This episode highlights potential abuse of power by carnal Christians in government. Sanctified believers identify substantially with Christian values and motivations, and the wisdom that characterizes their decisions is pure, gentle, reasonable, and without hypocrisy. (James 3:13-18) On the flip side, James warns believers that “strife and selfish ambition” are the fruits of earthly, natural, and demonic wisdom. Paul calls Corinthian believers “mere men” because their carnality was evident in strife and jealousy. (1 Corinthians 3:3) Taken together these Scriptures are a sobering reminder that Christians can operate according to a demonic agenda when they engage worldly and carnal values. Coupled together with the corrupting allure of power, carnal Christians in government tend to operate according to wisdom that is “earthly, natural, and demonic,” instead of the wisdom from above, that is “pure, gentle, reasonable, and without hypocrisy.” Partisan and demonizing rhetoric from professing Christians in government underscores the prevalent carnality that is sadly justified by an appeal to Christianity. A so-called “Christian state” would only exacerbate the present hypocrisy.
