We were having dinner one night and discussing recent events at a Bible Baptist Church in Metro Manila when one of my children asked, “But, doesn’t “theocracy” mean “the rule of God?” Don’t we believe in the rule of God? Don’t we believe that God rules?” Of course, we do! We believe that God rules the universe. In fact, we believe that natural laws are God’s laws that nature obeys. We also believe that of all the creatures of God, only man is in rebellion against the righteous rule of God.

Much confusion surrounds the term “theocracy” and much erroneous teaching has been spread about “theocracy” that I decided to explain what I understand and believe about it.

1. The word “theocracy”, much like the word “democracy” is a compound word derived from Greek. “Theocracy” comes from theos and kratein meaning, “the rule of God”. As the Bible unequivocally teaches that God created the universe, we believe that God owns all of creation, thus, only God has the right to rule. God rules over all of His creation but man has rebelled against God. Man’s rebellion against God began in the Garden of Eden when man chose to satisfy his own desires instead of obeying God’s command. For this reason, the relationship between God and man has been broken.

2. The Bible teaches that God upholds the whole universe by the “word of His power” and by “the power of His Word” (Jesus Christ is the Word who was in the beginning, with God, and is God).

3. The Bible teaches that man has always rebelled against God. After the Garden of Eden, Cain murdered his brother Abel. Then, as a corporate body, as a nation, the residents of Babel erected a tower so that they can reach God. God began to deal personally with individuals such as Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God also called Moses to be his representative so that the Israelites who were then enslaved in Egypt would be delivered from Egypt and taken to the land God had promised them. The land of Canaan was where God was going to establish the territorial kingdom of Israel as he had promised to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.

4. In the beginning, God ruled Israel through Moses (an indirect theocracy). God spoke but only Moses was unafraid to hear and to speak with God face to face as with a friend. The whole nation of Israel was sore afraid of God and they decided to let Moses talk with God; and Moses then reported to the people what God wanted to say to them.

5. After the death of Moses, God spoke through Joshua. By the time that Israel settled down in Canaan, Israel began their idolatrous apostasy. God spoke through judges — men of war who led the armies of Israel to war against the neighboring nations who invaded them.

6. In Samuel’s time, Samuel was the prophet, the man through whom God spoke; but Israel wanted a king to rule over them. God took this as a rejection of His rule over Israel. From then on, a human king ruled and God spoke through prophets to guide the kings. Israel’s spiritual vitality steadily declined until their kingdom was divided into two. The Northern Kingdom was invaded and assimilated by the Assyrian Empire and decades later, Judah was taken captive by the Babylonian Empire. Israel was able to return, as prophesied to the Promised Land but under much reduced circumstances.

7. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ came preaching that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The word “kingdom” was from the Greek word basileia. Jesus Christ was preaching the coming prophetic time when God himself shall rule in the Millenial Kingdom. Jesus Christ also established his church during his earthly ministry. The church comes from the Greek word <ekklesia> (not basileia). Thus, basileia the Kingdom of God, refers to the Millenial Kingdom where Jesus Christ will rule; while ekklesia referred to the church. They were two different concepts, two different events and two different dispensations or time periods on God’s timetable. One should not be confused with the other.

8. During what we call the Church Age, the kingdom of God is not a territorial or a political kingdom. It is a spiritual kingdom. All those who believe and worship Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are those who belong to the Kingdom basileia of God. At this time, the rule of God is in nature (because nature still continues to obey the laws which God had ordained since Creation); and the rule of God is spiritual in the hearts and minds of believers. We Christians are commanded by Jesus Christ to seek first the kingdom basileia of God and his righteousness.

9. At the same time that God rules spiritually in our hearts and minds as believers, and we belong to the Kingdom of God, God has also added us to the church (ekklesia). Unlike a (basileia) where God rules absolutely as king, in the church, Jesus Christ has preeminence because He is the Head of the Church. However, Jesus Christ is also a shepherd of the flock (the church). Jesus Christ is also the bridegroom of the church whom He loved and for whom He gave his life. The one mark of Jesus Christ is his humility — this was shown when he washed his disciples’ feet. Jesus Christ embodied the gentle, loving and humble servant of God. When Jesus Christ came the first time, he came meek and lowly but when he comes again the second time, he will come with a rod of iron and he will rule until all of his enemies are made his footstool. There is a huge difference.

10. The church, even from the days of Jesus Christ, has been congregational: the pastor (Jesus Christ) did not “rule” over his disciples. Jesus Christ offered his disciples a choice whether or not they want to follow him. And when some of his disciples stopped following him, he asked those that remained “Will you also go away?” This is because Jesus Christ did not come to reign by compulsion. He did not come as King, he came as Savior.

11. During Jesus’ ministry, Jesus Christ did not hold the treasury of the church — Judas Iscariot did. There were women and men who attended to the physical needs of Jesus Christ and his disciples. TODAY, THE PASTORS WHO TEACH THAT THE CHURCH SHOULD BE A FORM OF THEOCRACY INSIST ON HOLDING THE FUNDS OF THE CHURCH AND THE MEMBERS DO NOT HAVE ANY RIGHT TO QUESTION THE WAY THE CHURCH FUNDS ARE SPENT — this is not the example of Jesus Christ.

12. When Jesus Christ taught his disciples, he taught them as a group (as a congregation). When they met to worship after he died and after he rose again from the dead, they met as a group. They elected Matthias as a group. They preached and evangelized as a group. They came together as a group. They elected deacons as a group. All the members of the church brought all that they had to the apostles’ feet, yet, but, the Bible also says that “they held all things in common” meaning, THE APOSTLES DID NOT HOLD THE MONEY FOR THEMSELVES. In fact, the deacons were elected from among their number so that the deacons can disburse the church’s funds to the needy members of the congregation while the apostles dedicated themselves to preaching and teaching.

13. Thus, when a pastor teaches that the church is to be run as a basileia where the Pastor “rules” as representatives of Jesus Christ, under a “theocratic” form of administration — this is not in accordance with New Testament example.

14. This is a false doctrine because it contradicts certain basic truths: it contradicts that God is no respecter of persons who holds all men as sinners (yes, even pastors are sinners, but they have been, as we all have been) saved by grace. It also contradicts the teaching that we are a royal priesthood — that all believers are priests before God who can intercede in behalf of others. This contradicts the teaching that each believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit who will guide each believer into all truth.

15. Where a pastor teaches this type of erroneous theocracy, the pastor also teaches that only he can teach doctrine and God speaks only through him. A pastor who teaches this false brand of theocracy within the church also inevitably teaches that he cannot be removed from being pastor. For a pastor to hold himself up beyond scrutiny and beyond all accountability and for him to teach that he cannot be removed from being a pastor (even if there is evidence of his immoral actions) is to go beyond Biblical teaching. It is heresy.

16. Please take note that when Paul and Barnabas were sent on their first missionary journey, the Holy Spirit spoke to all the men who were then present and praying with Paul and Silas. They all heard the same still small voice of the Holy Spirit to separate Paul and Barnabas. In Acts 15, when there was a controversy between a faction in the growing church which was teaching that in order for the Gentiles to be saved, they had to be circumcised, the entire leadership of the Jerusalem church decided and James (the pastor at Jerusalem church) had the last say. It was a congregational decision.

17. When the incestuous man in 1 Corinthians was removed from fellowship for his immoral sexual act, it was the entire church that prayed and decided to remove him. In the New Testament church, there was no pastor who ruled as king or as representative of Christ. The church moved as a body of believers. In fact, one hallmark distinctive of Baptist churches down through history is that we Baptists have always followed a congregational form of government in our churches.  The Apostle Paul always addressed his letters to entire churches.  There are a number of epistles written to pastors and these contained exhortations to teach and to be an example of their flock — they were not given the right to rule over the church.

18. In fact, pastors who preach this type of false theocracy use the Old Testament (and not the New Testament) as their basis, because this kind of teaching cannot be found in the New Testament. These erring pastors teach that just as Old Testament high priests could not be removed by the nation of Israel but only by God, they, too, cannot be removed from the church (even when they are doing immoral acts). These pastors who teach this erroneous theocracy also teach that just as the Old Testament High priest held all the offerings brought by the people without needing to account for it, so can pastors hold all the funds of the church and disburse it without accounting or judicious stewardship. PLEASE TAKE NOTE: the book of Hebrews has expressly stated that God has taken away the first (referring to the Old Testament worship) that he may establish the second.

18. Moreover, abusive priests who made themselves rich at the expense of the temple offerings were removed by God (Eli and Eli’s sons). They were removed for their sexual immorality (laying with the women who came to worship at the temple) and also for their greed (they took from the offerings which were supposed to be for God and God alone — to be burned in their entirety).

19. Nehemiah removed the high priest who had allowed his son-in-law, who was not a priest, not a Levite, and not even an Israelite to stay within the temple compound. Thus, even OT priests can be removed for bad behavior and immoral conduct.

20. In Ezekiel 34, God had issued a scathing condemnation of the shepherds of Israel because they have made themselves fat at the expense of the flock of God. They have not taken care of the flock, they have not taught the flock of God such that the flock of God became a prey.

21. The English word “pastor” comes from the Old Anglo-French word “pastour” which meant, “shepherd” — a shepherd leads a flock, it does not rule a flock. A shepherd takes care of a flock, it does not sit as king. A shepherd, a “pastour” is supposed to be like Christ, taking the weak sheep and carrying them. He is to lead with humility and gentleness, just like Jesus Christ. These pastors who teach their erroneous brand of theocracy sit as kings and dictators, not as “pastors.” They are a contradiction of Jesus Christ who is the Chief Shepherd. They have made themselves “lords over God’s heritage.”

Next time… the Roman Catholic Church and how their popes “ruled” as monarchs for centuries, merging the idea of basileia with ekklesia…..this erroneous teaching of “theocracy” has roots in Calvinism and in Roman Catholicism……