AS BEREANS DID

Distopian / Utopian and the Impact of Law

A number of years ago, I sat on a jury pool, where the prosecuting attorney queried the jury pool.

“On a scale of 1 to 5, how important is law in a perfect society?”

I was sitting towards the back of the group, so most people answered before I did, and this gave me a bit more time to ponder the question. When it came to me, I answered: “Zero”. Curious, the prosecutor asked me why zero. I replied that in a perfect society, there would be no need for law, seeing as it was a perfect society, where no one did anything wrong.

Imagine at that moment the others in the jury pool coming to realize that this would be true, and perhaps some of them realized the question was dishonest to begin with, leading the jury pool to believe in the necessity of laws even in a supposedly Utopian society.

The prosecutor modified his question by stating it in terms of a society seeking to be perfect, which brings up an interesting aspect in this regard.

If your “perfect” society is built on a foundation of laws that punish law breakers, where the punishment is severe, that being a death sentence for any infraction, you will have a “perfect” society where no one does anything wrong, but your perfect society will be Distopian. All members of society are motivated by fear; dread. Your law enforcement personnel will be more “Gestapo” than “Peace keepers.” The safest place in such a society is to be a member in good standing within the “Politburo.”

The “ideal” Utopian society would be one not under such draconian laws or legal system built around punitive measures regarding transgressions of the law. People would be motivated to be doing good in relation to one another, with a system of reward for doing good; not a fear of doing something wrong. This Utopian state though would require a population not inclined to do bad (evil) things injurious to the society.

Given mankind’s overall present condition, as pointed out by God in Scripture, this Utopian state is not possible. Mankind’s state of being is that of people with what is called a “deceitful and desperately wicked heart;” a “heart of stone” that understands only one thing about behavior, and that is that those who are caught doing wicked, evil things will be punished, severely.

Further complicating this Distopia is the unavoidable fact that even the enforcers of the law would themselves be in the same category as everyone else, possessed by an wicked, evil heart where they are quite aware that their position in society as one of the Politburo enforcers, effectively makes them immune to any prosecution of wrong doing as long as it can be made to look like they are doing their intended jobs within such a society.

This type of society is what has historically been the status quo. People adapt to it, even become comfortable with it, trying to make the best of it, all the while under the belief that no other, better way exists or could exist.

What no one talks about is that evil people, who wrest power for themselves, thrive in a dystopian system. A truly Utopian system would spell their ruin in this regard.

However, such a Utopian system of governance has its shortcomings.

It is predicated upon the cooperation of all parties to it. The closest any country has come has been the USA, established by men of faith, looking for the common good and self-governance based on the constituents being dedicated to the maintenance of that common good. But like as in nature, parasites are attracted to what is perceived as open ground for exploitation. On the other end of the spectrum are those who, through their inflated egos, believe that they are best suited for running things; being in charge, and deciding what is best for society as a whole so that they actively yet surreptitiously, undermine any system of such self-governance, then turn around and decry the failure was due to the flaws within the system.

When Jesus; God Incarnate came among His own, as prophesied, His own rejecte Him. They had an established order, where Jesus stated publicly that “All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. — John 10:8

He was their true and rightful King; their Ruler. But they were not going to give up without a fight, and they knew just how to manipulate the masses to rally behind them, despite the fear they instilled in them. The unspoken message was you either backed them, seeing as they administered the law, or they would subject you to the same treatment they applied to Jesus, using the law to their own advantage, manipulating the law; interpreting the law. Is it any wonder then that Jesus would berate them over their administration of the law, where they claimed and practiced obedience to it right down to the minutia of the law, tithing on the increase of even an herb garden, while ignoring the “weightier” matters of the law; justice, mercy, and faith; attributes they were incapable of embracing, being themselves among those with the deceitful and desperately wicked hearts of stone, whose only interest was their own aggrandizement and position within the Jewish society and social order.

God is preparing His governmental rule on earth where actual good people; those in possession of the “new heart” aka His Holy Spirit, are no longer subject to laws applied arbitrarily by people led by their own flesh; their evil, deceitful hearts of stone and unbelief. There is no need for them to be under and subjected to a law designed to punish evil doers, such as the old covenant law did. They are under another law, unlike any law ever found on earth; a law of faith and the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus that frees them from the previous law of sin and death, applicable only to those led by their self-centered flesh that seeks its own desires, often to the detriment of others.

In the end, it will be those led by the Spirit, in the kingdom of God populated by His children, only, where there will be no call for laws that governed the faithless and “lawless” who lived outside the jurisdiction of the law of faith and the Spirit.

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It is important that you understand; Everything on this blog is based on the current understanding of each author. Never take anyone's word for it, always prove it for yourself, it is your responsibility. You cannot ride someone else's coattail into the Kingdom. ; )

Acts 17:11

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