By Bill Collier- I want to acknowledge that this article comes out of an interesting conversation between myself and Juanita Berguson. This occurred after myself, her husband (Johnny), and Juanita were driving back from a meeting near Washington DC to promote reconciliation and peace between Arabs and Jews (more on that, and how YOU can help, later).
I do not claim to be the sole originator of these ideas, or, rather, of this representation of a rediscovery of eternal and universal principles and truths of civic governance in the Kingdom of God among the People of God. The interpretations and opinions are my own and I alone am responsible for stating and presenting them.
At its root civic governance, in whatever arena it is applied, is based on Biblical standards for promoting and maintaining peace, righteousness, and justice.
I am concerned here with civic governance in the Kingdom, using Isaiah 9: 1-7 and Romans 12 and 13 as my primary (but not sole) Scriptural guidance for how to understand this very important subject. It might help to read these passages. Though I do not offer an expository on them in this brief article, nonetheless they are the primary basis of what is written. (Isaiah 9: 1-7 is included at the end of this article).
Jesus Christ is the source of civic governance, but nowhere is this more true than in HIS Kingdom, where HE alone reigns over all of His People. Civic governance in the Kingdom must be Christ-centered and glorify Jesus Christ, and it must be Kingdom-focused by extending His Kingdom through our witness AND through our very real care for and connection to ALL the Christians we come into contact with where we live, work, worship, or gather with other people.
Wherever His governance is absent we, as Believers, must establish it; wherever it exists, we must uphold it.
It is only because of Jesus Christ, and through His Spirit, that we can even SEEK to live up to His standards of peace, righteousness, and justice. But seek we must, even if we have never been taught or disciplined (trained through impartation) to do so before!
Peace is not merely a lack conflict, but a lack of animosity and ill-will, and it relates to how we treat our fellow man according to God's standards for human relationships, rooted in love.
Righteousness includes God's laws and truths which, if followed, result in God's favor for anyone who follows them. These laws include the laws of nature as well, because God Created ALL things.
Justice is simply giving each person or entity their due, honor to whom honor, tribute to whom tribute, and the like, which includes both positive and negative sanctions.
At its root, civic governance is designed to maintain these three important Biblical Standards.
Now, how this is approached in the Kingdom, among the Saints, is different than how it might be approached by the State. Whereas the People of the Kingdom can be a godly People and a Nation whose God is the Lord, the State can only be more blessed or more cursed as it applies civic governance in the natural according to the natural application of peace, righteousness, and justice among people.
The State cannot be "Christian" because Jesus Christ died only for individuals, although He does present in His Word a right standard of governance for the State which it will be blessed for pursuing and cursed for violating.
We are focused, however, on the application of civic governance within the Kingdom of God, or among the citizens of the Kingdom of God.
Civic Governance is the peacekeeping, peacemaking, and standard bearing function of the Body of Christ that, in its most complete form, is carried out through the gathered assembly of local believers (the Ecclesia at the community level). In other words, total civic governance is only possible through a functioning Ecclesia but civic governance principles have applications which range from the individual to the global scale.
Through civic governance conflicts between people and even groups can be resolved, discipline can be maintained through correction and restoration when right standards are wantonly violated, core doctrines can be protected against heresy and false doctrines, right standards can be upheld when they are ignored or violated, and cohesive unity of purpose through consensus of the Body can be promoted and maintained where disunity and sectarianism exists.
The problem with civic governance in the Kingdom is threefold-
1. The very concept is new and doesn't get much attention where the whole Body, and not just a ministry or a denomination, is concerned
2. The best mechanism for community-wide civic governance among Christians, the "Ecclesia" as it applies to the whole Body of All Believers is non-existence as something that actually functions
3. The fine art and science of governance in all of its aspects, not just peacemaking, is virtually alien to most Christians, especially outside of the narrow confines of the "church" or ministries
So this is no simple and easy subject to present, let alone to call people to act upon it right now, wherever they are. But, regardless of the difficulty or even the controversy, it is of signal importance to the Body of Christ in these days when sound doctrine, right conduct, unity of the Body, and our Christian witness itself are being attacked not just by the world but even within institutions and organizations that claim to be "the church", though they no more act as the Ecclesia than many godless institutions and organizations.
Isaiah 9: 1-7
1 Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed, As when at first He lightly esteemed The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, And afterward more heavily oppressed her, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a great light; Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation And increased its joy; They rejoice before You. According to the joy of harvest, As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And the staff of his shoulder, The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of Midian.
5 For every warrior’s sandal from the noisy battle, And garments rolled in blood, Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
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