Is The Creation of Civil Government An Accident Of History Or Is It A Divinely Revealed Institution
Lesson One
If you are familiar with the Fall of Man, and I am going to assume that you are, then you will know that “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” When the Christian says, “sin came into the world”, what we mean is that all humankind became totally depraved. That is not to say that humankind became as evil as we could become in the very moment of the Fall. Totally depraved means that we were all corrupted in every part of our being, traditionally meaning our mind (heart), our will, and our emotions. No part of us was left untouched by sin. Men may vary in the degree to which they commit sin, but they all are sinners. The opening scenes that occur after the Fall show just how quickly and how devastatingly corrupt humans became when sin entered the world.
In Genesis 4:1-2, we have recorded for us the births of the first children born to Adam and Eve after sin entered into the nature of humans and began its corrupting work. “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. After Abel, the younger, is honored by God above Cain the elder son, the Bible says that, “Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” (Genesis 4:8b) God, who is the omnipotent Judge of the Earth, aware of the crime, convicts Cain of his crime of murder, and as punishment, banishes him from his family. From there Cain goes on to marry and build a city that will be separate from his father Adam’s people. Cain will not, from that day, be a worshiper of God. At the end of Genesis 4, in verses 25-26 we read, “And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.” Up until Abel’s murder and Cain’s banishment, all humankind worshiped the Lord. But after Cain’s banishment, a division arises that forces a distinction. Seth’s children will say, we “call on the name of the Lord”, while Cain’s people do not. Making Cain the father of all pagan faiths.
Cain’s people were very industrious. Genesis 4:17-22 explains to us the extent to which Cain’s people became industrious. They invented shepherding, music, and metal smithing. Cain’s people become the dominant culture on the pre-diluvian (pre-flood) Earth. Seth’s people begin to capitulate and join the culture of Cain’s people, forsaking Seth and his God. That is the meaning of Genesis 6:1-2, “When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose.” In the ancient world, and even in the post renaissance world, whenever a king sought to make an alliance or end a war, he proposed inter-marriage between his kingdom and his rival’s. Through inter-marriage they would become one family. The thought being, family doesn’t war against family. The sons of God are Seth’s descendants, not angels. The daughters of men are Cain’s descendants. Seth’s people are surrendering to the dominance of Cain’s descendants. And the reason they are surrendering is easy to discern. Food, culture (music), and iron and bronze are formidable temptations. Iron and bronze are especially important. They are the metals of weaponry. And we should assume weapons are being made and used during this period in warfare. Why should we assume this? “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.” (Genesis 6:11) This is given as the very reason God intended to destroy all life on the Earth. “And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.” (Genesis 6:12-13)
What does all this have to do with answering our question “Is the creation of civil government an accident of history or a divinely revealed institution?” You’ll have to wait til our next blog to find out, but here’s a hint. On the other side of the flood, God will make some changes in the way humans relate to other humans that commit murder, in order to keep what happened to the old world, from happening again in the new.
Blessings to All
If you like our content make sure hit the follow button, like us on Facebook, and/or subscribe to our YOUTUBE Channel.