The Home, The Church, and Civil Government

Introduction: God-Given Institutions and Their Relationships

1. 1. When God created the world, He created three kinds of living beings: plants, animals and man, with man the apex of Creation (Psalm 8).
2. 2. From Creation, man has enjoyed a symbiosis with both the plant and animal kingdom. However, his necessary ties to plants far exceed his ties to animals.
   1. a. Man (and all animals for that matter) was created as a vegetarian. Today, there remains a necessary relationship between the two.
   2. b. While man had a utilitarian relationship with animals in previous ages, his existence did not depend on animals. Today, man can still live without animals.
3. 3. There are three God-given institutions in existence today: The home, civil government, and the church. As man is the apex of God’s creation, the church is the apex of these institutions:
   1. a. Isaiah 2:2-3; Micah 4:1-2
   2. b. Daniel 2:44
   3. c. Acts 20:28
4. 4. The church also enjoys a symbiotic relationship with the home and civil government.
   1. a. There is a necessary relationship between the home & the church. The church cannot properly function apart from the home.
   2. b. There is no necessary relationship between civil government and the church. The church ought to exist in a hands-off relationship to the government.

Body: The Home, Civil Government, and the Church

1.  The Successful Home Is Vital to the Welfare of the Church:
   1. Without successful homes, there can be no leadership in the church – 1 Timothy 3
   2. Success in the home is vital to true worship.
   3. The home is vital to good Bible teaching programs.
   4. Without successful homes, the church cannot focus on its primary responsibility, i.e., preaching the gospel to the whole world.
   5. The home models biblical Christianity to the world.
      1. Authority and respect for authority:
         1. 1 Corinthians 11
         2. Ephesians 5:23-25
         3. Ephesians 6:1-4
      2. Proper function of all members (cf Eph 4:15)
   6. Many problems confronting the church are the result of failures in the home.
      1. Forsaking the assembly (sports, guests, work, etc)
      2. Divorce
      3. Male leadership
      4. Bible ignorance
2. The Church and Her Relationship to the Home.
   1. The church supports the home through its teaching program, but it should supplement the home, not supplant it.
   2. The church supports the home through benevolence.
   3. The church supports the home with stability.
   4. The church by providing avenues of service in the kingdom.