There has never been a time when a people, a nation, a civilization, or the church, could afford to be "mere men". Certainly our time is no different.

The apostle Paul addressed the members of the church at Corinth as "mere men":

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? - 1 Cor. 1-4

There were four reasons he referred to them as "mere men":

• They were worldly
• They quarreled
• They were jealous
• They followed after men

In recent days there are increasing arguments among Christians about leaders in the church and government. One side might care about the truth but the other side is more interested in defending the person or the personality. Christians that focus on mere men and not the nature of their teachings or policies are exactly what Paul chastised the Corinthians for.

A Christian is to judge all things by the nature and character of God. God's nature and character are clearly revealed in the Bible and the Bible (enlightened by the Holy Spirit) is the only standard by which a Christian can discern what's being taught and what spirit it is from. A Christian is to discern whether a person's teachings or policies reflect God's nature or human nature.

Civilizations come and go based on their ability to uphold principles that are fundamental to the nature and character of God. If a civilization forms its laws and governs by basing its principles on it's observations and instincts it is doomed to fail. Civilizations die when they follow men and not the Holy Spirit of God.

When a civilization bases its laws and continues to govern by the nature and character of God, however, it will not only survive, it will thrive. History is the proof of this.

Europe "died" a long time ago and America is dying for the same reason. It doesn't matter what you call the institution or civilization: without the blessing of God it will die.

It is the same for the church. Right now entire denominations are being split apart because their leaders are defending mere men and not rightly dividing what these mere men are teaching. Instead of defending the truth as taught by God in the Scriptures they are defending men! The children of God under their care are left to fend for themselves and wind up leaving the church, many times exhausted and disillusioned, even to the point of denying of the One that saved them.

As priests of God (all Christians are priests) we are to preserve the message of the Scriptures and pass them on in the same Spirit they were written. Misunderstandings about meaning should never come down to defending one man against another; the ultimate goal should be to ferret out the truth. Unfortunately, unbridled human nature (jealousy, envy, selfish ambition, etc.) often win the day and the focus becomes the man and not the Son of Man and His message.

The Spirit-filled, led and inspired church is to be the voice that influences the governing rulers, not the other way around. Without the influence of the Spirit-filled church the rulers are left to rule by instinct and political philosophy; or by dictate or force.

The Spirit of God will give wisdom to any who ask of Him. Let's all do so before it's too late.