need a nanny state. A self-governed man will build a self-governed home. A self-governed home will fill a self-governed church. And a self-governed church will raise up self-governed citizens who don’t need Caesar’s chains to keep order. They have already bowed the knee to Christ.
And that, brothers and sisters, is the foundation of liberty.
