Austin Bible Church
God has ordained certain institutions for the orderly preservation of the human race and to maximize personal freedom and therefore maximize evangelism. God set up the four Divine Institutions - Volition, Marriage, Family, and Nationalism for the entire human race, not for believers only. The divine purpose for the Divine Institutions is for the preservation of the human race so that the Angelic Conflict can run its course, and so that the human race will remain free to accept Jesus or reject Him. Divine Institutions are different from Christian institutions such as the local church which are for believers only. Divine institutions are found in Genesis 2-11. In each there is divinely authorized authority.
Under the laws of divine establishment, authority is defined as the legal power delegated by God whereby certain members of the human race have jurisdiction and responsibility for others. Such areas of authority include the four Divine Institutions.
Divine Institution 1 - Volition
Volition is free will or self-determination. Volition is the right to decide to be either dependent upon God or to act independently of Him. Each member of the human race has the personal authority to make their own decisions and to be responsible for those decisions. This authority of your volition should give you confidence in your own decisions.
For example, Adam and Eve in the Garden made a decision to be married. In Genesis 2-3, the animals were named by Adam and choices were made in the Garden as to the forbidden fruit. They both decided based on their own free will to disobey God's singular mandate to not eat the fruit on a single tree in the Garden. This single command from God was the very first time in human history that volition became an issue. Gen. 2:16-17.
“The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."” (Genesis 2:16-17, NASB)
Under maximum freedom under innocence in the Garden, there was but one law - “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat.” Under maximum freedom, there are laws to be respected. The Ten Commandments were given from God to the Israelites as a Magna Carta of human freedom. Exodus 20:2-3.
“"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:2-3, NASB)
The soul is made up of self-consciousness, mentality, emotion, and volition as the authority of the soul. Our soul’s authority is called volition or free will or self-determination. Your decisions and choices determine the life that you will lead. Volition provides each of us the authority to obey or disobey when given a choice. With your personal choices comes responsibility for the consequences for those decisions, intended or unintended. Your volition is your authority to make good decisions from a position of strength or bad decisions from a position of weakness.
The most critical choices in life are whether to accept or reject the existence of God (God-consciousness) and then to either accept or reject the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the sins of mankind. Following those positive volition decisions, the believer’s decisions determine the level of spiritual growth that they will attain in this life. For the ones who reject the existence of God and then reject the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, their eternal path remains unchanged – the Lake of Fire. John 3:36.
“"He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."” (John 3:36, NASB)
Human freedom cannot exist without privacy and authority. We must have freedom and privacy for the proper function our free will. This is why the laws of divine establishment are so important. However, it is still possible to exercise spiritual freedom while under a loss of human freedom such as living under slavery. For example, in the Roman Empire, slaves were generally free to come and go and could still be evangelized and grow spiritually. See category on Volition.
Divine Institution 2 – Marriage
The Divine Institution of Marriage is the most basic and fundamental organization in the human race. Marriage is also a basic organization in any nation. God has ordained marriage to be a man-woman relationship since the first marriage. Jesus Christ performed the first marriage in the Garden of Eden when He brought to Adam the perfect woman for Adam that He had constructed from Adam’s rib. Gen. 2:18, Gen. 2:22-23.
“Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."” (Genesis 2:18, NASB)
“The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."” (Genesis 2:22-23, NASB)
The first marriage of the human race continued after the Fall. The Divine Institution of Marriage has never been cancelled by God in any generation. Marriage has always been a permanent relationship between one man and one woman. 1 Cor 7:2-4; Eph. 5:22-23.
“But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and likewise also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.” (1 Corinthians 7:2-4, NASB)
“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.” (Ephesians 5:22-23, NASB)
The husband-wife relationship in marriage is the normal and legitimate expression of soul rapport love and sexual love. Eph. 5:28; Eph. 5:33; 1 Cor. 7:9; Heb. 13:4.
“So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;” (Ephesians 5:28, NASB)
“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.” (Ephesians 5:33, NASB)
“But if they do not have self-control, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.” (1 Corinthians 7:9, NASB)
“Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” (Hebrews 13:4, NASB)
The husband is the authority in marriage and the head of the home. Marriage is for believers and unbelievers. If the Divine Institution of Marriage is violated on a widespread scale, a nation can be destroyed. Marriage is the basis for stability in society and for the formation of civilization. It is the protection for the home where the parents exercise authority over the children. Gen. 3:16; Col. 3:18-19. See category on Marriage Principles.
“To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.”“ (Genesis 3:16, NASB)
“Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.” (Colossians 3:18-19, NASB)
Divine Institution 3 – Family
The Divine Institution of Family is the institution set up by God to raise and train children with respect for authority, respect for the rights of others, respect for the privacy of others, respect for common law, respect for the property of others, plus many other principles. Genesis 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Parents have authority over their children in this institution until they reach adulthood.
The purpose of the authority of parents is to protect, teach, and discipline their children to prepare them for life. Parents who do not exercise their authority over their children and instead seek to befriend their children have abdicated their God-given purpose. Parents should seek the respect and obedience of their children first. Their children must first be authority oriented to certain principles in life. Eph. 6:1-3; Col. 3:20.
"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." (Ephesians 6:1-3, NASB)
"Children, be obedient to your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord." (Colossians 3:20, NASB)
Adults do not have to explain their volitional decisions to their children. Adults have privileges that children do not have in matters of volition. Responsibility is not a volitional thing. Responsibility is an absolute. A choice was not given in responsibilities. Our decisions are not to be made on the basis of societal pressure. Something is not to be done because the community did it or because the neighbors did it.
The decisions were made by the parents and not as a family co-operative. Parents make better decisions than children. Parents do not always make the right decisions. Parents do not always know the right decision to make. The parents’ goal for their children should be to excel and operate to peak capacity in school, get good grades, focus daily on the intake and application of Bible doctrine, etc. Patents’ responsibility is to instill a respect for the Word of God and the teaching of Bible doctrine. This spiritual responsibility is the highest responsibility that parents have. Deut. 6:6-9.
“"These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. "You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. "You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. "You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-9, NASB)
We should all strive to be the best at what we do. We are to do everything as unto the Lord. If you realize that you are not the best at what you do, then you should reassess your performance and then retrain, take classes, etc. to aim to try to become the best. However, your pursuit of being the best at what you do should adhere to the principles of Bible doctrine in order to say you are working as unto the Lord. While others may climb or run over people to excel, you as a believer in Jesus Christ are held to a far higher standard.
Parents who truly love their children will teach critical authority orientation principles using forms of discipline. Children must be taught to respect the privacy, property, and rights of others. They must be taught to not to abuse their freedom and to respect the systems of authority in the society in which they live. See category on The Family.
Divine Institution 4 – Nationalism
Nationalism is the means of protecting and preserving the human race so that no segment of individuals gain enough power to destroy the rest of the human race and eventually themselves. Nationalism is a human barrier against the supremacy of evil in the world controlled by Satan, and protects from the power lust of the old sin nature. Nationalism is authorized by God. Gen. 10:5; Deut. 32:8; Acts 17:26-28.
“From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.” (Genesis 10:5, NASB)
“"When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, When He separated the sons of man, He set the boundaries of the peoples According to the number of the sons of Israel.” (Deuteronomy 32:8, NASB)
“and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.'” (Acts 17:26-28, NASB)
The purpose of nationalism is to provide protection so that the individual volition can operate under maximum freedom and liberty. In contrast, internationalism is anti-biblical. Organizations that espouse internationalism operate under a system of evil. These include the United Nations, organizations or governments that promote socialism or communism, organizations that promote the international redistribution of wealth, and any religious or political group that is international in scope.
Government has divinely-delegated authority that is vested in the governmental leaders of each nation. This includes common law (judges on the bench and policemen) and the laws of limitation for the benefit of others (civil code, driver’s license, etc.) Gen. 11:1-9; Rom. 13:1; 1 Tim. 2.
“Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:1-9, NASB)
“Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.” (Romans 13:1, NASB)
God is not the author of confusion. 1 Cor. 14:40.
“But all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner.” (1 Corinthians 14:40, NASB)
Resistance to authority can lead to criminal activity. Subscribing to any form of internationalism opposes Divine Institution 4 - Nationalism. Religion also opposes divinely established authority because religion always sponsors internationalism. Socialism challenges established authority because it tries to make everyone equal. Volition gives everyone the right to choose a vocation. Romans 13:2.
“Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.” (Romans 13:2, NASB)
Rulers have the authority to uphold the laws of their land. The principle of authority is to reward the good and prosecute the evil, criminal activity or violation of common law. Rom. 13:3.
“For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;” (Romans 13:3, NASB)
For enforcing the laws of the land, there are various degrees of punishment including capital punishment. In Romans 13:4, “bear the sword” refers to the Roman method of capital punishment for Roman citizens - beheading. Today it would be the electric chair, gas chamber, chemical injection, hanging, etc. This is God’s approved method of removing the mad dogs of society following legal due process for that nation.
“for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.” (Romans 13:4, NASB)
The principle of subjection to the law occurs in two ways.. Some are restrained by fear of the government’s wrath. Some are restrained by their conscience. Rom. 13:5.
“Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.” (Romans 13:5, NASB)
For financing the nation, God has ordained the principle of taxation - that is taxation with representation. In the U.S., we have federal income tax, state income taxes depending on which state you live in, sales tax, etc. There are also many other taxes embedded in what you buy, how you buy, where you buy, etc. All such taxes are divinely authorized. You might not like them, but the believer is mandated to adhere to such laws. Rom. 13:6-7.
“For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.” (Romans 13:6-7, NASB)
When a national entity violates the Divine Institutions, the citizens of that country are under obligation to the Word of God and not the slavery laws of that country which usually means miraculous deliverance or death.
National confusion due to rejection of God’s Divine Institutions is seen in Isaiah 24:2 and Jeremiah 6:13-19. The result of national rejection of God and His Word is never a good one. See category on Nationalism, Divine Institution #4.
“And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor.” (Isaiah 24:2, NASB)
““For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for gain, And from the prophet even to the priest Everyone deals falsely. “They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace. “Were they ashamed because of the abomination they have done? They were not even ashamed at all; They did not even know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; At the time that I punish them, They shall be cast down,” says the LORD. Thus says the LORD, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ “And I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ “Therefore hear, O nations, And know, O congregation, what is among them. “Hear, O earth: behold, I am bringing disaster on this people, The fruit of their plans, Because they have not listened to My words, And as for My law, they have rejected it also.” (Jeremiah 6:13-19, NASB)
Divine Establishment Characteristics of a Nation
There should be protection of freedom within the nation by a system of law enforcement, a judicial system that adheres to the written rule of law, a system of justice that places the burden of proof of guilt on the accuser rather than the accused, where testimony on a court of law relies on testimony based on facts rather than hearsay, and where no one can be tried twice for the same crime (double jeopardy).
The nation’s military should be well-trained and well-equipped to protect the nation from external enemies. The nation’s government should protect the freedoms and rights of its citizens based on use of legitimate power based on written law. The nation’s economy must be based on free enterprise and capitalism where private businesses are free to function within the written law without government interference.
The nation’s system of law protects the freedoms, rights, life, and property of its citizens. The nation’s culture should reflect the freedoms to worship God as the citizens wish. Believers should be free to live their spiritual lives. There should be an established system of social mores that clearly defines morality, encourages patriotism, and promotes the future of the nation through the arts.
The nation should be governed with legally-defined powers to administer the proper function of tax collection, enforcement of written laws, an objective court system based on the rule of written law, and support for a well trained and equipped military.
The Salt and Light Principle
Not only does a nation have the Divine Institutions for stability, but the believers in that national entity are the core of stability. Matt. 5:13-16.
““You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16, NASB)
Salt is an unseen preservative. It is the believer in fellowship taking in Bible doctrine, faith transfer, with the result that an edification structure being erected in their soul. The edification structure in believers preserves the nation.
Salt is also used for food flavor. The Word is alive and powerful when believed by faith, transferred to the right lobe of the soul, and recycled as a frame of reference. The insipid, flavorless individual is the believer out of fellowship, under divine discipline, their testimony for Jesus Christ trampled underfoot.
Light is the believer with the edification complex reflecting the glory of God. Salt refers to the believer erecting the edification complex of the soul, light refers to the results of that structure. A city is a group of believers with edification complexes applicable to a local church where Bible doctrine is categorically taught. “Let your light so shine” is a command to get an edification complex constructed in the soul through daily Bible study. Matt. 5:16.
““Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, NASB)
Religion Opposes The Divine Institutions
Divine institutions are the area sources for a two-fold relationship with the mature believer. They can be the source of a test from a problem standpoint: curtailment or loss. They can be the source of a test from the opportunity standpoint of exploitation.
The particular tests for the mature type coming from the divine institutions will often be in limitation or curtailment, loss, partial or complete, and exploitation. Doctrine taken in and assimilated gives capacity to the divine institutions. This very capacity and content for life can rise right up and spite Bible doctrine. Doctrine gives depth to human capacity, but as soon as the believer begins to slip in keeping the balance, the human life capacities begin to overwhelm the doctrine.
This is how the believer who has had good divine institutions and good doctrine can wind up losing both doctrine and divine institutions. This is the score of the country. Religion comes along and first attacks the validity of Bible doctrine. The person succumbs to the religious programming, then finds their religion soon undermining those principles which they had as an unbeliever in the divine institutions.
This is why often the non-religious unbeliever is more stable than the believer who is mixed up in religion. Religion eats away at the divine institutions. Religion is what has produced the present generation that has turned against divine establishment. A local church and the people in it have to understand the relation of the ministry of their church to the divine institutions and doctrine in a community. There are definite chronological procedures that have to take place in a community for the church to function.
A community that has no divine institutions is not going to be positive to the Gospel. A community that has no divine institutions (even in believers) is not going to be positive to Bible doctrine. Believers in churches sit there wondering why their local church does not “win the community for Christ” while they have been sitting there for years with a tattered semblance of divine institutions. If the positive volition of the community depended upon their divine institutions, how many people would be positive?
The first phase of the ministry of the local church is planting divine institution seeds in a community through infiltration. The second phase is harvesting the positive volition of evangelism brought on by the divine institutions. The third phase is edification and more infiltration and divine institutions. The fourth phase is the development of spiritual gifts in priority to prepare for the much larger harvest by the much larger divine institution investment.
The hindrance to spiritual production within a local church and within a community is the abandonment of Bible doctrine in the first place. This then leads to a downward trend of destruction. When one turns from doctrine, it creates a vacuum in the soul. The divine institutions are still intact, so the person still has to have a stable expression in life. To do this, they move from doctrinal content and practice to religious content and practice.
A continuation in this vein will gradually break down the divine institutions. So, as the believer continues in religion, they soon finds themselves doctrinally broke and without the strength of their once valuable divine institutions. When this occurs, the individual is out of the local church, negative to Bible doctrine, and living by the phony taboos of their associates.
There are several factors that have to be understood to keep balance in spiritual maturity or in the life of one nearing maturity. These are:
Divine Institutions: capacities of the conscience.
Personal Taboos: norms and standards in the conscience.
Law: moral law of God with the dispensation Jewish law.
Traditions: principles and practices followed within the confines of the divine institutions which may or may not be compatible with the moral law, personal norms and standards or correct principles of the divine institutions.
Bible Doctrine: Exegetical, Isagogical and Categorical.
Conclusions
God ordained the Divine Institutions for the preservation of the human race. They apply to both believers and unbelievers. The authority in the first divine institution is volition. Our soul’s authority is called volition or free will or self-determination. Your decisions and choices determine the life that you will lead. Volition provides each of us the authority to obey or disobey when given a choice. With your personal choices comes responsibility for the consequences for those decisions, intended or unintended.
God has ordained marriage to be a man-woman relationship. Marriage has always been between one male and one female with the authority given to the husband by God.
The family is the relationship between the parents and their children whereby the parents are responsible for the raising, teaching, and discipline of their children in order to prepare them for life on their own. In the family, the ultimate authority is the father, but the mother is included in the authority as well.
A nation is a geographical entity with the people living within its boundaries speaking a common language. The authority in the divine institution of the nation is government. The purpose of nationalism is to provide protection so that the individual volition can operate under maximum freedom and liberty. This principle is illustrated by the Ten Commandments.
To protect human freedom in the nation, there must be law enforcement. To protect human freedom from external enemies, there must be a prepared military. There must be freedom of speech in the nation to allow communication of the Gospel to unbelievers. There must be freedom to communicate Bible doctrine whereby the believer can exercise their volition to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.