Governments

"Governments" appears in 1 Corinthians 12:28 (Greek kubernēseis, literally "steeringsmanship" or "administrations") as one of the spiritual gifts listed among those God has appointed in the church: apostles, prophets, teachers, miracles, gifts of healing, helps, governments, and varieties of tongues. The word denotes the capacity for wise administration and guiding a community — the same Greek root gives the English word "cybernetics." In political theology, Scripture affirms that civil governments are instituted by God for the restraint of evil and the promotion of justice (Rom. 13:1–7; 1 Pet. 2:13–14), though they remain accountable to the divine Governor they represent.