To Check the Hubris of Leaders – Law Matters: The Law and the Nations (4)

To Check the Hubris of Leaders

Law Matters: The Law and the Nations (4)

Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. Acts 12:23

Few vocations seem more designed to promote hubris on the part of men than that of political office. “Power corrupts,” Lord Acton declared, and that corruption begins in the heart which becomes lifted up and filled with its own high esteem.

God, we know, is not mocked (Gal. 6:7). Just as Herod brought the judgment of God down on himself through his haughty usurpation of God’s glory, so politicians in every age have, by their hubris, invoked judgment on themselves and on their nations.

Over and over in the Law God justifies His demands with the simple declaration, “I am the LORD.” By this He intended to remind Israel that, as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of men, His Word is final, whether or not men agree or can tease out all the rationale for it. Whenever men presume to go beyond God’s Word, or when they fail to give it full obedience, they, in effect, put themselves in God’s place and declare that they are the final arbiters of matters concerning right and wrong, truth and error.

This problem is especially pronounced when it becomes the practice of a government, for then all the citizens of the nation are led into the path of stumbling as well. Christians must not hesitate to explain to their political leaders that God is still on the job, that His Word is still in force, and He still refuses to be mocked by the prideful presumptions of sinful and disobedient men.

For a practical guide to the role of God’s Law in the life of faith, get The Ground for Christian Ethics by going to www.ailbe.org and click on our Book Store.

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In the Gates is a devotional series on the Law of God by Rev. T.M. Moore, editor of the Worldview Church. He serves as dean of the Centurions Program of the Wilberforce Forum and principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He is the author or editor of twenty books, and has contributed chapters to four others. His essays, reviews, articles, papers, and poetry have appeared in dozens of national and international journals, and on a wide range of websites. His most recent books are The Ailbe Psalter and The Ground for Christian Ethics (Waxed Tablet).

Scripture quotations in this article are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, (c) copyright 2001, 2007 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.