Believable Hope

Is the USA “the hope of the world”? If so, we’re in big trouble.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love my country. It has a lot going for it.

But to say this country is “the hope of the world”—as a politician did several weeks ago at a national convention—is a little over the top.

Talking about hope is all the rage this election cycle. And hope is a good thing. But if our hope is in the wrong thing it will be a sad thing. A disappointed hope.

In his book “The Audacity of Hope,” Presidential candidate Barack Obama sees a future that involves repairing a “political process that is broken” and restoring a government that has fallen out of touch with people.

Amazon.com asked Obama to summarize the main idea of his book in a follow up interview. He said it was, “Get involved in an issue that you’re passionate about.”

Passion is good but, unfortunately, passion by itself doesn’t save the day. We live in a day of political polarization. The right and the left are full of passion. But they seem more intent on destroying each other than on governing effectively.

Now hold it right there for just a minute. If that’s the case, where can we find hope?

What people desperately need is the true Man of Hope. And according to the Bible, Jesus Christ and his church are the hope of the world. Jesus is the real deal.

The hope offered in Christ is a peace that Jesus said is “not of this world.” It involves a complete reconciliation that cannot be found anywhere else on the planet—reconciliation with God and with our fellow man.

The hope offered by politicians and governments is the absence of conflict. “Peace” treaties don’t actually bring peace. All they bring is the cessation of war. Ending hostilities doesn’t automatically end conflict. Anyone that’s been in a schoolyard fight knows that.

To end conflict requires changing the human heart. And the only hope of changing the human heart is the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ.

The good news is that, even though we can’t meet God’s standard of goodness (the Ten Commandments), God provided a way for us to be forgiven. And what a plan!

Jesus Christ met God’s standard perfectly. But on the cross he took sin’s punishment as our substitute. God accepts that and forgives us when we repent and turn from our sin.

Then the Bible says, “If any man be in Christ he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.” And if you have ever met someone who is truly converted, the change is remarkable.

What about the church? In the New Testament book of Acts we see a church focused on serving God and serving others. They proclaimed the simple gospel of Jesus Christ: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” Lives were changed. Needs were met.

What the church does that’s unique is offer Jesus Christ to the world. And when people turn to Christ they find hope where they were hopeless.

In the church people find a community that accepts, loves and encourages them to be all that God made them to be. When a church is working right it’s an amazing place!

No church is perfect. But we have a perfect Savior, Jesus Christ. Through faith in him we have peace with God and man, joy in our hearts and the forgiveness of sin.

All of that plus God’s promise of eternal life--now that’s a hope you can believe in!

Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!