United Under Christ
The Current Situation
We live lives that are wrought with fear, suffering, and great strife. The news and social media constantly bombard us with messages that cause fear, uncertainty, and dismay; however, we as Christians, are reassured that our future will bring about order, peace, and tremendous joy because of Christ’s work. While we must endure the tumultuous times until the Kingdom of God is consummated, we have peace through Jesus Christ that provides us the stamina to finish the work that God has begun in us (Php. 1:16). The Holy Spirit continues to empower us, day by day, to push through the strife so that the gospel message may be told to all. Each day, the Spirit provides for our needs, just as the Lord provided the daily Manna to the Israelites in the desert.
Fear not what the current times present to you but lean upon the true reality in which God revealed to us. The Lord is sovereign over everything, so we may have peace and rest, knowing that He is in control. He does not passively act according to our actions, but He is the engineer that has designed everything. He is the manager that absolutely ensures that everything goes according to His plan to each minute detail. Our trust is not upon this world but in Him alone.
While the institutions of this world will continually fail us, God will never fail us nor forsake us. While we Christians may have assurance in the Lord despite the fears of this world, what can we do to help others? Do the Christians have a message that speaks to the issues of the day?
Unity in Christ
So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
Galatians 3:24–29
God provided the law to humanity so that it may be a mirror, exposing the inability to be justified by works. Even in our best attempts, a person cannot live a life without sin. We simply cannot do it due to the sinful nature of humanity. Jesus Christ paid the price of our sin, that is death, so that we may be justified in the sight of God. It is not our righteousness that we are now judged by, but by the imputed righteousness of Christ.
Not only that, but it is by Christ, that each of the faithful has been adopted as an heir to the promise. The Scripture addresses the division of the people at the time of writing, which is unsurprisingly the same issues that exist today. We do have differences, but we have equality under Christ. Our differences do not hinder us from our faith in Christ, and it is under Christ in which injustice will be eradicated. But at the current time, injustice will continue to exist, due to the sin curse of humanity, so we look forward to the Parousia, in which Christ will return to restore justice through the consummation of the Kingdom of God.
Yes, we are different: male and female, rich and poor, powerful and weak, and all different ethnicities. As Christians, we look past these differences for every person is a sinner, that needs justification under Christ, and empowerment by the Holy Spirit to be conformed to the image of Christ. Every person, no matter their difference, has an innate value as they are created in the imago Dei, the image of God (Gen. 1:26).
Why So Many Problems?
Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Romans 1:22–32
The root problem for all of the issues we are facing is sin. We could spend days, if not years, or even lifetimes making a list of the symptoms of sin, but it is not necessary. All of the symptoms stem from the sin problem of humanity, but there is a solution. God is the solution, yet the world rejects this solution. The world looks toward lofty philosophies and false gods to solve their problems, but they cannot.
The philosophies are built upon foundations that sit upon the sandy ground, causing the faulty reasoning to fail. All reasoning must steam from the Truth that God has revealed to us. If we initiate our logic from faulty premises, then all reasoning following is also flawed. We must turn to the revealed Truth of God first so that we may have the proper ability to think and true wisdom.
The world worships idols of science, philosophy, and other created things. Much of the academic world has turned to human thought as their god, but that god is impotent and unable to save. The pagans continue to worship the created things instead of the creator. Yes, nature is beautiful, but that is only because of the Creator and He is so much more spectacular than nature! The idols made with human hands are but that. If one makes a statue out of wood, how is that a poweful god when the same wood was used to build a fire? It’s absurd that these lost people turn to such powerless things, but they are blinded in their sin. They cannot see the reality before them. Although God has made His Truth plain to all, they are unable to recognize such things due to their sin.
It is only by the gospel and God’s saving grace that the lost may see the Truth. Proclaim God’s Word to all, and pray for their salvation, so that they may receive His mercy and be empowered to stand against sin. As we are conformed to the image of Christ, the sin problem is lessened, but perfection in this world will not come until Jesus Christ returns to judge the world. Proclaim the gospel so that all may have faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
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