Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Blessed Are Those Who See God in the Continuing Creation of Civilization

by Robert C. Frank

Just as the invisible gravity can be seen when objects fall to earth, our invisible God can be seen in the advancement of civilization. The whole purpose of God's Ten Commandments was to get the ancient Hebrews to work together peaceably and improve their civilization. The teachings of Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection played vital roles in the improvement of civilization, but human concerns related to the link between forgiveness and eternal life produced conflicts that slowed the advancement of civilization. The work of the Holy Spirit in the production of the Bible and worldwide Christian Church made major contributions to the progress of civilization.

If God is still creating civilization, it is fair to ask, what would that perfect civilization be like that is the goal of creation? It seems to me that a perfect civilization would be like a perfect human team. (1) Everyone would have a different function, but is considered equally important. (2) Everyone would be happy with what they are doing because it fits their skills and they understand how they contribute to the team effort (4) Everyone would understand the importance of the other team members, enjoy being with them, and respect their contribution. (5) Everyone would understand the goal of the team effort. As a result, they would all live happily together in peace and harmony as a perfect civilization. 

Today with the aid of science, the more than two billion followers of Jesus in the world are continuing to create better lives for all people. While we can’t see God, we can see how God is continuing to create that better civilization. We are all needed to serve as God's assistants on Christ’s Team.