The Root of Our Problems
Mankind will never be able to solve their profound personal and collective
problems through their own strength and wisdom. Mankind will never on their own
bring peace to this world. Mankind will never on their own be able to conquer
death, which is where we are all headed.
There is a God. We are the work of His hands. It is to Him that we must look
for the answers.
Can a leopard change His spots ? Can a human being change their human
nature, on their own ? Mankind's problems are deeply rooted in a human
nature, which is basically sinful. Selfishness, greed, lust, envy, jealousy,
hatred, vanity, covetousness and the striving for status in the group are just
some of the powerful motivating factors in human affairs.
Your Bible says that human nature can be changed. How ? Only God can do
this. We cannot change our natures on our own. Through Christ a person can
receive a new nature - the Holy Spirit. We can with God's help change. We can
follow the lead of that new nature. We can bear the good fruits of the Holy
Spirit in our personal lives, like love, joy, peace, patience, longsuffering,
gentleness, kindness, self-control, mercy and faith.
What about mankind's collective problems like warfare, the arms race, the
prospect of nuclear war, disparity between rich and poor, grinding poverty,
pestilence, environmental degradation, injustice, government corruption,
exploitation, family breakdown and crime ?
Can man's governments solve these problems ? Oh there are some things
that can be done for sure. Yes people can work on these problems collectively.
However, mankind on their own is not able to really come up with lasting
solutions here. This doesn't mean we should throw up our hands up in
despair, and falsely conclude absolutely nothing can be done on our own
regarding these human problems. There are things that can realistically be done
for sure, but there are limitations.
The real answer to good government must wait for Christ to return and set up
His world ruling government. Then wars will end and Christ will establish
justice and righteousness throughout the world.
In the meanwhile there are some things that can be done. We can support the
Jews in Palestine in their efforts to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem on the
Temple Mount. This is vital. We can support them in other vital ways, just so
they can continue surviving in a hostile world.
We can create a decent social climate within our own country, that will allow
for genuine Christianity to grow and prosper. Genuine Christianity thrives
within a free society, and we can deliver this. We can be a blessing to this
world in these perilous, corrupt end times. We can have a very big impact.
But let it be known clearly that there is only so much we can do on our own.
The real solution is the return of Christ and the setting up of the Kingdom of
God on earth. We are able to work so that there are a people prepared and ready
for His return. There is a lot we can and must do ourselves, but the final
solution rests with God. We cannot save ourselves. It is to God we must look to,
and have faith in.
24/12/08