Christ is the mediator between God and man. But what is the mediator between man and man? Is it a philosophy of some kind, a set of rules we discover over time? Is it the state as the “collective expression of the common good” (how about those bamboozle words to befuddle the despised masses)? Is it whatever you decide, or convention, or church canon law, or what? What governs how we are to deal with one another? What are the terms by which we are to interact and cooperate and judge one another in matters of right and wrong?
What does the Bible say?
It says that God’s LawWord, the enscripturated Christ, is to be the mediator between man and man.
So why have we not had (practically any) Christian polygyny for the last 1600 years or so? Because we have not had a strong enough awareness of God’s LawWord as our mediator between man and man. Think about it. Where do you find the most intense relationship in your life? With your spouse. You deal with him or her on a daily basis, and know each other intimately. Many marriages fail because of the lack of submission to God’s Law on the part of one or both parties. Imagine that you had a man husbanding several wives. The number and variety of intense relationships goes up dramatically. Without a strong foundation of knowledge in and submission to God’s LawWord the potential for conflict goes up exponentially with each new wife. This is why many patriarch’s wives would bring their maids into the marriage. An authority structure was already in place and the potential for conflict thus was mitigated.
Therefore, if you as a man want to be a successful patriarch: you must become a student of Scripture and a believer in the validity and ongoing relevance of all of Scripture. You must become a theonomist.
You must stop dispensing with parts of God’s LawWord and forsake Dispensationalism. You must become a presuppositionalist.
You must quit trying to guess God’s timing on things and start studying the things revealed. You must become one who seeks God’s rule in every area of life. It starts with you and your family.
You, as the Patriarch, are to be the teacher of God’s Law to your wives and children. Students learn first by example and then by principle (doctrine). Model proper respect for your authority by respecting the authority of God’s LawWord. Teach submission to your will by demonstrating your submission to God’s will.
The Holy Spirit is moving to bring God’s people into an understanding of the realities of God’s Kingdom and what it will take to get us there. Praise God!