The Warring Nature of Man and State - For you shall be as gods

“For you shall be as gods knowing (or determining for yourself) good and evil.” Because man wants to be a god, determining good and evil for themselves, lawlessness in society increases as the god-man rebels against the “rule of law”. The state, moreover, clashes with all others because it considers itself as ruler over man. These eventually clash with each other in a constant warfare for dominion. The quest for power by the self-determined god-man and the self-determined god-state lead to a secular humanistic society depraved of moral absolutes that over time destroys itself. This has been the pattern for thousands of years as nations rise and fall and shift in power.

“For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). This scripture takes us back to the beginning and reveals the treason of Adam and Eve. “For you shall be as gods knowing (or determining for yourself) good and evil.”

The first Adam didn’t have a fallen sin nature like you and me. No, in fact Adam was a perfect man. His sin was the highest of all, straight up rebellion against God. He wanted to determine for himself good and evil. He wanted God’s place of supreme lordship and sovereignty. He did not want delegated dominion over the earth but sovereign dominion over the earth. His treason threw the world in to chaos, warfare, and need of a savior.

Because man wants to be god, lawlessness in society increases as the god-man rebels against the “rule of law.” Not just rebellion against God’s laws but all laws that do not serve him. Man will even team up with others forming a united insurrection, this group we call the state.

I’ll never forget the conversation I had with a teenage girl. She told me, “I should not have to do anything I don’t want to do.” Little did she know that life itself would force her to do many things she would not want to do. Her statement reflected the same sinful nature within all of mankind, rebellion against authority. This rebellion against authority pits both man and state in endless struggles to answer the question, “Who will rule as sovereign?” Over every nation there seems to be a war in the spirit concerning who will govern. This warfare has been going on since Adam’s great treason against God.

Before the fall God gave man five blessings. Scripture says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion...” (Genesis 1:27-28).

It should be obvious that only the Most High Sovereign could grant such privileges. These blessings could only be delegated rights, or rights conferred. The great blessings of this scripture do not belong to fallen man or an organized collective of men (the state) but to the born again redeemed Christian. Yet, within every man is the desire to rule, to take dominion. The right for legal dominion, however, can only be obtained through submission to Jehovah’s rule of law. This is why Christ told His disciples to “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). To put the Kingdom of God first means to put first His government, His authority, His laws, His principles, His Word, and His lordship. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. To ignore His lordship whether as a man or collective of men (state) brings death and not life.

SUBMITTED TO CHRIST’S LORDSHIP

“And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:” (Deuteronomy 28:1)

NOT SUBMITTED TO CHRIST’S LORDSHIP

“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:” (Deuteronomy 28:15)

RESTORING ALL THINGS

Since the fall of man God has been working to restore all things back to himself (Acts 3:21). Scripture declares, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15). The word “become” ginomai means “caused to become.” The warfare for restoration is yet to be complete. Yes, the plan of salvation is complete in the shed blood of Christ but the restitution of all things is not.

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Christ is yet in expectation of the restoration of all things. Scripture confirms this, “From henceforth [Christ] expecting till his enemies be made his footstool” (Hebrews 10:13). This is why you the believer have been endued with power from on high and whatever you bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatsoever you loose on earth is loosed in heaven. Just as Jesus was anointed by the Holy Ghost to set the captives free so, with the same Holy Ghost, you are anointed to set the captives free and proclaim liberty throughout the land.

DIVISION OF KINGDOMS

The state is a collective of men. Going back to the beginning there was only one family, the family of God. There was only one government, the government of God. In the beginning it was God ruling over man. It was only after Cain’s rebellion that the division of kingdoms came into being. Cain refused to be governed by God and left to build the first city-state of man ruling over man secular government.

Because man wants to be a god, determining good and evil for themselves, lawlessness in society increases as the god-man rebels against the “rule of law”. The state, moreover, clashes with all others because it considers itself as ruler over man. These ultimately clash with each other in a constant warfare for dominion. This is the reason the state wars for control in every area of life.

The quest for power by the self determined god-man and the self-determined god-state lead to a secular humanistic society depraved of moral absolutes that over time destroys itself. This has been the pattern for thousands of years as nations rise and fall and shift in power. The only government that is destined for victory is the Kingdom of God (Isaiah 9).

The nation state, just as leviathan in Job 41 will fight with all its might for dominion even if it started out with the best of intentions. John Taylor Gatto discussing public institutionalism of state run education in “Dumbing Us Down” says that all institutions (including nation states) have as their first goal survival and continual growth. This is why we keep on seeing the battles to downsize government. Gatto says,

“Institutional goals, however sane and well-intentioned, are unable to harmonize deeply with the uniqueness of individual human goals. No matter how good the individuals who manage an institution are, institutions lack a conscience because they measure by accounting methods. Institutions are not the sum total of their personnel, or even of their leadership, but are independent of both and will exist after management has been completely replaced. They are ideas come to life, ideas in whose service all employees are but servomechanisms. The deepest purposes of these gigantic networks are to regulate and to make uniform. Since the logic of family and community is to give scope to variety around a central theme, whenever institutions intervene significantly in personal affairs they cause much damage. By redirecting the focus of our lives from families and communities to institutions and networks, we, in effect, anoint a machine our king.

Nearly a century ago a French sociologist wrote that every institution’s unstated first goal is to survive and grow, not to undertake the mission it has nominally staked out for itself. Thus the first goal of a government postal service is not to deliver the mail; it is to provide protection for its employees and perhaps a modest status ladder for the more ambitious ones. The first goal of a permanent military organization is not to defend national security but to secure, in perpetuity, a fraction of the national wealth to distribute to its personnel.

It was this philistine potential that teaching the young for pay would inevitably expand into an institution for the protection of teachers not students that made Socrates condemn the Sophists so strongly long ago in ancient Greece.”

KINGDOM LIVING

This struggle for dominion is the battlefield the Church of Christ and His followers have been placed. It’s obvious that unregenerate man is wicked and will stop at nothing to rule the earth. Here we are in the beginning of the 21^st century. There are wars and rumors of wars. Kingdoms are fighting against kingdoms. It seems the entire world is in debt bondages and economic chaos is around every corner. So what can we expect in the days ahead? To me it looks like some reset is about to take place. Man ruling over man governments are failing. This could be why the Holy Spirit has been stressing teaching more about the Kingdom of God. But amid high unemployment, political fighting, with millions losing their homes, and a sea of massive national debt we still have some good news. Jesus said, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

As a Christian you have an advantage that leads to victory. You already know that “apart from Christ you can do nothing” And just like John the Baptist you declare “I must decrease that He might increase.” You have the light of the Word of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit to guide your path and minister truth to your spirit. Don’t get caught in the pandemonium of this world. Avoid the entanglements with the kingdom of Mammon and his cohorts within the Babylonian system. Use the gift that God put in you. That special gift within you is your means of production. I wrote about this in my book “Kingdom Living.” Be assured, just like King David, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalms 37:25). Stand fast therefore in the liberty that comes from Christ alone.

Your partner,

Jonas Clark
www.jonasclark.com

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Jonas Clark is first a Christian. He has authored over 29 books, written hundreds of articles and recorded thousands of audios. Jonas Clark Ministries is an international organization reaching the world with the exciting gospel of Jesus Christ. Jonas is founder of Spirit of Life Ministries church, Hallandale Beach, Florida, the Apostolic Equipping Institute, publisher of The Voice magazine, president of the Global Cause Network and has preached in over 26 nations. He believes that all God's people are gifted to establish and advance Christ's Kingdom on earth. He is an advocate of private property, an unhampered market economy, the rule of law, constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion and of the press, and international peace based on free trade.