Business Tips from a Christian Worldview

The C4 Principle Applied

Gerald R. Chester, Ph.D.

Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. (Acts 10:36 CSB)

The foundation of Christianity is the revelation that Jesus is the Christ and is Lord of all. This means that Jesus is sovereign over all jurisdictions and, therefore, delegates all human authority. Furthermore, all human authority is accountable to Jesus whether they know it or not.

Given the Lordship of Jesus, how does he reveal his will to each person? One of the biblical principles to guide us is the C4 Principle. C4 is an acronym for calling, character, capability, and commissioning. This principle has application in all five jurisdictions: self, family, church, workplace, and public policy. Here is a brief summary of each.

Self-government: Each person is responsibility to the Lord Jesus for his or her personal choices (Hebrews 4:13). There are no exceptions.

Family government: Biblically, a family is a male and female (biologically defined). Each family is responsible to and blessed by the Lord Jesus to procreate. This is part of the Creation Mandate (Genesis 1:26−28). Notwithstanding some infertility issues due to the fallen condition of mankind, each family is responsible to produce children who are self-governed under God (Deuteronomy 6). Implicitly, part of this charge is to help each child find and fulfill his or her divinely ordained calling. A tool to help with this is the C4 Principle.

Church government: In the New Testament era, Jesus is building his church (ekklesia) (Matthew 16:18). One of the commands that he gave his church was to gather to stimulate one another to “love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24−25). Love is sacrificially serving God’s purpose. And since good is a divine attribute (Luke 18:18−19), a good work is a work aligned with the will of God done in the ways and timing of God, and for the glory of God. The C4 Principle is a tool used to help the church obey this command.

Workplace government: All organizations are charged to align with the will of God (James 4:13−17). This implies having the right people in the organizations, that is, the people God has called to be part of the organizations. The C4 Principle provides guidance as to whom is called of God to be part of every organization and the role that each person should play.

Public policy: Even public policy officials are responsible to God to adopt and enforce laws aligned with God. Clearly, government officials need C4 to perform their duties and they need to provide a cultural context, through laws and policies, that supports the will of God in all jurisdictions.

It is common for people to presume that the C4 Principle is a tool to help discern their workplace calling, which it is. But it is much more. It is a tool to help all leaders and managers in all jurisdictions facilitate alignment with the will of God.

The ultimate end goal in every jurisdiction is to facilitate the right people serving the right people doing the right things in the right way in the right place at the right time and for the right reason.

Here is your business tip. Wise organizational leaders and managers understand the lordship of Christ and seek always to align with his will. They use the C4 Principle to help discern who is called to be part of their organizations and what role each person is to play. Consequently, the overriding consideration on every personnel decision is, what is the will of God? To presume to utilize any person outside the will of God is abuse to the person and harmful to the organization.