Justice, Freedom, Truth, Change

On this election eve as our President-elect mesmerizes his worshipful adorers with compassionate-and-gracious-sounding words, I am tempted to make a post about the current U.S. political and economic situation (as I sometimes do). I say, "tempted," because I think that doing so at this particular moment would be sinful for me. Sinful--only because I would be doing so at the neglect of something I believe would be more glorifying to the Lord Jesus and more edifying to any of his people who might be reading.

The news of this day was guaranteed to disappoint. Neither of the two possible outcomes was satisfactory, and none of the satisfactory ones were possible. We live in a fallen world, so we should expect this, shouldn't we? And if we expect it, then why is it disappointing?

Most people deeply long for Justice--even Christians. I have often wondered why. Considering the immeasurable benefit of salvation which we have received through mercy, it seems odd that we should have any affection for mercy's antithesis. So why do we?

We long for Freedom. Even for Christians, who have Freedom in Christ from the eternal effects of sin, something is still lacking. Why do we have such a strong desire to be Free?

We yearn for Truth. We would like to be able to believe what we are told. We would like to trust and be trustworthy ourselves. Why is Truth so important to us?

We long for Change. Though the only changes we see seem to be for the worse, we continue to imagine transformations in ourselves and all of those around us.

Why do we do it? Why do we desire these things? I believe and hope, because at the root of it all there is a God-given hunger even in the heart of sinful and unrepentant man for God to be glorified as He ought to be. I hope that we desire for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. I hope that we desire Justice because He is Just and will remake us in His image so that we require no additional mercy. I hope that we desire Freedom because we desire complete and eternal Freedom from our sin and its effects. I hope that we desire Truth because He is Truth and because we are weary of being lied to, and of being liars ourselves.

I hope we long for real Change and to be changed... for His glory.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?" The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.