I don’t doubt that America could use some economic, political, and societal changes for the better. What that would look like I’ll leave to others. But when Jesus was on the planet He rarely spoke about those large-scale changes.
His plan encouraged radical INNER change. How serious is the human condition? Fatal, I’m afraid. So the Christian message is NOT “Give your life to Christ.” Instead, He offers to give His life to us. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23)
So that’s where Christianity starts—with a complete life transplant. A new life like Jesus, because Jesus lives in you!
For those who accepted this offer, their mission was to find others wanting deep-down-in-the-heart change. Soon that change would spread far and wide, one person at a time.
Did it work? It certainly did! Wherever it went, it elevated women, liberated slaves, built hospitals and schools, and improved the lives of all who responded to the offer. It especially brought “joy and peace in believing.” (Rom 15:13)
But somewhere along the line that idea of profound and personal inner change morphed into Christians trying to alter the world through political involvement and social pressure. Instead of fishing for souls, we decided to drain the swamp. The problem is—you can’t make a real difference IN the world if you aren’t really different FROM the world!
A.W. Tozer opined, “Modern Christians hope to save the world by being like it, but it will never work. The church’s power over the world springs out of her unlikeness to it.”
The church traded the power of the gospel for popularity in the world. It’s been a disaster.
Matthew Parris, a former British Member of Parliament, grew up in what is now Malawi, south-central Africa. After making a trip back there in 2008, he wrote an article in the London Times. It was titled “As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God.” He wrote:
“Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.”
He continued, “Whenever we entered a territory worked by missionaries, we had to acknowledge that something changed in the faces of the people we passed and spoke to: something in their eyes, the way they approached you.…Christianity…with its teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God…offers something to hold on to for those anxious to cast off a crushing tribal groupthink. That is why and how it liberates.”
Some confession for an atheist! And some solution to our own “tribal groupthink,” no less than in Africa. The message of Christ is clear. “Everyone who practices sin is a slave of sin.” (John 8:34, NET) Then He added, “If the Son sets you free, you will be really free.” (v 36)
Political parties can’t fundamentally fix what’s ailing us. Will we choose freedom in Christ or slavery to sin? These are the only two real options for America.
Article by Jabe Nicholson first published in the Commercial Dispatch, Saturday, September 21, 2024.