Who Are the Rulers?

Who is the legitimate authority to rule over a Just Republic? This question has been misguided, repressed, and debated for far too long. However, there has always been just one answer and it reminds us why our American experiment is exceptional.

Let’s begin with a look at Titus 3:1

“Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.”

It seems easy to understand. As Christians, and as citizens, we should be subject to our rulers and authorities. We are to be at the ready to do good toward one another. Yes, we should be in complete submission to the rulers of our era. I could not agree more! But, who are the rulers? Most would say that it’s the President, Vice President, Members of Congress, House and Senate, the Supreme Court, and the lower authorities of government on down the line. Right? Yes, of course, absolutely . . . Not!

To answer this question with certainty, we must go to our Founding Fathers who defined the very government and liberties of our nation. But, foremost, our Founders must be compatible with Scripture, for the divine word of Scripture is supreme. Our Founders agreed. In fact, George Washington, in his farewell address said,

“To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian.”

Patrick Henry echoed Washington’s sentiment,

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!"

Who are the rulers? Our Founders made this very clear. In fact, they were so emphatic that they placed the answer to the question “Who are the rulers?” in the most conspicuous place they could. They wanted every American to see the answer every time they gave a moment’s thought to government so that we would never forget it! And here it is:

The Constitution that defines the very government we live under states the answer right up front in big, bold letters: “WE THE PEOPLE.”

WE are the rulers! Surprised? Wait a minute, some would say, “If the President, Vice-president, members of Congress, House and Senate, members of the Supreme Court, and the lower authorities within government on down the line are not the rulers, then who are they?” Have you heard the term, “civil servant”? Of course you have and you already know that it applies to everyone in government from the Postal carrier all the way to the President. They are all civil servants operating on behalf of the rulers. In fact, every generation of Americans understood this until the present era. A case in point is found in Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

“…that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion (its really, really important). . . that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

By the way, where did Mr. Lincoln get these verses from? They came from the Prologue to John Wycliff’s English translation of the Bible which first appeared in 1384. It included the phrase, “This Bible is for the government of the people, for the people and by the people.” There’s a little heritage trivia you won’t find in Common Core! But, pardon me, I digress.

Authority of the Servants

But the answer to our first question brings up yet another question. If we are rulers, then what is the source of our authority? Where does it come from if everyone is a ruler? I am so glad you asked! When it comes to authority, the answer comes in two parts – one answer for the servant’s authority and one for the ruler’s authority.

Let me begin with the servants. Upon reading the Constitution, one realizes that it only performs two functions. First, it defines the operation of government in a Reader’s Digest condensed form. Second, it limits the authority of the servants (i.e. limited government). George Mason demanded that it go one better by adding a Bill of Rights that makes super explicit what the limits to the servants’ authority are.

The Bill of Rights, itself, originates from the brilliant 13^th century monk Thomas Aquinas who wrote Summa Theologia. In that manuscript, he lays out the five principles of God-given rights of man. Lay those side by side with the original Bill of Rights and you will see that they correspond, point-for-point, in exactly the same order. These are the “hands-off” limits for the servants. They must never cross these boundaries to their limited authority, even with the best of intentions. Going beyond these limits is left exclusively to the rulers.

Authority of the Rulers

Let’s start with a question. Does the Constitution apply to you? It’s an American document and if you are an American, then, of course, it applies to you, right? Contrary to popular opinion, the correct answer is that, as one of the rulers, none of the Constitution pertains to you. You don’t have to consent to it because there are no imposed limits on you. It is vitally important that you realize that there is not a single restriction in the Constitution on its citizen rulers. Were our Founders crazy? Were they anarchists? How can this be?

The answer is that our Founders were in complete alignment with Holy Scripture and our first clue comes from John Adams who wrote,

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Compare this with the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5,

¹³ You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ^{. . .}

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Those verses are in perfect keeping with John Adams’ statement and the Constitution, are they not?

The Injunctions of Christianity

You, as rulers, are under a different authority than the servants and that authority has, historically, been called the “injunctions of Christianity.” An injunction is a legal term that means a moral restriction or caution. Let me explain with an example.

I am on a diet and it makes me feel great. However, an hour before dinner my esteemed wife whom I have asked to help me keep with this diet declares, “No cookies before dinner.” I’m marginally incensed. It is my house and my kitchen (OK, when my wife and daughter let me- let’s be honest) and I have infinite kitchen privileges any time I want (at least theoretically). However, I have placed an injunction (a moral limitation) on myself not to violate my diet for the benefit of myself and my family. You parents have this principle down when you tell your kids, “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” That is an injunction and it is no coincidence that the Apostle Paul’s inspired word (against the fruit of the Spirit, there is no law) and the Constitution (no restrictions on the rulers) line up perfectly. As rulers, (whether believers or not) your authority and liberties are solely based on your ability to uphold the injunctions of Christianity. Confused? Let me explain.

Freedom is not the right to do whatever you want but, rather, the liberty to do what you ought (for your family and your fellow man). Is this not demonstrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan? You may ask, what does the parable of the Good Samaritan have to do with liberty? The answer is “everything.” Let’s take a closer look at Luke 10:30.

“In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. ³¹ A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. ³² So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.”

So many Christians wrongly conclude that the Priest and the Levite, being holy men, acted scandalously as hypocrites - and that is the lessons of the parable – don’t act like a hypocrite.

The problem is that they weren’t hypocrites. They acted precisely in accordance with Jewish law! The man who fell among robbers was beaten, robbed, and left for dead. He was probably bloody, stripped naked, and he, no doubt, seemed lifeless. Most likely, to the Priest and the Levite, the man looked D.E.A.D. Being devote, according to Levitical law, they acted justly in passing by in order to avoid contact with the dead.

Let us continue.

³³ But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. (realized that he was not dead, after all)³⁴ He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

What did Jesus ask? Who is your neighbor? The answer is who the rulers are. Freedom is not the right to do whatever you want but the liberty to do what you ought. This is the real lesson of the parable and it reinforces the authority principle of the rulers. To be direct, this is who you are! The freedom in Christ Jesus is the ruler’s authority to do what is right. Still seems a bit confusing? Let me illustrate.

Let’s say that I have Rob Tucker as my neighbor and one day I inform Big Jim that his Elvis Commemorative Blue Hawaii Bird Bath collection is inexplicably located three feet on my property. As a virtuous man, Big Jim would be appalled to have made such a miscalculation. He would, no doubt, agree to make it right. As two virtuous men, we would come up with a mutually agreeable solution -righting the wrong and making up for any losses incurred - no judge or government intrusion necessary to achieve a most effective application of virtue and justice, right?

On the other hand, if Rob is a dirty, rotten, good for nothing, conniving, opportunist and when I go to him, he says, “Buzz off, punk!” Well, now, I’m going to involve a bigger dude and no one is bigger than civil government. Can you guess how that government is going resolve our minor issue?

Like parents, in the interest of peace and control, governments will step in and impose limitations on all to protect us from each other. They will enact fence regulations and encroachment limits on everyone and enforce buffer zones on all in the community. Benjamin Franklin summarized the principle of Titus 3:1, Galatians 5, and the foundation of our Constitution best when he said,

“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”This principle is why Patrick Henry said the greatest danger to our liberty is not foreign powers but is our (we rulers) loss of civility. He said this,

. . . Virtue, morality, and religion. This is the armor, my friend, and this alone renders us invincible. These are the tactics we should study. If we lose these, we are conquered, fallen indeed . . . so long as our manners and principles remain sound, there is no danger."

Now, you can see why.

Conclusion

Now, with Titus 3:1 in its “rubber meets the road” context, the question is no longer “Who are the rulers?” but “How will you rule?” The ramifications of your answer are far reaching because our government (communities, county, state, and national) is meant exclusively for “Galatians 5” kinds of rulers. Are you a visible and active ruler, a compassionate ruler, a wise and just ruler - of your house, your office, your community?

Be honest how you answer. There are always statists who are all too willing to usurp the authority (the injunctions of Jesus Christ) of the rightful rulers based upon what they perceive. Perhaps the rulers have been too absent, too silent, too unprepared, or too fragmented for their role? If the rulers fail to exercise their authority by bold, transparent, and just example, are there not those, even today, who will, (or perhaps already have?) attempt to take the ruler’s place?

The nation and even the world understands that something in our government of We the People has gone terribly wrong. Many today look for answers to recover what has been lost. While it may sound extreme in today’s secular, diversity obsessed culture, the nation and its liberties belong to you--those who dedicate themselves to the tenants of Biblical Christianity. It always has. We, alone, understand that the true basis of liberty is not contained in politicians, governments, or doctrines, but in our faith put into action. We must have the courage to engage in our own governance and to persuade those still lost to join us.

Our time has come.

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Next Time

Valentine’s Day is nearly upon us. But, what do we actually know about St. Valentine other than he was a great boon for Hallmark cards? Isn’t the idea of St. Valentine just a Christianized version of Cupid? Was St. Valentine even a real person? The answers will tell us much about our collective heritage and who we are. Next Time in “A Just Republic.”

May God and Liberty Bless,

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A Heritage Lost is an Identity Stolen, For Someone Decided Not to Tell You Who You Are.