37 We know from throughout Scripture that God exists as three persons in one being — the Father; the Son, Jesus; and the Holy Spirit. The picture we have of this Trinity is one of eternal, communal relationship. Within the Trinity there are defined roles and distinctive responsibilities. In Galatians 4:4, Paul says that God “sent forth” Christ. In John 3:17 there is similar language. In John 14:26, Christ acknowledges that God will send the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2, we see God pouring out the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. So, part of these distinctive roles involves not only a relationship, but also something of an ordered hierarchy. Even within this perfect social interaction, there are decisions made and roles fulfilled. Genesis 2, which is a more detailed account of Adam and Eve’s creation, displays part of God’s rationale for why He made both male and female. God says to Adam, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” From our creation, as humans we need others. We must, as created beings, function with others; this is our natural condition, even apart from sin. There is no implication that Adam’s state of loneliness was a moral failing, but part of his created essence. We are not meant to be alone. This reality is the beginning of society, or the existence of human community. Genesis 1 also reveals a natural, human responsibility. In verse 26, God gave His creatures a duty to exercise dominion over the rest of His creation. In Genesis 1:28, God told Adam to subdue the earth as part of this dominion. God requires this work, which would demand a sort of decision-making. To exercise dominion would require careful planning, some allocation of resources (especially of time), and a labor arrangement (who does what and when). For this to happen with more than one person would necessitate a decision-making process. All of these ideas together — the social nature of the Trinity, human creation in God’s image, our need to be with others, and the task God gave us — at least plausibly suggest the seeds of government were sewn before the Fall. There is the possibility that government is not simply a response to sin, but it is part of who we are as divine image-bearers.7 There are other reasons for us to view government positively, regardless of how we think about the timing of its origin. Again, in Romans 13 7 There are other arguments that could be made regarding government as a condition outside of sin, but they don’t fit neatly into this discussion. Those would include the fact that divine government is still utilized and needed after Christ’s return. The New Heaven and the New Earth will still have a sovereign. Christ will reign, more than implying a kind of governmental arrangement. Also, the angels themselves appear to have a hierarchy or structure, with the archangel having a place of superiority.
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