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In a world torn by war, famine, economic instability, family
conflict, disease, and disaster, people need hope. When a person has
hope, his life has meaning and purpose, and he can overcome
incredible hardship.
A brilliant psychiatrist and observer of human
nature, Victor Frankl was a Jewish survivor of the German
concentration camps. As a prisoner living for many months on the
knife-edge between death and life, he witnessed time and again the
essential human need for meaning. He noted that survival in the camps
wasn't as dependent on physical strength as it was on the possession
of a deeply felt reason to live. He observed that prisoners usually
died if they lost hope and had no purpose for carrying on.
What hope does our world have? For most modern
people, hope can't be separated from a dream for a new age. Humanity
is facing so many crucial problems that only a radical break from the
destructive ways of the past seems capable of offering solutions.
Francis Schaeffer wrote, "People are
hungry for something which will give them hope in life. . . . They
are also afraid. Things really do seem hopeless, even on the level of
everyday life with its threats of a lower standard of living, . . .
of famine and ecological disaster, of devastating war. And they are
looking for any answer" (Whatever Happened to the Human Race?
p.148).
People who do not put their hope in God have
no alternative but despair as they think of the future for mankind on
planet earth.
The teachings of biblical Christianity
reassure people that death is not merely the absurd ending of a
meaningless life.
What is the reason for biblical hope? Biblical
optimism is founded on faith in a personal God who is in ultimate
control of the universe and who gives meaning to history. Although it
maintains that the present earth can never be entirely purged of
evil, it looks forward to the time when it will be replaced by a
flawless new heaven and earth (2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21,22).
The Bible also teaches that life in this world
is worthwhile. The apostle Peter, though writing to Christians who
were experiencing persecution and anticipating worse times ahead,
encouraged them to be good citizens, to be compassionate and humble,
and to keep alive the expectation of better times in this life (1
Pet. 3:8-4:19).
The Christian faith promises everlasting life
to those who believe in Jesus Christ. The personal God we meet in
Genesis 1:1 as the Creator of all things made us in His image (Gen.
1:26,27). He loves us so much that He became man in the person of
Jesus Christ, lived a flawless life, died an unjust and shameful
death to make possible the forgiveness of our sins, and broke the
power of death through His bodily resurrection.
The apostle Paul, writing at a time when many
who had seen Jesus were still alive, declared that believers can be
confident of the reality of their own personal, bodily resurrection
because of the concrete fact of Christ's resurrection--a fact His
readers knew to be true (1 Cor. 15:1-8,12-20).
Jesus said that we must become like little children
(Matt. 18:3). To do that, we must lay aside our prejudices and adopt
an attitude of openness, honesty, curiosity, and faith in God. Such
childlike trust leads to supernatural assurance, answers to prayer,
awareness of God's presence, and an inner peace that can't be humanly
explained (Matt. 7:7-11; 28:20; Phil. 4:6,7).
Christ's Path to Fulfillment
Believe in the personal, holy God of the Bible
who is distinct from His creation. Recognize that you are spiritually
helpless and lost apart from God's mercy. Experience God's
forgiveness and love by accepting Christ's offer of salvation. Admit
your struggles with sin and depend on God's Spirit to enable you to
do what is right. Grow spiritually by trusting and obeying what God
has said through Christ and the Bible. Experience the joy of
fellowship with God now and anticipate complete fulfillment in
heaven.
We as Christians are citizens of two
worlds--this one as well as the one to come. The Old Testament
prophets and the apostle James cried out for social justice (Amos
5,6; James 5:1-6). We believe in the God who inspired the writing of
Psalms 127 and 128, which extol the blessings of human love and
family relationships.
Why bother with a world that is passing away?
A misuse of biblical prophecy has sometimes fueled the misconception
that we should think only in terms of the world getting worse and
worse, and that we will not experience times of improved conditions.
Some Bible students have concluded that the Lord will surely come
during the present generation. This scenario presents no incentive to
work for justice nor to preserve our beautiful planet, which the
Creator has put into our care.
The coming of Jesus Christ is imminent: It can
happen at any time. But the Scriptures give us no ground for date-setting,
no ground for looking at the current scene and concluding that Christ
will surely come very soon. Jesus made it clear that His coming will
surprise people (Matt. 24:36-51).
We should therefore live with practical
concern and optimism, planning for the well-being of future
generations. Although every day should be lived with the realization
that it may be the day of Christ's return, we should also be wise and
unselfish in our God-appointed stewardship.
Our hope rests solidly on our confidence in
the personal God who proved His love supremely in Jesus Christ (Rom.
5:8).
Jesus said that we can be spiritually reborn
as we put our faith in Him (John 3:1-21). Our need is not to realize
our imagined godhood but to be reconciled to the real God. Our aim
should be to experience the joy of a personal relationship with the
One who made heaven and earth (1:12; 17:3).
Jesus is the true source of personal
transformation, fulfillment, purpose, and meaning. We must reject
Satan's counterfeit forms of spirituality. We need to accept the
truth that we deserve judgment for sin, and that Jesus Christ, the
one and only Son of God, died for us.
Curtis
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