Change the World

I recently received an e-mail from a friend that I felt the need to respond to and then as I wrote, realized that this message was not just for them. The context was one in which the person was calling for us to "move to a nobler goal - the ascension of humanity to a level of moral and ethical behavior based on love, trust and respect." These are truly noble goals, ones we should aspire to, yet when placed in a context outside of Christ, are impossible. So here follows my response:

"Most importantly, and you need to hear this from my heart, we will NEVER ascend to nobility as a race until we bow the knee to Christ. If I said otherwise to you, I would be hypocritical. If you hear me judging other religions, okay, but that's not what I'm saying here. Human beings have long proven their inability to rise above themselves as a race. I have seen evils done by ALL religions, and that is not the issue, or maybe it is. The issue is personal rather than societal or corporate or an organizational one as many religions (and by this hear organizations, not faith systems) have made it. Unless I bow my knee to Christ, then I have set myself up as my own god. The problem with self-made men, I've heard it said, is that we tend to worship our maker. I make a pretty weak god. Jesus never said come to me and hate everyone else. He did say I am THE way, THE truth and THE life, NO MAN comes to the Father but by me. Jesus never set up an organized religion, yet He held to the truth. The warnings about failing to bow the knee are both 'prescriptive' and 'descriptive.' In other words, they are not just a warning of judgment, they are also a warning of the consequences of our decisions. I have seen the impacts of this regularly. For example, in our local church we have many people in recovery, and I have rarely seen someone truly freed from the power of their addictions without turning to Christ and submitting their lives to Him. They have tried to place many things in that place as their higher power as it says in the 12 step programs, but nothing, not even self denial, has brought them the freedom that Christ does. When we submit ourselves to Christ, we get freedom. That submission does not come from praying a prayer, from joining a church, from submitting to worldly authority (though in its proper context, that too is important), it comes from submitting our lives to Christ. Christians who fail to act in areas of social injustice need growth. Scripture abounds with areas in which God tells us this. I have, however, begun to learn something that is new to me - mercy. One of my spiritual gifts is prophecy (not fore-telling, but 'forth'-telling). I have in the past been very quick to use that as a hammer to stamp out wrongs. I am learning, however, that all this does is attempt to destroy the bad without building anything life-giving. Part of what I am learning now is that social justice is more than undoing the evils - it is much more about showing mercy. The propet Micah says 'Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God' He doesn't just end with the 'do justice' part - mercy and humility are crucial to the true righting of wrongs. But I ramble here. Bottom line, the only way for us as arace to rise to true nobility is to fall from the pedestals of ourselves and submit to Jesus Christ. Only in this way will reform ever happen. And it doesn't happen on a national level first, never has, never will. It has to happen on an individual level."

"Over the years you have asked me to pray for you, your family, situations, and I have. But I have always wondered who you wanted me to pray to - Allah, Buddha, my ancestors, or Jesus. I have, or course, prayed to the One God - and I have prayed that you and yours would come to a saving knowledge of Him - I pray that now. Why am I responding to you in this way now, well, I'm not exactly sure, except that yesterday I challenged the church to talk openly about their faith more, not to hide it, to tell people the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and so your e-mail came perhaps as a divine appointment for me."

That was my response. We often hear calls that people, nations, or the world needs to change, to become better. The truth is that this will never happen without Christ. There may be people who read this and disagree, but what evidence do we have to show that people, left to themselves, can do it? This type of change can only come from the One God, working through those fully submitted to Him. That, after all, is the point. Jesus came to free us from ourselves, our sins and our weak attempts to rightly handle things with ourselves on the throne. He restores with justice, with mercy, and with grace. Who of us can do the same without Him?