Page 10 - The Christian Life and the Church Life_Government of God

The Universal Government of God 9

The System of Government Operating on
a Principle Different from the System of Grace

Our first point is this: The system of government operates on a principle
different from the system of grace. It is altogether different. God has this
governmental system because He created beings, angels and humans, with
the ability to make decisions, to choose. God’s government began when He
created the angels. The fundamental problem in the whole universe was the
rebellion against His government by an archangel and those who followed
him. But all of this God foresaw. Because a creature rebelled, God knew it
would require a creature to deal with that rebellious creature. Thus, God’s
intention eventually was to create man in His image with His dominion. But
in His foreknowledge, He also realized that the man He would create for His
government would likewise rebel, sin and fall; so before the foundation of the
world, God formed in Himself the potential for the system of grace— how
His only Son would come and personally fulfill God’s purpose, then die an
all-inclusive death for our redemption and reconciliation, release the divine
life, impart this life in His resurrection, become the life-giving Spirit to enter
into us. But the system of government preceded that and is distinct from that.
There are millions and millions of genuine, dear believers throughout the
earth who have never had a thought concerning the government of God and
how it relates to them.
In the System of God’s Government, God Having an Independent Will
and His Operating According to His Pleasure
In the system of God’s government, God has an independent will and
He operates according to His pleasure. When it comes to grace, the Lord
will allow a number of things to take place in His permissive will. But when
He exercises His government, He does whatever He wills to do according
to His plan, according to His pleasure. He does not have to explain to
us. He is not accountable to us—He is God. When, in Acts, Ananias and
Sapphira lied to the Spirit, deceived the Spirit, God exercised governmental
judgment immediately. In Acts 12, after James was put to death and Peter
was imprisoned, the church prayed, we believe, governmental prayers—
prayers of authority and warfare. We read in that chapter that twice an angel
came, commissioned from the throne. The first time was to release Peter from
prison. Then when Herod was glorifying himself by his speaking and the