The Kingdom Is Not of This World
What Scripture Says About Humility and the Lust for Power
All three Abrahamic traditions carry a striking and consistent warning: those who seek worldly power in God’s name are not serving God — they are serving themselves. The scriptures don’t whisper this message. They shout it.
From the Qur’an:
“As for that [happy] life in the hereafter, We grant it [only] to those who do not seek to exalt themselves on earth, nor yet to spread corruption: for the future belongs to the God-conscious.”
“Do not walk upon the earth with proud self-conceit: for, verily, thou canst never rend the earth asunder, nor canst thou ever grow as tall as the mountains!”
From the Old Testament:
“This is what the LORD says: ‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight.'”
“The LORD tears down the house of the proud, but he maintains the widow’s boundaries.”
From the New Testament:
“Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave.'”
“Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.'”
Across Torah, Gospel, and Qur’an, the message is remarkably unified: God’s favor does not rest on those who climb to power and claim divine sanction for their rule. It rests on the humble, the just, and those who serve others rather than themselves. Any movement that wraps political domination in the language of faith has, by these scriptures’ own standards, already lost the plot.