Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

-1 Peter 2:13-17

In our series on biblical patriarchy, we have examined the problems with complementarianism, defined biblical patriarchy, and examined what it looks like in marriage and the household. Last time, we discussed the local church as a biblical patriarchy and defined what that means for pastors and parishioners. This post will look at the institutions of society outside the church and home to see if these too were established as biblical patriarchies. In the next post, we’ll wrap up the series by addressing abuse by patriarchs.

The Origin of Civil Government

Let’s start by examining the origins of government. The need for government was made obvious after the Flood: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image” (Genesis 9:6). The just penalty for killing a person is death, and God determined that another person needs to carry out that sentence. The household was the first form of civil government, and the head of the household was the first one to wield authority in the civil sphere. As families grew into tribes, their patriarchs often served as magistrates. Just prior to the Tower of Babel, Nimrod is described as having a kingdom (Genesis 10:8-10), which is the first Scriptural reference to government as we know it. After Babel, kingdoms became the norm.

When Israel demanded a king, God rebuked them because they were rejecting Him as their King (1 Samuel 8:9). They wanted to be like the nations around them, whose kings were often considered divine. The Law defined a very different king (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). First, he had to be one of God’s people, not a foreigner. Second, he was to lead the people in the way of God and not the surrounding nations. Third, he was not to hoard wealth or wives so that he could set an example of godly leadership. Finally, he had to know and follow God’s Law:

And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.

-Deuteronomy 17:18-20

Note first how the king was to write himself a copy of the Law. By the end of that exercise, he would know it well. The king held no religious authority, so his copy of the Law also had to be approved by the priests. He was to use his approved copy of the Law throughout his reign to ensure every decision aligned with Scripture and to remind him that he was subordinate to God. Any nation would be blessed to have such a king.

Every Israelite king fell short of this ideal, as have kings of every nation. Nevertheless, Scripture clearly states that every civil government is from God: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1).

The Authority of Government

Every civil government is instituted by God, not just “Christian” governments. When Paul wrote Romans, the Caesar was Nero, who later persecuted Christians.[1] Cyrus the Great is likewise called God’s servant (Isaiah 44:28-45:13). This pagan king had no interest in serving God, but God used him to end the Babylonian captivity and rebuild the Temple. God sets kings on the throne and deposes them (Job 36:7, Daniel 2:22). The same can be said of presidents, prime ministers, legislators, judges, and all other leaders in every civil government worldwide throughout history.

Just like the family and church, God appoints civil governments and then gives them responsibilities. Specifically, governments at every level are charged by God to reward good behavior and punish evil: “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good” (1 Peter 2:13-14 cf. Romans 13:3-4).

Since governments have the responsibility to reward good and punish evil, they also have the authority required to fulfill that responsibility. That is seen most vividly in capital punishment. In the case of a rebellious son, it was the civil magistrate rather than the father who had to make the final judgment (Deuteronomy 21:18-21). This shows that God has given governments, not households, the authority to administer civil justice. Throughout the Law, God’s people are commanded to protect others’ lives and property, so bearing the sword includes going to war to defend the nation. Governments also have the right to levy taxes in order to fund these responsibilities: “For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing” (Romans 13:6).

The Limits of Government Authority

As with other human authority, the government’s authority is limited. In this series, we have seen that heads of households and pastors have more authority than we normally acknowledge. Because we are accustomed to governments claiming authority over every aspect of life, they actually have less authority than we often assume. In areas where the household and church have primary responsibility, they have primary authority as well. Fathers have primary responsibility for raising and educating their children. Governments have no responsibility in this area, except to protect children as citizens and prosecute children who commit crimes. Therefore, governments do not have the authority to intervene unless the safety of the children is threatened or a crime has been committed.

The local church is responsible for teaching the Word, administering the sacraments, and carrying out church discipline. Therefore, governments lack authority to dictate how God is worshipped in the local church. During the pandemic, churches were right to oppose or disregard governments that tried to prohibit the physical gathering of the saints, corporate singing, and many other aspects of worship that are commanded in Scripture. Governments also lack authority to dictate what topics pastors must preach or avoid. Since governments have a responsibility to protect their citizens and administer justice, they do have the authority to enforce safety standards like fire codes that do not contradict Scripture and prosecute pastors who commit crimes.

Finally, no one has the authority to sin or compel others to sin, so no government has the authority to enforce laws that compel Christians to sin, celebrate sin (Romans 1:32), or violate their consciences in obedience to Scripture (Romans 14-15, 1 Corinthians 8-10). Governments therefore cannot legitimately compel—or allow others to compel—anyone to participate in homosexual “weddings”, celebrate “pride”, use pronouns inconsistent with biology, or facilitate women murdering their babies. Governments also cannot prohibit people from preaching the Gospel and calling out sin. We Christians have a duty to disobey such laws and obey God instead. As we discussed with the home, that disobedience must be respectful and to the minimum amount required to avoid sin. Even when we disobey, we must recognize the authority of the government as God-given and for our good. That means that in our disobedience, we must remain respectful and be prepared to face the legal consequences of that disobedience.

What About Unjust Laws?

While we have an obligation to disobey any law that would force us to sin, there are many laws that do not align with Scripture, yet do not compel us to sin. When discussing the household, we noted how the family court system is often unjust and contrary to Scripture. There is no such thing as no-fault divorce in Scripture, yet it is legally allowed. While a local church should confront the sin of no-fault divorce, it is not a sin to recognize a sinful divorce as a legal divorce. Therefore, if a couple is sinfully divorced, the church should still recognize them as divorced even while administering church discipline or refusing them membership if they are unrepentant of that divorce.

Another common form of unjust law is excessive taxation. Heads of households are obligated by Scripture to tithe and to provide for their families. Scripture also extols the virtue of providing an inheritance for future generations (Proverbs 13:22). While excessive taxation makes these difficult to achieve, it is still possible to obey God and pay these taxes. However, it is not sinful to seek legal strategies to reduce your tax burden. This shows that we can live lives that are honoring to God, no matter how far our governments may stray from the Scriptural ideal.

Biblical Patriarchy in the Workplace and Society

Clearly, the Scriptural pattern is for the home, church, and civil government to be biblical patriarchies. The same can be said of any institution, including the workplace. Throughout most of human history, the workplace was an extension of the home (e.g. Ephesians 6:1-9). By taking a leadership position, a boss assumes responsibility for the team and therefore has authority over them in the workplace. Employees are to submit to that authority. A flourishing workplace—just like a flourishing home, church, or government—is led by a biblical patriarch.

Just like our homes and churches, our institutions will flourish to the extent that they follow the model for biblical patriarchies. Much can be written about what godly schools, businesses, hospitals, and other services would look like, so here are a few key points. What I am about to describe will sound fanciful. It will take many generations to accomplish, but it is a worthy pursuit.

First, these institutions would be led by godly men working to align every policy and process with Scripture. Those men would love their neighbors, prioritizing people’s ultimate good over profit or power. Companies would charge reasonable prices and governments would exact reasonable taxes. For the latter, God requires ten percent of our income in tithe. Any tax rate exceeding that constitutes a claim of divinity, so a godly government’s tax rate would be less than ten percent.[2]

Second, godly institutions would recognize and refuse to encroach upon the authority of patriarchs in the home and local church. Their patriarchs would view their work as a divine duty, limiting their use of authority to what is required for them to obey God in fulfilling their responsibilities. Finally, those patriarchs and institutions would be unapologetically Christian. Adherence to the core tenets of Christianity would be required for anyone in leadership. For example, it would be perfectly reasonable to require politicians, judges, civil servants, police officers, doctors, teachers, managers, and other leaders to affirm the Apostles’ Creed.[3]

Those not in leadership would not be forced to convert to Christianity. Non-Christians would be respected and cared for as aliens and sojourners (e.g. Deuteronomy 10:19), but they would be held to the same legal standard with God’s Law as its foundation (Numbers 15:16). Any who violate the moral law with abominations like sexual perversion, adultery, abortion, homosexuality, and gender “transitions” would be prosecuted (Leviticus 18). Unbelievers would be able to practice their religion and live according to their consciences so long as they did not infringe on the ability of anyone else to obey Scripture. That would be the firm limit of diversity, tolerance, and religious pluralism.[4] This in essence is what a Christian nation would look like.

If we embrace biblical patriarchy, we will labor to make this vision a reality—even though it will take many generations of biblical patriarchs permeating all our institutions and transforming them to align with Scripture. In the meantime, Christians can cultivate this vision by supporting businesses and political candidates that will advance this agenda. Since we must all live within institutions that are far from biblical patriarchy, it is important to maintain respect for those in authority over us while being careful to avoid violating Scripture. Christians must refuse to follow any sinful directive. If sin cannot be avoided in the workplace, the Christian should seek employment elsewhere.

Should Women Pursue Leadership?

The biblical model is for every institution to be led by godly men. Does that exclude godly women from exercising authority over men in government and the workplace? In my leadership paper, I concluded that it is not sinful for a woman to lead men in these spheres, but only if her leadership does not invert the created order, which occurs when she uses directive leadership methods over men close to her (e.g. a female boss with a male assistant). Elsewhere, I added that it would be sinful for a wife to work outside the home if her job caused her to neglect her responsibilities in the home. If we are honest, we must admit that these two limitations would make female leadership over men sinful in most circumstances. For the rest, we must remember that just because something is not sinful does not mean it is the ideal for which we should strive.

Let’s take our cue from Scripture, where the presence of female leaders indicates the absence of good men, so it is a sign of God’s judgment (e.g. Isaiah 3:12). Deborah was not a “boss babe” who sought out leadership. Instead, she filled the void left by the absence of good men, led in a motherly way, and then facilitated the restoration of male leadership (Judges 4-5). Similarly, Abigail led out of necessity, appealing to David in a feminine way on behalf of her family after the failure of her foolish husband (1 Samuel 25). The Proverbs 31 wife’s leadership is focused on her household, being under her husband’s authority. In the New Testament, there is no indication that Lydia exercised direct leadership over men (Acts 16:14-15). Her hospitality also suggests that her business did not detract from her domestic responsibilities. None of these examples support leadership of women in the workplace as an ideal.

Conversely, today’s often-celebrated female leadership model bears striking resemblance to wicked Jezebel. In her marriage to Ahab, she was the neck that turned the head—and she turned that head toward unprecedented evil (1 Kings 21:25). In essence, there is no biblical warrant for a godly woman to seek leadership in the workplace or society as an ideal. However, when a lack of godly men forces godly women into leadership, those women are not sinning so long as they honor the created order in the way they lead and do not neglect their domestic responsibilities.

Honoring Every Patriarch

One final topic is worthy of consideration: how we are to relate to other patriarchies. Question 124 of the Westminster Larger Catechism defines “father and mother” in the Fifth Commandment as “all superiors in age and gifts and especially such as, by God’s ordinance, are over us in place of authority, whether in family, church, or commonwealth.” This means we are to honor everyone whom God has placed in positions of authority, whether or not they have authority over us.

We must recognize the authority of other parents over their children. We may disagree with their parenting style, but we are sinning if we encourage or facilitate children disobeying their parents. When parents have said “no more sweets” but grandparents give the children sweets anyway, the grandparents are sinning. We must recognize the authority of other pastors as well, which means we should not “steal sheep” by actively recruiting people to leave other churches to join ours (unless those other “churches” are heretical and therefore not viable churches). This also means that pastors need to recognize the discipline of other churches, refusing to welcome into membership anyone excommunicated from another church unless that excommunication is proven unbiblical. Finally, this means not meddling in the legitimate affairs of other nations or institutions unless intervention is necessary to stop atrocities like genocide. Biblical patriarchy means honoring all who are in authority, regardless of whether they have authority over us.

Conclusion

By examining biblical patriarchy in the government and workplace, we have seen that if we are to follow Scripture, we will strive to conform our own governments and workplaces to the pattern of biblical patriarchy. Patriarchy can be abused, which we will address next time as we conclude the series. We will find that biblical patriarchy actually undermines that abuse.

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[1] William Simmons, “Nero, Emperor, History of in the Primary Sources,” in John D. Barry et al. (eds.), The Lexham Bible Dictionary, Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press: 2016; G. K. Beale and Benjamin L. Gladd, The Story Retold: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament, Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic: 2020: 201.

[2] Douglas Wilson, Mere Christendom, Moscow, ID: Canon Press: 2023: 37.

[3] Ibid: 78.

[4] See Douglas Wilson, Frequently Shouted Questions About Christian Nationalism and Greg Bahnsen, Theonomy in Christian Ethics

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