As we look at our world, it’s so easy to grow discouraged, isn’t it? Wars, illness, political strife, international tension, and not to mention the more personal anxieties and disagreements and despairs we carry around each day. This world is broken, and it’s broken by the wickedness of man.
How does God deal with such wickedness? When we are wronged, our heart cries out for justice, for a setting right of all that is wrong. God’s heart does the same. His holiness demands judgment, and he will judge the world for its sin.
God’s solution to sin
That truth should cause utter terror to rise within us. After all, we are sinners—each one of us. Yes, we do some good things from time to time, but there is no amount of good we can do to atone for the bad we are deep inside. We are, like David, born in sin (Ps. 51:5). Sin is in our DNA, and we can’t do a thing to change it.
What, then, is the solution? If God is just and holy, our sin must be judged. There is no way around it. We ought to go under the flood waters, just like Noah’s contemporaries. And if we could see with clear eyes, we wouldn’t even argue. We are, in a word, guilty.
The solution for our guilt
Thankfully, God has provided a solution to our great problem. Though we deserve judgment, there is a remedy in the Son of God. Jesus came to live the perfect life we failed to live and die the guilty death we are owed to pay the penalty for our sins. His resurrection was the seal of our salvation, and by faith in him, we are saved from our sin. This is the gospel. This is our greatest hope. This is God’s answer to our great sin.
As we look at our sinfulness, it’s so easy to grow discouraged. But as we look to Jesus Christ, it’s so easy to grow encouraged. Our hearts lift as we behold and receive, by faith, the glorious gospel of grace. Our judgment day has already come 2,000 years ago. Our sin was—and is—a big problem. But God has remedied it in Christ.
Hope for all the world
As a result, not only is our heart comforted and assured, but we also find new compassion for the lost. The world simply has no hope without Christ. Once we find forgiveness in the gospel, we now have not only newfound peace but newfound humility. We know we didn’t bring ourselves into this new reality. God did it for us in Christ. We then have something to offer the world—the same gift we received.
So what are we waiting for? Why not share the gospel today. It’s the only solution to the world’s biggest problem, and it’s free for the taking.
This post is written by David McLemore, and is published as a companion to Unit 2, Session 3 of The Gospel Project for Adults Vol. 1 (Fall 2021): From Creation to Chaos.
