The Uncorrupted Life

Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely. – Lord Acton

“Corrupt” doesn’t necessarily mean to make evil. A corrupted file on the computer is not evil, it just quits working as it was intended. This same effect can be seen in men and women who come into great power. Notice that the correct quote is that power “tends to corrupt.” This implies that not all people will fall prey to the negative influence of power.

This thought occurred to me this morning as I was praying for President Trump. (Remember that we are commanded to pray for our leaders.) He seems to be one of a few Presidents (and congress-persons) who have not tended to be corrupted by the power of the office. He was lewd, crude and bossy before he was elected. He didn’t change much, although of late, I think he has grown into some of the restraint the office requires. And conservatives must applaud all he has done for religious freedom and economic revival.

Some others appear to have remained unaffected by the power: Abraham Lincoln, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush. These men were simple folk (more or less) when they entered the White House, and they stayed true to their principles. The media mocked each of them for their simple ways, but it didn’t change them. In fact, in the cases of Lincoln, Reagan and Bush, it served them well. The same cannot be said for Carter, but he was to his own self true, for whatever that is worth.

When I think of people like Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, or Jesse Jackson (Where is he?) I see what power can do to corrupt. These people live lives of incredible license and luxury, and they condescend to the rest of us as if they were one of us. Then they place demands on us from which they exempt themselves, sometimes openly, sometimes secretly. Their lives are corrupted in the manner Paul describes in his letters to the Romans and the Ephesians.

Politicians are not the only people who are subject to the corruption by power. Christians in this country are especially prone to the allure. I mean this in a different way than you might imagine. The power of wealth, that is the power to make our own way (like most Americans) corrupts our devotion to Jesus. I think many Christians have allowed their power/ability to make it on their own to corrupt their commitment to their Lord. Especially in America, we have it so easy that we forget we owe everything to Jesus.

The question becomes how one shows appreciation/love for what Jesus did. Jesus' command, “Do this in remembrance of me” regarding communion is only symbolic. What is the real remembrance? What is the real devotion? I want to suggest that true devotion involves living in remembrance, living as Jesus lived. That means a life of sacrificial giving and love for everyone, especially the ones who don’t know Jesus (yet).

It is wonderful when we gather as the church at Easter or when we share in the Lord’s Supper, perhaps shedding a tear when we think of all he suffered on our behalf. But we must go from that emotional gathering into our world with the good news announced by that suffering. . We cannot let our power – our ability to live comfortably – corrupt our devotion to the cause of spreading the gospel.  When I say, “spreading the gospel,” don’t think preaching; think living like Jesus. When Jesus shared the gospel, he met a physical need almost every time. We need to find our neighbors’ needs and meet them in Jesus’ name.

The Bible has much to say about corruption by the world (Philippians 2:15 for example). We usually think of this as being drawn into active sins – being corrupted by evil. But the Bible also says to know what is good and not do it is sin. Do not let the subtle power of comfort corrupt your faith. Be Jesus to a needy world everywhere you go every moment of every day. That’s the uncorrupted life.