Unimpeachable?
As calendars rolled over to 2020, many speculated on what a new decade might bring to our world. What breakthroughs might we see in medicine, science and technology? Will we see advances in global trade, environmental health, and economic prosperity? Will new alliances be formed and treaties signed in pursuit of world peace?
Here in the United States, our country appears as politically divided as ever. This week House Democrats’ efforts to remove President Donald Trump from office took the next step as articles of impeachment were “processed” over to the US Senate.
Now Republican leadership must decide how to handle the trial. No one will be surprised if the resulting votes fall largely along partisan lines.
Sadly, most Americans view our political system as irretrievably broken. We have seen too many examples of leadership failures and moral bankruptcy. We expect politicians to be self-serving at the least and corrupt at the worst.
“Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men”[1] is Lord Acton’s most-quoted saying for a reason.
But observers of human nature know even powerless people are capable of corruption. One need not be in a position of authority to commit evil acts. Wielding power simply increases the strength and reach of wrongdoing.
Falling short of God’s standard of righteousness has been mankind’s lot since the disobedience of our first parents in the Garden of Eden.[2] Adam and Eve’s firstborn son, Cain, killed their second son, Abel.[3]
Three chapters following the record of the first transgression against a holy God we find this indictment. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”[4]
Jeremiah, the Hebrew prophet of old, summarized well the root of the problem. “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it?”[5]
God answers that question in the next verse. “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.”[6]
That serves as a sobering reminder that our best efforts to obfuscate[7] (muddy the truth) are futile. King David’s wonderful expression of God’s omnipresence and omniscience in Psalm 139 includes these words:
1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
Who among us is not tempted to stand in judgment over the foibles and faults of our fellows? Scripture often warns us of that danger, reminding us to deal with our own failings as a first priority.[8]
Our hearts long for leaders with integrity – at every level: in the family, education system, local community, as well as nationally and internationally. Expecting sin-bent humans to be paragons of virtue and demonstrate unimpeachable moral character is fraught with disappointment. “There is none righteous, no not one.”[9]
We should hold leaders accountable for failure to uphold the law and their sworn duties. But our “righteous indignation” and propensity to judge even before hearing the facts needs to be tempered with the humility that recognizes our own significant shortcomings.
In the words of the old Spiritual, “Not my brother nor my sister but it’s me, O Lord, standing in the need of prayer.”
Wes Taber, LIFE Global Ambassador
“Love your neighbor as yourself”[10] (the second greatest commandment) is expanded by Jesus to include even our enemies: "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”[11]
Scripture enjoins us to pray for those in authority over us.[12] Please join us in praying for world leaders, including those who are persecuting believers. And pray that truth and righteousness will prevail.
We would love to tell you how you can have “unimpeachable right standing” before God through His gracious provision. Check out www.insearchofshalom.com or contact us at office@lifeinmessiah.org.
[Check out our follow up blog, “Unimpeachable (But Doomed!)” which describes what God’s promised Righteous Leader will look like.]
[1] John (Emerich Edward Dalberg) Acton’s letter to Bishop Mandell Creighton was written in 1887 – the same year Life in Messiah began in Chicago.
[2] Genesis 3:1-7 (NASB quoted throughout). The text documents the first human effort at a coverup. Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings. Verses 12 and 13 document the first instance of blame shifting.
[3] The Genesis 4:1-9 account includes Cain’s lying to God rather than taking responsibility for his crime.
[4] Genesis 6:5.
[5] Jeremiah 17:9. God expresses a similar sentiment in 1 Samuel 16:7 – “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
[6] Jeremiah 17:10.
[7] Don’t you love how even vocabulary can be used to confuse understanding?
[8] Has anything Jesus taught ever been quoted more often than “Judge not and you will not be judged” (Luke 6:37)? We’re well familiar with His “log in your own eye” warning to those concerned about the speck of sawdust in their brother’s eye (Matthew 7:3-5). Paul asks, “Who are you to judge the servant of another?” (Romans 14:4).
[9] Psalm 14:1-3.
[10] Matthew 22:35-37.
[11] Matthew 5:44.
[12] 1 Timothy 2:1-4.