Authority (11) - Families

God gave legitimate authority to Adam and Eve in the creation mandate. They gained authority over their own lives, expressed as freedom. They gained authority over creation with responsibility to care for it.

Adam and Eve were free to use their authority as they pleased. They could hear God’s voice, so they could draw on his wisdom when they needed it. Adam and Eve would have to bear the consequences of all their decisions, but their authority was unconstrained.

This authority was not delegated authority, because God gave it without recourse. It was voluntary and permanent. God chose to give authority over the earth to mankind, and he chose to give it permanently. He would not take this authority back, even if it was abused. He would not take it back, even if when it was handed to the devil. One reason that Jesus had to come as a man was that authority on earth belongs to humans in perpetuity, so only a human could take it back. This was true, legitimate authority, not delegated authority.

God gave authority to Adam and Eve as individuals and together as a family. He did not give authority to any institutions. Organisations and institutions only have legitimate authority on earth, if it is has been surrendered to them by people and families. Human institutions and organisations cannot claim their authority is delegated from God, because he has already given all authority on earth to people and families. Kings and presidents cannot have permanent authority, because the people who granted authority to them can always take it back.

Caring for the Poor (5) - Families

Families caring for each other is different from the modern concept, where the state is expected to care for the elderly. The biblical principle is that children and grandchildren should care for the elderly.

The traditional family managed inter-generational wealth transfers very effectively. Parents cared for children when they were young, and children provided for their parents when they grew old. This worked well, because parents have their greatest earning power, when their children need expensive tertiary education. The children have their best earning power, when their parents are old and dependent on them.

The modern social welfare state has created problems by shifting wealth between generations without thought for the consequences. These changes have broken the bonds that held our wider families together. Parents no longer provide for their teenage children, so they have less influence on their lives, just when the need is greatest. Often extended families do no know each other well, so they are not in a position to support each other. Christian community will have to be restored so that families can provide economic support for each other in times of need.

God has given fathers the responsibility for providing for their families and where the father or his family fails to provide, the church is responsible to meet the need. When the state becomes the provider, it takes this responsibility away from the father and he loses his self respect. This weakens family life, making the whole welfare problem worse.