Representation, separation of powers, and a federal system: these are the components of a Biblical form of government. They also comprise the elements of what America set up in the Constitution. What we have been handed by the Founders is consistent with the Biblical pattern for how government should operate.
But that’s merely the external structure. What makes this structure work properly is the internal: believing in the value of the individual made in God’s image; taking the responsibility of self-government; understanding the principle of stewardship, that all property is a gift from God, and that we are to make decisions as His stewards; maintaining unity of purpose; and, of course, reflecting God’s character in our lives.
If all these principles are present in a society, we might compare its stability to a hard boiled egg. If you apply pressure to it, it will crack, but it doesn’t fall apart completely. There is substance inside that maintains the basic structure. The same is true of a Biblical form of government. The pressures of life may cause cracks in the system, but if basic principles continue to infuse the form, it will not collapse.
The opposite is also true.
An egg with all the insides drained out will never withstand pressure. It will crumble. A form of government that is empty within—no principles sustaining it—will also crumble when pressure is applied. Are we at the point where our external framework of government no longer works because the internal Biblical principles are no longer the foundation for our society?
Time will tell.