Broken Teeth and Human Government

There's an odd crunch in your meal, something sharp and foreign in your mouthful of food, and then, of course, the gaping hole in your molar that your tongue quickly finds and can't seem to forget.

Year of meticulous brushing failed to prevent it. I don't have cavities, but apparently I have been bequeathed a set of hard and brittle chompers by my ancestors. Every so often, a piece breaks off of one—as happened recently. The inability to chew even the softest of foods drove me to the dentist, out of concern that I might be eating mush from a blender for weeks if I didn't. 

I now have three crowns in my collection, mute testimony to the fact that I am aging along with the rest of humanity. The crown is good; so is my dentist. I am pleased with the results.

But a crown will never be as good as my original tooth. And so it is with the world we live in: the original was paradise. It was just the way God intended, but we broke it. Now we live with manmade governments and organizations that attempt to bring order to a world that threw God-given order on the rubbish heap of sin and selfishness. The kingdoms of the world are better than chaos, however—the way that crowns are better than broken teeth. They provide a measure of comfort and security, and they allow us to function, but they are far from perfect. Aspects of self-governance may resemble, to some extent, the original plan—but it is not as durable, and it never quite feels right. There's a reason that dictatorships are overthrown and liberal democracies return to the polls frequently. 

The structures we have built on this side of Eden leave much to be desired. They tend to concentrate power in the hands of a few people who simply do not know. Even their best work is guesswork. Human minds regularly misjudge situations and people. We make unfortunate choices with unintended consequences, often making matters worse in our drive to make them better. 

And if you're really honest about it, one of last person on earth you'd ever want to stand trial in front of is someone exactly like you. If it was actually you judging yourself, chances are, you'd be far too lenient. If it was someone exactly like you—with your disposition and knowledge base—you'd know exactly how imperfect they are, and you'd question their objectivity.

But the alternative, on this side of eternity, is anarchy.

Of course, as a Christian, I know that I will eventually get new teeth, along with a new body. Every defective part that has plagued me for decades in this world will not just be retrofitted; it will be replaced. And as a Christian, I also know that the "kingdoms of this world" will become "the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever." (Revelation 11:15)

Bring on the new teeth and the new world, I say.