It is a fact that many Americans do not remotely understand the nature and beauty of our
three-branch system of government. Even more to be lamented is the fact that most Americans do
not realize that the inspiration for such a brilliant system is found in the Bible itself.
The federal government of the United States of America consists of three distinct branches,
the Legislative, the Executive and the Judicial. These are created and described in that order by
the first three Articles of the U.S. Constitution: 1) “All legislative powers herein granted shall be
vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of
Representatives.” 2) “The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of
America.” 3) “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and
in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.” Thus, the
vital powers of government are identified and described in the first sentence of each of the first
three Articles of our founding document. What could be more simple and yet profound in the
establishment of a nation?
Now, here’s a question: How did our founding fathers understand that there are three vital
powers of government? Why not two? Or, as with many nations, why not only one? Could it be
that they were familiar with principles enunciated in the Bible centuries ago?
In Isaiah 33:22, the Bible states, “For Jehovah is our judge, Jehovah is our lawgiver,
Jehovah is our king; he will save us.” (emphasis supplied, rcv). This text, written 700 years before
Christ, envisions and clearly identifies the three essential functions of a fully-operational
government, namely the judicial, the legislative, and the executive. As our Constitution would later
reiterate, God set forth the need for lawmaking, law enforcement or execution, and law
interpreting. Isaiah wrote these lines by inspiration of the Holy Spirit because “every scripture is
inspired of God,” (2 Tim. 3:16a) and “no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake
from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit,” (2 Pet. 1:21).
So what we have in Isaiah’s prophecy 700 years B.C. is divine guidance which was,
whether intentionally or not, followed by America’s founding fathers 2500 years later. They
implemented in the founding documents of our nation, profound yet simple principles laid out by
God in the Bible ages before.
We are not surprised that our founding fathers would have taken note of this, for they were,
by-and-large, extremely Bible literate. They knew and appreciated the great value of the Bible,
and this is reflected over and over in their work. It is reflected in the common law which they
inherited, and in the vast array of both criminal and civil laws which they furthered and made
possible. Many of these we take for granted today, not even realizing their divine source.
Every properly functioning government must provide for the three types of power
discussed above, but it was a biblical deduction on the part of our founding fathers that these three
powers could work together and keep each other in “checks and balances.” The remarkable unity
of these three branches no doubt largely accounts for the longevity and great success of the
American experiment.
When God the Father (the divine lawgiver) sent his Son to execute his will, Jesus Christ
was acting as the divine executive. And the Holy Spirit, who provides order and clarity always,
supplied the necessary judicial power for such an intelligent system to function smoothly. Working
together in harmony and unity of purpose, the three persons of the Godhead remind us of the three
functions of all legitimate and effective governmental systems.
Nations which follow God’s way tend to advance and to succeed. And nations which depart
from God’s way tend finally to fail, sometimes after much misery. We can be thankful that we live
in a nation founded upon godly principles. May we ever appreciate and strive to prolong such
freedoms and blessings which are ours only by the grace of God. And may we always give glory
and honor to Him whose wisdom inspires every good and successful work.
Biblical Roots for American Government
