The Kingdom of God Is Not a Democracy

The sovereign Lord of heaven and earth does not rule by referendum. Today, R.C. Sproul reminds us of the absolute authority of God over creation and over His redemptive kingdom in Christ.

Let’s take a moment to look at this dimension of the character of God that is most clearly communicated by the title Adonai. The word sovereignty. That’s a word that’s become almost an obscenity to American people. One of my favorite illustrations of this goes back a few years when the episcopalian minister whose name is John Guest came to this country from England, from Liverpool. And when he came to the United States, his initial place of residence was in Philadelphia. He landed in Philadelphia and was having his virgin exposure to the culture of the United States. And the first week that he was here, he visited the historic sites in Philadelphia, Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell and all of that. And then spent some time visiting the antique stores that specialized in revolutionary war memorabilia. Now, remember, he’s an Englishman trying to adjust to the new world, to the enemies of King George.

If you’ve ever been to England, do you see what that cultural shock can be if you’ve been to Westminster Abbey? How many of you been to Westminster Abbey? To me the most surprising thing about Westminster Abbey was to walk in there and see that Benedict Arnold is buried in Westminster Abbey in a hero’s grave. He is the symbol of treachery to Americans because he was a traitor, but to their side, he was a hero and is buried in Westminster Abbey. Well, here comes an Englishman over here, looking at these primitive Americans and trying to understand their culture. So, he goes and focuses attention on these landmarks that specialized in the Revolutionary period. And he went into one of these antique stores and he saw the placards and the signs that were used to communicate patriotism during the years of the War of Independence. Things like, “No taxation without representation,” “Don’t tread on me,” and so on. But he told me later that the sign that most attracted his attention was this great big wooden plank at the top of the store that read, “We serve no sovereign here.”

And when John Guest saw that, he said, “How can I be a minister of the gospel, a preacher, to a culture that has built into their bloodstream and into their history and allergy and antipathy to all things sovereign? How can you preach the kingdom of God to a people who despise kings?” And he said, “He has found it difficult to communicate the whole concept of the lordship of Christ and the sovereignty of God to a nation of people who from the time they are children are educated to despise sovereignty.” We pride ourselves in our independence, in our freedom, in our democratic spirit, but the kingdom of God is not a democracy. When Yahweh speaks in the Old Testament, He utters His law unilaterally. He does not rule by referendum. The Ten Commandments are not ten suggestions are they? But He simply says “Thou shalt not,” exercising absolute authority over His creation and over His people.