King David, who ruled three millennia ago is often considered the greatest king. He becomes an interesting model for us because he manifested the same human weaknesses as we all share. And yet, he represents victory over our human weaknesses to do good for the people, which we all desire to do. Even more significantly, it is worthwhile to benefit from his wisdom on leadership gained in his 40 years of governing. In his very last recorded words, he described the kind of leader who should govern:

The one who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:3).
King David described two characteristics that the ideal governing official would display:

1. Ruling the people with justice.
2. Ruling in the fear of God.

Truly, this would be a very special person, and these characteristics cannot be automatically expected of a mere mortal. Where do we, in fact, find this person? And is there any hope that we can we become such a leader?

Our Creator describes a process by which He can remake us into a person new and different than anything that could be experienced by human ability. It is described as being remade in our Creator’s image or remade in Jesus’ image. Our Creator describes the end result of this process this way:

He is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life] (2 Corinthians 5:17).

It means to be new and different than anything we ever were, new and cleaned up from the self-serving life that we began with, and to be better able to care for and serve others. It is this life that one of God’s servants spoke of when he described being:

fully mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28).

King David graphically described what accompanied this change in his own life:

He [God] put a new song in my mouth (Psalm 40:3).

Truly, this is a person who is made new, and has the capacity to be the person King David described:

The one who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:3).

But we must listen carefully to the context to understand the process:

Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life] (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Here, this process is described as being “in Christ”. Listen to our Creator’s description of the process:

For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

– that is, died to the goals of mere mortals – self-promotion and self-aggrandizement – instead, allowing the life of God to live through us, as we do so in obedience to Him, and as His instrument. God goes on to tell us what step we must take in this process:

Put to death what belongs to your worldly nature (Colossians 3:5).

He then goes on to describe and address those who have accomplished this:

You have stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new [spiritual] self who is being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of Him who created the new self (Colossians 3:9-10).

Hence, the new person:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

What is so special is that it is not just for some select few. It is available for all of us. We must allow our Creator to open the channel into our lives so that He can literally live the life of Jesus through us. Opening this channel involves embracing Jesus’ sacrificial payment for our sin that blocks our relationship with God. Jesus said:

I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).

Jesus is stating clearly here: “My death is the one and only payment for the penalty for your sins which separate you from your Creator.” As a result, we must embrace Jesus as our Saviour, thereby allowing God to open the communication channel between us and Him. And then our Creator elaborates on how we must use this channel of communication with Him to operate as this new person. It requires actively taking the approach that His servant described:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:19-20).

To understand how the new person can function differently, in reality, our lives can be broken down into hundreds of smaller decisions each day. If in making each of these decisions we should ask “How would I choose if Jesus was making this decision instead of me?” Then if I were to act precisely that way, whose life would others see? In reality, it would be Jesus instead of the person I previously was. Practically, we would truly be made new – a brand new person!

As a part of maintaining this valuable asset, we must continually resist the pull to enjoy the benefits that the power of office tempts us with. That is why our Creator reminds us:

For if you are living according to the [impulses of the] flesh, you are going to die. But if [you are living] by the [power of the Holy] Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will [really] live forever (Romans 8:13).

With the help of God living within us, we must put to death the temptation to assert lordship over our lives and our actions, instead allowing ourselves to become the instruments King David envisioned for the benefit of mankind:

The one who rules the people with justice, who rules in the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:3).

Becoming such a governing official, then, involves embracing the work of Jesus to break down the barrier that otherwise stands in the way of our relationship with our Creator.

The end result is:

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters (Romans 8:29).

This is the huge privilege we have to allow God to live through us as His instrument and to be the special kind of leader King David described.

APPLICATION TO THE STATESMAN.

Do I wish to be the kind of leader that King David identified to serve our nations in bringing the best quality of life to our people?

Am I willing to allow myself to be made into the brand-new person that King David and our Creator envisioned?

The post The Statesman Embraces the New Person Necessary to Govern appeared first on CENTRE FOR STATECRAFT.

Our Creator paints a wonderful picture of what to us mortals seems like an unattainable picture. He vividly describes the future of His Kingdom on this earth when He, through Jesus, will reign on the earth. That reign will be characterized by prosperity, justice and righteousness among other things:

The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and forever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:7).

Perfect justice will be fulfilled throughout the earth. Our evil enemy, who seduces us to commit evil acts, will be stopped, thereby allowing righteousness to prosper unhindered by human greed. Hence, evil deeds will cease to be inflicted by humans upon humans. Sharing and generosity will replace selfishness and hoarding. Wars will no longer exist. The groanings of creation from human mismanagement will be no longer.

Is this so unrealistic and out of reach that it should be dismissed as unworthy of consideration? I am convinced NO. Although, we live in a world of humans driven by their selfish motivations, I am convinced a proper understanding of God’s reign in His Kingdom can give us a picture of what could be achieved with the help of our Creator, and which we could work toward.

Importantly, I am convinced that reflecting on the Kingdom of God with Jesus’ earthly reign causes the Statesman to gain a picture of the world as our Creator intended it to be and to work toward elements of achieving that during this current era.

When William Wilberforce envisioned a world where humans had equal dignity regardless of race or social status, I am convinced it was because he had a picture in his mind of what life would be like when God took over and reigned over His Kingdom – where each person experienced the dignity of being created in the image of God. I believe this picture is what Martin Luther King had in his mind when he declared “I have a dream.” Rather than being a dream, I believe it was a picture of God’s Kingdom and of His intent for His creation. I believe that this picture is what Nelson Mandela had in mind when he dedicated his life to personal sacrifice so that the injustice of apartheid could be put away.

The dream or the picture was never perfectly achieved. Nevertheless, each of these visionaries moved us toward that picture. I am convinced that the Statesman can greatly benefit from studying that picture. That picture certainly represents our Creator’s desire for His creation, consisting of blessings which the fallen nature of mankind seeks to deprive us.

I am convinced that those we consider Statesmen have worked to improve our world based on a picture of the Kingdom of God under our Creator’s reign. Furthermore, I am convinced the one who would be a Statesman can greatly benefit by studying what the Kingdom of God will be like and asking God how elements of that Kingdom can be approached during this age of imperfection. I am convinced that the Statesman does not plan based on what can be seen but upon what can be envisioned while looking intently at the Kingdom of God. In fact, I personally dream of leaders looking at the Kingdom of God and committing to come as close as humanly possible to achieving that today.

There are several elements for implementing this: Looking at the Kingdom of God, studying it from God’s Word, envisioning it being implemented in one’s nation, and then the steps toward bringing it about. Let us consider the following elements:

Envisioning.  Seek to understand the picture God describes of His Kingdom:

Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on earth (Colossians 3:2).

Certainly Wilberforce, King, and Mandela had their detractors who viewed them as unrealistic idealists. Nevertheless, they saw something their detractors were unable to see.

Approaching the seemingly impossible. On one occasion, Jesus, in another context, expressed:

With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Surely, relying on the supernatural power of God to change hearts and circumstances can be expected to make a difference. God, speaking through one of His servants, reinforced this:

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

Instilling righteousness into the larger community. Note that the key ingredient of Jesus’ reign will be righteousness, and any effort toward achieving the vision His reign inspires must include efforts toward increasing righteousness, as the critical foundation. This is frequently referred to as spiritual awakening, where individuals are challenged to embrace the righteousness of Jesus and allow His righteousness to manifest itself through members of our community. This involves a critical mass embracing Jesus as Savior from our sins. The process of that spreading of righteousness was described by Jesus in a parable:

You are the light of the world … let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16),

thereby embracing the righteousness Jesus offers. The reality is that such spiritual awakenings largely underpinned what was achieved by Wilberforce and Mandela. Let us not as mere mortals imagine that we alone can change our nations into righteous communities in our own ability.

Beginning with us. We must embrace the righteousness that Jesus offers us:

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).

And we do that through accepting Jesus’ sacrificial payment for our sins:

He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The result of this transformation for our lives and all recruited through that spiritual awakening is:

For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

Motivating others to participate with us. Let us caution ourselves that any efforts during the current era must take into account that man’s fallen, sinful nature will hinder our efforts. And it is important to understand that our Creator uses imperfect instruments – humans who have a sin nature but who can have those sins forgiven through our availing ourselves of the forgiveness based upon our repentance and Jesus’ sacrificial work on our behalf on the Cross and His resurrection.

I am convinced the more clearly we can see the Kingdom of God, the closer we can come to establishing the world, with well-being for our people, that our Creator intended. And in the process, we can display the leadership of a Statesman.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE STATESMAN

Can I envision God’s Kingdom as a picture of what my society might be able to achieve with the help of God’s righteousness in my fellow human beings?

Have I led the way in creating the foundation that would allow my society to move toward the righteousness that would allow us to attempt to experience the righteousness which will underlie Jesus’ reign on the earth by embracing Jesus as my Savior?

The post The Statesman Is Able to Envision Our Nations as They Are Intended to Be appeared first on CENTRE FOR STATECRAFT.

Early in our exploration of statesmanship, I proposed four leaders I consider to have been Statesmen during the past two and a half centuries: William Wilberforce, Abraham Lincoln, George Catlett Marshall, Nelson Mandela.

Recently, we reflected on the importance of justice to the Statesman. As I have reflected further, I realize that what made each of these four into Statesmen was one characteristic: their fight for justice. What made these four into Statesmen was, in reality, their commitment to justice and their extraordinary fight for it.

William Wilberforce committed himself to the highly unpopular goal of abolishing the slave trade, and ultimately slavery itself. He invested his whole political life pursuing this. Year after year, he submitted bills to Parliament aimed at abolishing the slave trade, which were overwhelmingly defeated if even brought to a vote. He sacrificed his own political career to fight for this noble cause. In 1833, just days before he died, Parliament finally voted to abolish slavery. He never became Prime Minister, but I submit to you that he made a far greater impact than could be expected as Prime Minister. His fight changed not only his own nation but the course of history. It was his fight for justice for those without the power to fight for themselves that made him the great figure in history.

Similarly, Abraham Lincoln invested all of his political capital into the abolition of slavery. It was the vision of Lincoln to raise the dignity of all people, an unpopular idea even among many of his supporters. The British historian Lord Charnwood said of Lincoln:

“We may regard, and himself regarded, the liberation of the slaves, which will always be associated with his name, as a part of the larger work, the restoration of his country to its earliest and noblest tradition, which alone gave permanence or worth to its existence as a nation.”

Seemingly, neither the Emancipation Proclamation nor passing of the 13^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution were politically or militarily necessary in the short-term to the larger effort to hold the fractured nation together. However, Lincoln did not believe there was hope in the long-term for a U.S. that would maintain slavery.

What made Nelson Mandela a Statesman was his commitment to justice ‒ overcoming the injustice resulting from European invaders subjugating the original citizens and relegating them to second-class status, depriving them of the rights bestowed by their Creator.  He fought to overcome the injustice of apartheid, whereby 90% of the members of South African society were deprived of the same rights taken by the 10% that were descendants of those European invaders.

During 27 years in prison, he clung to a vision for his nation that was not quenched by the injustice he experienced. While imprisoned, he displayed the character that instilled a confidence among his persecutors that they could trust him to protect the rights of all parties ‒ including both oppressed and oppressors as his nation moved toward a more just society ‒ one that was not based upon one race dominating another but rather everyone experiencing the full benefits of being a human being.

When we remember that justice needs to be understood as fairness, we realize that we must include George C. Marshall. Marshall did not use the word “justice” as motivation in his original proposal for his reconstruction plan for Europe after World War II, which he presented in his address at Harvard University 5 June 1947. However, fairness is clearly a motivation. Through his efforts, Marshall sought to help Europeans overcome the injustice caused by a morally corrupt leader and followers who viewed some of God’s creation as more entitled than others, leaving many without even the right to life.

All four of these went beyond what was required of them to fight for justice for others who were in a vulnerable position.

Let us pause for a moment to consider the driving force for the justice that drove these leaders. It was especially well expressed by Wilberforce as he embarked upon his crusade:

“God Almighty has set before me two great objects — the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners.”

In digging deeper into his thinking and motivation, he clearly understood that our Maker created every human being with equal dignity and opportunity to reach our full potential. It was clearly this same understanding which drove Lincoln and Mandela, and apparently Marshall.

If we wish to make an equivalent contribution as Statesmen in the 21^st century, we would do well to meditate on the dignity of the human being as imbued by our Creator, which caused Thomas Jefferson to declare:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

God has instructed us:

“God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him” (Genesis 1:27).

This alone should be enough to severely warn us against depriving any human being of the immense dignity of being created in God’s sacred image.

As we continue examining these four heroes’ lives, their character and their values, we will learn valuable lessons for our own lives, leadership and service.

Personal Application.

In applying the issue of justice to our own leadership, and the pursuit of everyone experiencing full potential as human beings, we may ask:

• Do I have the passionate commitment to justice demonstrated by each of these four Statesmen?
• Do I need to increase my understanding of the dignity of God’s creation to be able to make the kind of contribution these Statesmen did?
• What holds back our people from reaching their full potential as human beings? What can I do to ensure that they overcome any injustice hindering them from reaching their full potential?
• Are there any groups lacking the capacity to access the full quality of life our Maker intended for them? Do we need to protect the sanctity of life, including for the unborn and elderly?

The post The Role of Justice in the Making of a Statesman appeared first on CENTRE FOR STATECRAFT.

I would like to pause with you and reflect on the issue of justice. The history of mankind consists of the powerful taking advantage of the weaker. I submit to you that there is no more helpless feeling than that there is no where one can go to receive fair treatment.

Furthermore, a primary purpose for Government is to ensure justice regardless of one’s station in life.

Where does the concept of justice come from? Of all the possible values we humans could desire, why is justice so important?

The character of God Himself personifies it:

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; faithful love and truth go before You (Psalm 89:14).

For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreign resident, giving him food and clothing (Deuteronomy 10:17-18).

We can learn much about the quality of justice God wants us to display by looking at this aspect of God’s character. There are probably more statements in the Bible about justice than any other quality.

God not only intends justice for His creation, He demands it. Nations are disciplined by God based on their implementation of justice. God Himself is just and He cares about justice for His whole creation. He demands justice by His creation. God speaking through the prophet Jeremiah:

This is what the LORD says: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and announce this word there. You are to say: Hear the word of the LORD, king of Judah, you who sit on the throne of David—you, your officers, and your people who enter these gates. This is what the LORD says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Don’t exploit or brutalize the alien, the fatherless, or the widow. Don’t shed innocent blood in this place. For if you conscientiously carry out this word, then kings sitting on David’s throne will enter through the gates of this palace riding on chariots and horses— they, their officers, and their people. But if you do not obey these words, then I swear by Myself”—this is the LORD’s declaration—“that this house will become a ruin” (Jeremiah 22:1-5).

Here, God is requiring justice by the Head of Government and by all who administer on his or her behalf. In other places. God admonishes:

For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and injustice (Isaiah 61:8).

He teaches us further:

Mankind, He has told you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).

One of God’s major instructions was:

Pursue justice and justice alone, so that you will live and possess the land the LORD your God is giving you (Deuteronomy 16:20).

God speaking:

The word of the LORD came to Zechariah: “The LORD of Hosts says this: Render true justice. Show faithful love and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the stranger or the poor, and do not plot evil in your hearts against one another” (Zechariah 7:8-10).

Thus, Solomon, when he became king, after having been groomed by his father David, implored God, said:

God, give Your justice to the king and Your righteousness to the king’s son. He will judge Your people with righteousness and Your afflicted ones with justice. May the mountains bring prosperity to the people and the hills, righteousness. May he vindicate the afflicted among the people, help the poor, and crush the oppressor…. For he will rescue the poor who cry out and the afflicted who have no helper. He will have pity on the poor and helpless and save the lives of the poor. He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious in his sight (Psalm 72:1-4,12-14).

This is the ultimate in justice  to make sure the most vulnerable in society are treated fairly.

Justice gives stability to the Government.

A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever. (Proverbs 29:14)

May we learn the same lesson and take this with all seriousness. Self-interest alone would cause a leader to work to ensure justice. However, there is a greater judge who holds us accountable.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10).

As leaders, the implementation of justice for our people will be very high on the list. Justice  will be reflected by our laws and the decisions of our courts.

How can justice ever be accomplished in light of man’s unjust nature? One need only look at the history of governance to understand the challenge. Our human history is littered with the powerful dominating the weak. We have examples of kings ruling over serfs with no rights, even the right to personal property.

No one is good—no one in all the world is innocent (Romans 3:10).

The prophet Jeremiah, as he walked with God, saw injustice, God instructed Jeremiah:

Roam through the streets of Jerusalem. Look and take note; search in her squares. If you find one person, any who acts justly, who seeks to be faithful, then I will forgive this city (Jeremiah 5:1).

Jeremiah’s response:

Then I thought: They are just the poor; they have played the fool. For they don’t understand the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. I will go to the powerful and speak to them. Surely they know the way of the Lord, the justice of their God. However, these also had broken the yoke and torn off the chains (Jeremiah 5:4-5).

‒ meaning that they had openly rebelled against our Lord’s requirements for them.

The human heart desires justice for his or herself but does not have the capacity to give it to others.

We have our Creator demanding justice from the governors who have hearts that can be expected to be naturally unjust. How can this ever be accomplished? It is only as those charged with administering justice submit every thought and action to the Author of justice. In the process, we must allow God to purge our hearts of injustice and then we must also encourage those administering with us to make the same commitment.

God has told us through His instruction manual:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:19-20).

for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons. (Romans 8:13-14).

To paraphrase, our ability to understand justice and to give it to others is evidence of our relationship with the Author of justice. Let us make sure we are beginning with that relationship in our own lives.

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