Category: Kingdom Government

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Faithful in Small

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

Luke 16:10

Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.

Matthew 25:23

This is a very simple statement that basically seems like common sense. When people are talking about “Kingdom Government” we can get all kinds of ideas about what that idea is. However, at a very basic level, you really don’t need much more philosophy than this. If someone does a good job, then promote them. If they don’t do a good job, then don’t promote them. It’s really that simple.

In reality, we do currently need more structure in our governments than simply this philosophy about being faithful in small. One of the main reasons for that need is that some people try to take over and make sure people who do a good job don’t get promoted. They do this so they can maintain control over people and resources and because of the perception that there are only so many places to be promoted into. This belief is definitely a lie and I’d call the subsequent behavior dictatorial behavior.

In God’s Kingdom though, people get promoted when they do a good job. God alone decides the timing of such a promotion, but it’s a guarantee. If you are faithful in small, you will be given more. If we want to imitate God in our government, we will be fair to people and continue to promote them as long as they are doing a good job, even if they begin to outshine us.

If you feel like a small person because your position is low within your organization, do not despise the day of small beginnings. Whatever responsibility you have, do it with all your heart. Do an amazing job. Be faithful in that small amount of responsibility. If you do, God will promote you in due time.

While entry into God’s Kingdom is not based on merit, assignment of responsibility is based on merit. If you are faithful in small you will be given much.

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Innocent Until Proven Guilty

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”

– Matthew 18: 15-16

This passage typically has one more verse attached to it when we read it, verse 17. For the sake of this particular discussion, there are a couple things I want to point out about verses 15 & 16.

Jesus makes a reference to Deuteronomy 19:15 here. The cited text is about being convicted in a court of law. It says:

One witness cannot establish any wrongdoing or sin against a person, whatever that person has done. A fact must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

– Deuteronomy 19:15

We see here that if there is one person that actually saw a crime committed and even if that person is not at all confused about what they saw, one testimony is not enough to convict someone of a crime unless the person that committed the crime confesses. One witness isn’t sufficient evidence to convict. This implies that you need evidence to convict, not to acquit. When nothing has been “established”, acquittal is the default.

This tradition of “innocent until proven guilty” is a great tradition that is consistent with the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, the Lord of all the Earth. As far as its origins within our culture, I’d guess that the Bible was a part of the process of creating it.

Regardless of the reasoning, we that know God know that His ways are trusted whether we understand His reasoning or not. Nonetheless I will speculate a little bit as to why, in God’s Kingdom, the accused are innocent until proven guilty.

It seems likely that God defaults to accusing nobody in the absence of hard evidence because God has respect for human life. Why punish someone that might be innocent? We are His masterpieces (Eph 2:10). He loved us so much He sent Jesus, God in the flesh, to die on our behalf. He clearly treasures us and is intent on preventing any one of us from meeting a justified conviction, let alone an unjustified one, and the punishment that would come with it.

This doesn’t mean we should be casual about investigating crimes. When a loved one has been betrayed, it is quite appropriate for us to consider finding out what happened to them to be a matter of urgency. However, this idea of “someone will pay for this and if nobody confesses, everyone will pay for it” isn’t in line with what we see in these verses, although it is common in corporate America, from what I understand.

In verse 15 Jesus is advocating for people to just confess their sins openly without having to be confronted by 2 or 3 witnesses. However, in the event that people choose not to opt into living in the light (1 Jn 1:5-7), we are called to be those that choose to opt into the light in our own lives by being real about what we know and what we don’t know.

Whether someone is a Christian or not, this principle of “innocent until proven guilty” is a blessing because of how it protects people, and in particular, people that are innocent. Here in the USA, let’s continue seeking to live in accordance with this righteous way of life.