Divine Institutions by Dr David Ogbueli: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

What Are Divine Institutions?

These are the fundamental principles God laid down for the preservation of the human race. They are the foundation pillars on which all successful societies and nations are built.

Note what the Bible says in Romans 13:1: "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God."

Government was one of those divine institutions. But this does not mean that every person who occupies a position of authority was placed there by God's will. What it means is that the authority structure itself was created by God.

Just as marriage was created by God — but that does not mean every person you married was necessarily God's perfect choice. The institution is divine. The person occupying it may not be.

There are 10 to 12 major institutions that God established. When a civilisation begins to decay, what you will notice is a gradual erosion of these institutions. Nigeria as a nation has been on a decline instead of rising — and we need to understand why, and where we must work to restore what has been lost.

Institution One: The Sanctity of Human Life

This is established in Genesis 9:1–6. After the flood, God spoke to Noah and his sons:

"Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning — from the hand of every beast and from the hand of every man. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God he made man."

God declared that life is sacred. If an animal kills a human being, that animal must die. If a human being kills another, that person must also die. God said: "I will demand a reckoning."

Why is human life so sacred? Because man is made in the image of God — Genesis 1:26. When you kill a human being, you have effectively killed a representation of God on earth. That is why the consequences are so severe.

The Consequences of Bloodshed

In Genesis 4, after Cain killed Abel, God said: "The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground." And the curse that followed was not only for Cain — it extended to his descendants.

The book of Enoch documents that Abel's blood was still crying two thousand years after his death — asking heaven to ensure that the descendants of Cain would be unproductive, never settling, always wandering. One act of bloodshed, a thousand generations of consequences.

In Matthew 23, Jesus confronted the religious leaders: "Upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah." The city of Jerusalem was destroyed. The nation was scattered for two thousand years. What caused it? Bloodshed — including the blood of the prophets God had sent.

In Revelation 6, the souls of those who were killed for the gospel were crying out from under the altar — still carrying the weight of their blood before God.

Blood guiltiness is one of the most severe spiritual conditions a person can carry. There is no detergent, no charity work, no religious act that can remove a bloodstained hand — except the blood of Jesus Christ.

David himself understood this. In Psalm 51, after his sin with Bathsheba and the arranged death of Uriah, he cried: "Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation."

He had arranged for Uriah to be placed at the front of battle and abandoned — making it look like a casualty of war. But God knew. The prophet Nathan came to him with a parable, and when David judged the man in the story, Nathan said: "You are the man."

The consequences that followed were severe:

• The child born of that union died
• His son Absalom rose against him
• His wives were taken publicly
• The sword never departed from his house

No matter how well it is arranged, how it is disguised — God traces blood to the one who caused it.

What This Means for Us

Do not place money, power, or position above human life. No offer — whether money ritual, political power, or whatever is being dangled — is worth carrying blood guiltiness. The consequences do not only fall on you. They reach your children and their children.

You may also like

Creating Wealth

by Apostle Johnson Suleman

arrow_forward

For those who have been near bloodshed in their family lines, there is a way out. Jesus made atonement. His blood washes away every stain of blood guiltiness. But that cleansing requires genuine repentance and turning.

Institution Two: Human Freedom and Dignity

In Genesis 1:26, God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion."

God gave man dominion over:

• The fish of the sea
• The birds of the air
• The cattle and animals of the earth
• All the earth and its resources — minerals, oil, gold, agriculture
• Every creeping thing — including demonic forces

Notice what is absent from that list: fellow human beings. God did not give man dominion over other men. Man's dominion is over creation — not over people.

God's method for dealing with people is influence, not domination. Power is for service. Authority exists to protect and serve — not to oppress.

In 1 Peter 5:2–3, leaders in the church are told: "Feed the flock of God among you, taking the oversight thereof — not by constraint, not for filthy lucre, not as lords over God's heritage, but as examples to the flock."

This principle applies beyond spiritual leadership — to government, to business management, to parenting. No human being has the right to oppress another. When people are given advantage — through political power, financial power, spiritual authority — it is given so they can serve, not so they can dominate.

The healthiest nations enshrine this in their constitutions. Human rights exist because God established human freedom as a divine institution. Any form of government that strips people of their dignity, their rights, or their freedom is operating against the design of God.

The Power of Personal Choice

God gave man the power of volition — the right to choose, the right to determine his own destiny. This is why God does not force worship. You cannot force love. You cannot force genuine faith.

God says: "I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing — choose life, that you may live." He presents the options. He names the consequences. But he does not overrule the choice.

Adam and Eve ate the tree — they chose. God did not force them to stop. The consequence followed the choice. And from that day to this, the choices of men determine the futures that follow.

Your future is not the result of what your parents chose or what society did to you. It is the accumulation of the choices you are making — and choices you will yet make.

The day you stop blaming other people and take personal responsibility for your choices is the day your trajectory can change.