In the beginning there was only one language for all men. But after man built the tower of Babel to demonstrate the united power of man, God confounded human language at Babel so that men would no longer speak the same language. This was God’s government. Later, when God poured out His Spirit at the time of Pentecost, the believers who were present began to speak in tongues. This also was related to God’s government.
At the time of the tower of Babel, the people on earth were divided into many “peoples.” These “peoples” signify races, not nations. This also was a matter of God’s government. Later, God chose from so many peoples a unique people—the nation of Israel, who would belong to Him. This was grace. But the separation of mankind into peoples was a matter of government.
After a time these many peoples became many nations. The history of the Bible tells us that the beginning of the nations came after the beginning of peoples. First there were the races and then the nations. Every nation had its own king. This also was something established by God’s government and under God’s government.
At the time of the judges, the Israelites were still a race; they had not yet become a nation. By the time of Samuel, they were still a race among other races, because there was no king over them. One day the people of Israel wanted a king like the other races; they asked to be transferred from the sphere of grace to the sphere of government. They wanted a king like other nations. God warned them by showing them how a king would reign over them (1 Sam. 8:9-18).
Later, God chose Saul to be their king. As soon as Saul was chosen, God’s system of government was introduced among the people of Israel. This does not mean that God’s grace ceased; rather, it means that the Israelites explicitly placed themselves under His government. They could no longer rebel against their anointed at will, because the anointed one had become their king. Even after Saul departed from God in the realm of grace, he remained a king in the realm of God’s government. We must identify the two different systems here before we can understand the two different situations Saul was under. In terms of grace Saul had fallen, but in terms of God’s government he was still a king. This is why David could not rebel against God’s ordained authority.
This situation continued until the time of the Lord Jesus. We see both aspects of God’s work being present at the same time. The system of God’s grace continued to operate in the world. At the same time, the system of His government also operated. The priests and the prophets belonged to the side of grace; they maintained the system of grace. The kings and the leaders of the Israelites belonged to the side of God’s government; they maintained the system of God’s government.
On the one hand, when the Lord Jesus was on earth, He was the Savior to deliver men from sin. This was His work under the system of grace. On the other hand, God’s desire is for the Lord Jesus to establish His authority and heavenly kingdom through the work of the cross, with the result that heaven’s reign will be brought to the earth. God is continually working to destroy the power of the devil, to bring in the kingdom of the heavens, and to usher in the new heaven and the new earth. On that day grace and government will unite to become one system. This means that in the new heaven and the new earth, the system of grace and the system of government will join together and become one system. Then both systems will be united in the Lord Jesus. He stands for both aspects of God’s work. On the one hand, He works on the basis of the system of grace. On the other hand, He works on the basis of the system of government.
God’s government did not begin with His creation of man; it began when He created the angels. This is clearly revealed in the Bible. When Satan was still the morning star reigning over the world, a system of government was already in place. After man was created, many things, such as marriage, the husband-wife relationship, family relationships, and the parent-child relationship, became things within the system of God’s government. These basic institutions were established by God according to His system of government.
I would like to point something out to the brothers and sisters. Those who are saved in this age must learn the fundamental lesson of not frustrating God’s government with His grace. I need to repeat this word in an emphatic way: Do not frustrate God’s order in His government with the grace that He dispenses to you. God’s intention is that man would respect His government; He has no intention for man to annul His government. If you are oblivious to God’s government, you are lawless in the eyes of God; you are totally ignorant of the fact that, in addition to the church, there is also the kingdom. You must see the system of government. The system of grace perfects the system of government. The system of government is not for the system of grace; rather, the system of grace is here to perfect the system of government.
Many people have a fundamentally wrong concept. They think that they can put aside government with grace. This is foolish. One cannot change God’s government with His work in grace. The forgiveness we obtained before God in grace cannot replace His governmental forgiveness. No matter how much forgiveness we have received in grace, it will not replace governmental forgiveness.
God’s government works on a totally different principle! From the very beginning, God has been trying to usher in His governmental system. He will continue this work until the very end. Grace always goes along with government. Because man fought and rebelled against the system of government, the system of grace was brought in. The system of grace brings us to salvation and restoration so that we will obey God’s system of government. Grace is given to supplement God’s system of government.