The Western world has given rise to what is the greatest civilisation in recorded history. In recent years, however, every effort seems to have been made to dismantle it—tear it down, discredit it, and reduce it to ruins. Yet for centuries, it stood as a beacon of freedom, prosperity, and moral order. Like any society composed of flawed men, it was not without faults. But compared to any other civilisation the world has known, it was light years ahead. Just consider that, today, people from every tribe and nation continue to line up for a chance to live in traditionally Western countries.

So what made the Western world so unique? There are several factors, no doubt—many interwoven aspects contributed to its success. However, one key element has largely been forgotten: the cooperative relationship between the Church and the State. History offers us countless examples of the dangers that arise when these two institutions either blur their boundaries or encroach on each other’s God-given roles. Problems emerge when the Church attempts to wield supreme political power, acting as judge, jury, and executioner. Yet even more dangerous is when the State takes on the Church’s moral authority, redefining good and evil based on whatever serves the State’s interests.

For most of history, societies had little to no distinction between their religion and their rulers. But within Christendom, as it developed and matured, a distinction began to take form, rooted in the Old Testament pattern, where the kingly line was given to Judah and the priesthood to Levi. This biblical model laid the groundwork for a clear separation of powers. The king was not the church, and the church was not the king. This distinction brought with it many societal benefits, one of which was that the State was never mistaken for a messiah. Its role was important, but limited. It enforced the social conscience; it did not define it. The concept of salvation, moral leadership, and calling society to higher standards was reserved for the Church.

But in recent decades, the Church has become increasingly sidelined—not because its role is any less essential, but because the State has taken upon itself the responsibilities once held by the Church. Charity, welfare, moral teaching, social relations, and community building are all now managed by the State. And unsurprisingly, the results have been disastrous. The State was never meant to function as the Church. For instance, where the Church once distributed aid through voluntary charity, the State now uses its one ultimate instrument: force. Pay your taxes—or face punishment. What was once an act of generosity is now enforced by law. This shift has led to ever-increasing government control over private property, to the point where many people effectively lose half their income to taxes and fees, only to become more dependent on the State for services they can no longer afford on their own.

But the civil government does few things well, and one thing it consistently fails at is pretending to be a civil messiah. It cannot make men good. Its God-given task is to punish evildoers, not to redeem them. The State is not a saviour for the people, and every attempt to act like one turns it into a threat to the people. It cannot save the people from themselves, because its ultimate point of persuasion is the end of a sword. The threat of violence may alter a man’s behaviour temporarily, as long as the threat is present, but it cannot produce lasting or meaningful change. Once that threat disappears, people revert to their natural state. The sword may control actions for a moment, but it cannot change the heart. For that, something else is needed—something the State is increasingly opposed to: a Messiah outside of itself.

For over two millennia, the Church has played a vital and transformative role in society by renewing individuals and families through the life-changing power of the Gospel preached. It has changed hearts, turning sinners into Saints—most notably seen in the conversion of the Apostle Paul. Through the Scriptures, the Church elevated standards of living, promoted Christian morals, strengthened the nuclear family, encouraged men to be devoted husbands and fathers, women to be loving wives and mothers, and children to honour their parents, respect authority, and grow into responsible contributors to society.

Is it any wonder that these values have eroded alongside the West’s abandonment of Christianity? It is no mere coincidence that the decline of the West just so happened to follow its decade-long militant de-Christianization. And yet, there is no returning the glory of our once-great civilisation without returning to that which made it glorious: Christianity.

Christianity was the bedrock—the foundation—upon which Western civilisation was built. Without it, the Western world as we know it cannot stand. A structure cannot remain upright without its foundation. And as it begins to crumble, disorder is the inevitable result. In the absence of the Church’s refining and stabilising influence, the State feels compelled to step in and enforce order. But it can only do so by force—through threats, legislation upon legislation, punishment, imprisonment, and the confiscation of property.

The State is no Messiah, yet in the vacuum left by the sidelining of the Church, it will inevitably attempt to become one, because every society needs a Messiah. Every society needs a Saviour. But without Christ, there is no true Saviour. History is filled with examples of nations without a Messiah and the chaos that results when governments or powerful individuals attempt to fill that void. The consequences are destructive and deadly.

Western success was, in part, largely due to the necessary and cooperative relationship between the State and the Church. The West possessed what no other nation had: a Messiah other than an all-powerful State. Those in power understood that the State was not the Messiah—it was a servant of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. However, a State without the Church will inevitably attempt to take on a messianic role. In a fallen world, humanity longs for salvation, and the deeper the need, the louder the cry for a saviour. Until the State recognises that it is not that saviour—and that Christ is—Western civilisation will continue its regression into paganism, lawlessness, and chaos.

The West thrived not only because Christianity transformed individuals, but also because it placed necessary restraints on the State, which constantly yearns to wield unchecked power through the sword. Christendom reserved the role of Messiah for Jesus, the High King. As long as the state respected Christ’s authority, acknowledging that its own power was delegated, and therefore limited by God, the West moved steadily toward freedom, prosperity, and human flourishing.

As such, there will be no return to the order that made the Western world great until the State renounces its messiah complex—until it acknowledges the limits of its God-given power and once again recognises that Jesus Christ alone is the Saviour of mankind, in this world and the next.