It seems that the world is all about government these days. When anything bad happens, we lobby for more and more regulations. Shootings? Regulations. Obesity? Regulations. Somebody is offended? Regulations!!
Our operational principle is that regulations will solve our problems. What that really means is that we believe that the government will solve all of our problems. We, moderns that is, are almost universally Statists. The State is our god, establishing our morality and granting us our rights. If there is a problem, ol' Uncle Sam will fix it! Dare to suggest that the government shouldn't be involved in education, healthcare, or charity, and you'll be labeled as a heartless white Evangelical! What could be worse?
Well, government is a good thing, ultimately, or at least it should be. Government is ordained by God to execute His justice, which means that it is our responsibility to respect and to submit to it. This Biblical principle, however, cannot be divorced from the Biblical principle of self-government. All forms of government ultimate revolve around this foundational principle of self-governance. If individuals will not govern themselves, then the State will be unable to govern properly, which will always, and I mean 100% of the time, result in despotism. Government typically tends towards despotism anyway, and a lack of personal discipline at the individual level only exacerbates this tendency.
Proverbs 25:28 teaches us the importance of governing ourselves. Solomon says, "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." Think about cities in Solomon's day. They were often independent entities, having their own king and their own identity. War was a way of life, which meant that defense against one's enemies was paramount. The first line of defense against invading armies was towering walls and a city without walls was basically defenseless. Think of Jericho in the book of Joshua. Behind their walls they were untouchable, but the moment that the walls came down, they were vulnerable. Without walls the battle was as good as over.
This is how Solomon describes a man with no self-control. It has often been said that we cannot control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them. This is profoundly true. Life is constantly throwing hardships our way and a man with no self-control is helpless against these attacks. The slightest temptation or pertubation can destroy his composure. Just as weaker nations can find strength in alliances or strategic placement, he may find strength in solidarity with other believers and in avoiding temptation, but he is ultimately at the mercy of his own self-control. No one can be there every moment of the day. No one can control you. No one can take that responsibility from you. You have to control yourself. This is one reason I believe that crimes of passion should be prosecuted in the same way as premeditated crimes. It is every man's responsibility to control himself. We must constantly cultivate patience, always ready to deal with whatever comes our way.
Even the best among us cannot do this without God's help. As Christians we have been given the Holy Spirit, but even the Spirit can be grieved. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives was never designed to remove our responsibility to pursue holiness. The Holy Spirit receives all the glory of our growth in Christ, but He works in and through us, not without us. We must prayerfully rely on the Spirit, but even the Spirit will not constrain you if you are wallowing in your sin, affecting helplessness.
This message of self-control is precisely the message that modern man despises. We have done away with guilt and responsibility, replacing them with disorders, syndromes, and excuses. We will never be able to curtail violence, theft, drug use, etc. until our justice system demands that individuals be held accountable for their actions. Until we are self-governed, we will never be governed at all.
Our operational principle is that regulations will solve our problems. What that really means is that we believe that the government will solve all of our problems. We, moderns that is, are almost universally Statists. The State is our god, establishing our morality and granting us our rights. If there is a problem, ol' Uncle Sam will fix it! Dare to suggest that the government shouldn't be involved in education, healthcare, or charity, and you'll be labeled as a heartless white Evangelical! What could be worse?
Well, government is a good thing, ultimately, or at least it should be. Government is ordained by God to execute His justice, which means that it is our responsibility to respect and to submit to it. This Biblical principle, however, cannot be divorced from the Biblical principle of self-government. All forms of government ultimate revolve around this foundational principle of self-governance. If individuals will not govern themselves, then the State will be unable to govern properly, which will always, and I mean 100% of the time, result in despotism. Government typically tends towards despotism anyway, and a lack of personal discipline at the individual level only exacerbates this tendency.
Proverbs 25:28 teaches us the importance of governing ourselves. Solomon says, "A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls." Think about cities in Solomon's day. They were often independent entities, having their own king and their own identity. War was a way of life, which meant that defense against one's enemies was paramount. The first line of defense against invading armies was towering walls and a city without walls was basically defenseless. Think of Jericho in the book of Joshua. Behind their walls they were untouchable, but the moment that the walls came down, they were vulnerable. Without walls the battle was as good as over.
This is how Solomon describes a man with no self-control. It has often been said that we cannot control our circumstances, but we can control how we respond to them. This is profoundly true. Life is constantly throwing hardships our way and a man with no self-control is helpless against these attacks. The slightest temptation or pertubation can destroy his composure. Just as weaker nations can find strength in alliances or strategic placement, he may find strength in solidarity with other believers and in avoiding temptation, but he is ultimately at the mercy of his own self-control. No one can be there every moment of the day. No one can control you. No one can take that responsibility from you. You have to control yourself. This is one reason I believe that crimes of passion should be prosecuted in the same way as premeditated crimes. It is every man's responsibility to control himself. We must constantly cultivate patience, always ready to deal with whatever comes our way.
Even the best among us cannot do this without God's help. As Christians we have been given the Holy Spirit, but even the Spirit can be grieved. The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives was never designed to remove our responsibility to pursue holiness. The Holy Spirit receives all the glory of our growth in Christ, but He works in and through us, not without us. We must prayerfully rely on the Spirit, but even the Spirit will not constrain you if you are wallowing in your sin, affecting helplessness.
This message of self-control is precisely the message that modern man despises. We have done away with guilt and responsibility, replacing them with disorders, syndromes, and excuses. We will never be able to curtail violence, theft, drug use, etc. until our justice system demands that individuals be held accountable for their actions. Until we are self-governed, we will never be governed at all.
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