There is no government which has delivered people completely or in a lasting manner. Mankind is not evolving upward, and despite our growth in knowledge, we continue to spiral in how we treat one another. Opportunism is the story of humanity, and even religion has followed this sad trajectory. To be sure there have been some good leaders and humane people in history, and at certain times mankind has experienced fundamental freedom. But by and large we have sadly performed, because our root issues are not economic, governmental, or have we demonstrated ability to perfect religion (of whatever kind). The Jews had the best shot at representing God the Father accurately. Reading Romans 9:1-5 helps us to understand this. “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” But look what they had done with what they had been giving. Matthew 23 is chilling regarding the human, religious (or non-religious) heart. A couple of lowlights (Matthew 23:15,33): “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves…“You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” Strong words for any of us who misrepresent God for our own purposes. Check out pages 21-23 from Kingdom: Finding Our True Selves. Worth thinking about.
