You Can't Change; No, You Can't (Part 2)

"Yes we can to justice and equality... Yes we can to opportunity and prosperity."

These concepts, as spoken by Sen. Obama at the speech in the video from the last post, represent admirable foundational ideals for government. We all want a government that is just and treats citizens with equality; we all want laws that allow for opportunity and that encourage prosperity. Though we certainly have differences of opinion on how to achieve these things, what American would say that we wish government to be unjust, unequal, to restrict opportunity, or to encourage poverty?

Though governmental officials regardless of religion should strive for justice and equality- should promote opportunity and prosperity- it should be obvious that these goals cannot be perfectly achieved by human effort. Due to selfishness, we all fall short of these goals personally, and so all human societies fall short of these goals as well. Justice is based upon truthfulness and we all, at some time or another, have lied out of personal convenience or ambition rather than telling the truth. We have all, in certain ways, failed to promote equality, practicing favoritism instead, based upon selfish personal preferences. Laziness or love of pleasure restricts our opportunities and caps our ability to be prosperous. These tendencies are not only harmful to others, but they are dishonoring to God, our Sovereign Creator. As beings made to reflect God's image, when we practice injustice, we wickedly portray God as less than just; when we practice inequality, we promote the idea that God shows favoritism.

God, who is perfectly just, will exercise justice toward all individuals and societies. He will condemn injustice, inequality, laziness, lying, and selfishness. But in His mercy, God has sent His Son to die on the Cross, bearing the condemnation of all who will believe on Him. He has raised His Son from the grave, and Jesus is now sitting at His Father's right hand in heaven, offering eternal life to all who call out to Him for mercy. Jesus will return and establish a perfect kingdom on this earth, a kingdom in which there is equality between every people, language group, tribe, and nation, a kingdom in which true justice is administered, a kingdom in which there is more than just an opportunity to live according to the purpose for which we were created, but where we are empowered to take full advantage of this opportunity. In the coming kingdom of Christ, prosperity will be so great that the streets will be paved with gold.

Though we can, and should, find ways to improve conditions here and now, we must recognize that we cannot make these changes perfect; we need someone with the power to make these changes- we need a Savior. Dear reader, I plead with you to call out to Christ right now and ask Him for the change in your life that You desperately need.