Religions have a big job to do—to help overcome the
tendency of man to self-destruct. Jesus
was born to save mankind. In advent we
anticipate his coming. After
anticipation, however, comes the verification.
Has Christ actually helped save mankind? On an individual level, the answer must be “yes”
as many individuals testify and evidence salvation. But as to society as a whole, to Babylon as a
whole as it were, it is more difficult to attest to salvation. The Christian nations have their ample share
of dysfunctions. And Jesus yearned for
righteousness on the societal level as he once looked down upon Jerusalem : “And when he drew near and saw the city, he
wept over it, saying, “Would that you, even you, had known on this day the
things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes” (Luke
19:41-42, ESV). It seems that
especially nationalism gives rise to destructive pride and its sidekick blindness
that block insight. At the national
level, abstractions robe gross unrighteousness in glittering garments of
patriotism testifying to the fact that we must think well of ourselves. Christianity focuses on salvation as an
individual matter—it doesn’t matter if your mother and dad were saved, this
does not automatically obtain to you.
You must be saved individually. Even
with this stress on the individual, we must certainly pray for a time when the
spirit of the nation can be more reflective of the spirit of Christ. We need to anticipate but verify on both an individual
and societal level.
Print Page
