I don't think I have ever seen so much upheaval in our world during my lifetime as I see going on lately. COVID-19...man being suffocated by a police officer...riots breaking out all over...destruction of statues...and I'm sure there are things I'm missing, too. My Facebook feed is filled with different opinions about all of this, and I have my own opinions to be sure...but regardless of what side you fall on in all of this...or what you think the solution is to it all...you have to agree that there have been bad decisions and actions on all sides. And why is this the case? Because we're sinners...each and every one of us. Everything we do has been tainted by the fall. Sinners will murder...sinners will destroy...
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands;
no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
no one does good,
not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave;
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they have not known.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Romans 3:9-18 (ESV)
Any human attempt at solving a problem will fall short because we're sinners. So, does this lead us to hopelessness? Should this lead us into a fatalistic mindset that just sits back and does nothing? Certainly not. We can and should certainly do what we can to try to fix things on a legislative level...but for the Christian, this cannot be our ultimate hope. Our hope is found in Christ...
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
I Peter 1:3-9 (ESV)
For the person whose faith is in Christ, our hope is secure. We have an inheritance that NOTHING in this world can take away. One day, everything that is sad will become untrue...
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:1-4 (ESV)
This is our hope in the midst of this crazy world. We can have joy and hope in the present because we know that God doesn't waste any trial. It is all a part of his sovereign plan to make us more like Christ. But we also have the future hope that all of this turmoil will one day cease. Justice will reign...peace will reign...and there will be joy for the Christian in the presence of our God for all eternity.
So, don't despair Christian brother or sister of any race...your hope is secure...it is fixed...it cannot be taken away...no matter what happens...
And, for the unbeliever who is reading this post...in your current state you are truly hopeless. Any attempt you make to save yourself will accomplish nothing. But this is where the Gospel of Christ comes in.
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:4-9 (ESV)
The Gospel calls you to repent of your sin, and trust in Christ. Trust in what He accomplished for you on the cross. And when you do this, the righteousness of Christ will be imputed to your account. So God will no longer see you as a sinner, but as a saint. You will be robed in the righteousness of Christ, and the eternal hope I mentioned above will be yours. So, won't you come to Christ? He is the only source of true hope...
Comments