It is said that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This phrase is recalled in political discussions, usually used to indicate that government officials can not be trusted, because they are in a position of power and therefore, they must have been corrupted.
However, I think this phrase is wrong. The basic meaning may be correct: as people gain more power, their actions often becomes more corrupt. However, to say that power corrupts means that good people will become corrupted by power: that power is the actual agent of corruption.
Natual man is already corrupt, there is nothing needed to make man corrupt. So power does not cause corruption, but power can expose corruption. As a person gains more power, he find himself less and less under authority (at least, less under human authority) or capable of evading authority (at least, temporarily). With no checks on his behavior, his corruption can reign free with no one able to stop him.
The difference between power corrupting and power allowing corruption is important. If a man is not corrupt (in other words, if he is a Christian and therefore has a new nature), then there is no corruption to be exposed. There might be a temptation to misuse the power, but a Christian has the power, from God, to resist that temptation.
So, in terms of politics, government officials are not necessarily corrupt. Like the rest of us, whether or not they are corrupt depends on their relationship with God.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment