The Kingdom of God: Conditions for Eutopia

The indispensable foundation for any good social organization, whether experiential or imposed, is the educated desire for God in his Heaven as the highest possible good, both individually and collectively. No atheistic or materialistic system constructed by ideologues has any chance of achieving harmony, much less of long-term success. Such attempts invariably devolve into totalitarian regimes and hellishly oppressive conditions wherein the citizens first lose their moral sensibilities, and then suffer and die unnecessarily. Economics alone cannot create a eutopia. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

The following conditions should guide the composing of any constitution for a eutopian society. And yet, we must remember that any society built by men can only be an approximation, a shadow of the true Kingdom over which God presides in Heaven. These ideas are merely earthly guidelines, intended to be a reflection of what Heaven must be like.

1. We assume that this life is not just a dress-rehearsal for Heaven. 

2. All participants voluntarily assent to cooperate for the common good.

3. We allow for each person to pursue their own best self-interest. 

4. We elevate the value of personal retention of moral integrity. 

5. We want to maximize morality for the pursuit of Love, Truth, Wisdom, & Freedom. 

6. We choose to accept short-term sacrifices for the sake of long-term satisfaction. 

7. We find purpose in participation and meaning in service. 

8. We work for an abundance of resources and goods for sustenance and health. 

9. Allow freedom of use over personal property, either for exclusivity or hospitality. 

10. Grant the rights to self-defense with minimum necessary use of force. 

We don't need a majority. We just need an alternative. When the world is revealed as bereft of human decency, any person posessing a heart with moral sense will try to look for a better way, to hopefully reform, or at least to get out of the oppressive system. Toward this end, God offered us the possibility of hope for the eventual arrival of his alternative: a Messiah who would crush the evil that oppresses us.

Then Jesus came among us saying, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life," and "Follow me, and I will make of you fishers of men." He presented us with the revelation of the Kingdom of God. He proclaimed an obviously better moral alternative to a broken society in which the marginalized and despised had no hope, where the poor struggled just to survive, and in which those who chose to compromise were declared outcast. He declared a forgotten Truth, that God had an infallible plan to bring people into a perfectly desirable society in a comfortable yet sustainable world.

The Kingdom of God on Earth begins with two dimensions: personal repentance and continual reformation of our individual character, and a reimagination of social relationships based on filial love and sharing to meet each other's needs. We sacrifice to love each other, working for our collective moral support and mutual service. Each of us contributes from our store of talents, doing whatever we do best, as diligently as we can. In return, we rely on the support and good will of those in our family, our circle of friends, and then outward into the wider community. It is our purpose to serve by contributing to the well-being of others, not measured by the achievement of a quota but by the needs of our beloved friends. When we see a need that is within our capacity, we step forward, because we know that they will do the same for us. 

Yet there remains a wider need in the world, beyond the circle of the community that we call "the Church." Jesus gave us the Great Commission, to go out into the world and proclaim the good news that God has a plan to save all of us from the corruption of conformity and compromise within a broken society. We have lost the moral integrity that we would have valued most if we hadn't been born into a fallen world. Without it, our personal dignity is a sham, as we know how each of us carries the stain of sin. Jesus told us to call others out of the world, offering them the good news of forgiveness and inclusion in the Kingdom, asking only for their repentance and trust in Him. When they respond, we begin to teach them the Way, showing them how we grow in love for one another, and teaching them the Truth of who God is and how He has planned everything for our salvation. Then, when they enter the community of the Church, they become one with us, and the Kingdom expands.

We do not really expect that we shall be the ones who achieve the perfect expression of the Kingdom of God on Earth. That seems most likely to remain elusive until our Lord returns to claim and rescue his chosen friends and family. And yet, we don't wish to disappoint Him by remaining idle and unproductive while waiting for Him. We know that He expects us to be building his Kingdom, in competition against the old World of fallen corruption. If we fail to rise to this challenge, what will He think of us? Of course, we will meet with resistance. The World hated Him, so we expect it to also hate us, and as He suffered, so may we. But when the Messiah returns to fulfill his remaining promises, He will show us how to complete the patterns that we have failed to understand. Jesus promised that He would bring a Kingdom that would last for 1,000 years, until the Father will bring the New Jerusalem and recreate our world to become a New Earth and a New Heaven. Then we will see how well we have served, and be allowed entry into Eternity. 

God willing. Amen.