Word for Word
Like it or not, another presidential election is upon us. Just a few weeks from now we will be going to the polls and casting our ballots. We are fortunate that we live in a country where we still have the freedom to vote. Many people around the world only dream about this freedom that we take for granted. I would like to encourage everyone reading this to please vote! A wise man once said “if we don’t vote we have no right to complain about who got elected.”
With another election drawing near we would do well to take a moment and think about what it is we expect from our government. I wonder if we actually expect government to do too much. Let me explain. If we expect it to keep us safe from foreign invaders or police our streets that is something that our government can and should do. But it seems more and more people are expecting the government to provide things it could never hope to. Government can never make people moral, kind, or compassionate. There is no possible way it can change the human heart so as to remove all hint of racism, bitterness, or anger toward anyone. Yet, as we look at our country today, it seems we are expecting government to do what it simply cannot and it is unfair to expect that it could.
So how can these things change? The answer is quite simple and yet very difficult at the same time. It requires all men to be willing to admit they have a problem, a very big problem. One they can’t solve on their own. That problem is sin and everyone is afflicted with it. Romans 3:23 says that “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That’s the bad news. But the bad news only gets worse! Romans 6:23 says “the wages of sin is death.” So not only do we all sin but the payment for that sin is death. In this case it is not only talking about separation of our body and spirit at physical death but also eternal separation from God. Since sin demands death and all men have to pay that price we all have a serious problem!
That is where the grace of God steps in. Jesus came to this earth and took our place when he died on the cross. He took our sin upon Himself and endured separation from God for us. Second Corinthians 5:21 (NASB) says “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Does this mean that all men are free from the curse of sin now? The answer is no. There is only one way to not have to suffer eternal separation from God and that is by trusting Jesus Christ as your savior. Jesus said in John 3:16 (NASB) “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” When Paul was asked by the Philippian jailer “what must I do to be saved?” Paul said “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) It sounds so simple, yet, it is difficult because most people don’t want to humble themselves enough to turn from their sin and place their trust in Jesus.
It is only after someone trusts Jesus as their savior that a transformation can occur. The Bible says in Galatians 5:22 (NASB) that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” These are the very things that people want but are unwilling to follow Jesus in order to have them.
If we want to see our country and our world changed no government can do it. Only when men and women surrender their hearts to Jesus Christ as their savior will we begin to see a difference.
Pastor Duane Smith
First Baptist Church
