Student Ministry - January 2022
We live in an amazing time in history. Never before in the existence of the world has there been less poverty, less infant mortality (not counting the atrocity of abortion), less hunger, longer lives, and healthier lives. But what is odd is that simultaneously there has never been more open expressions of depression and anxiety amongst people in the world. We live in the best of times and the worst of times. And I’m afraid that even us in the church can accidentally lose sight of how salvation benefits us and how it rescues us from the darkness of this world. We often either bemoan the fallenness of creation, or we revel in the amazing advances of society that we get to enjoy on a regular basis.
As we enter the new year, I think it important to focus on the glory of our salvation, which is freely given to us in Christ. We cannot be overwhelmed by the world, for we are more than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:37-39). And we cannot succumb to the temptations of the world, nor think that the world’s solutions are ultimate, for we were bought from the world with a great price (1 Cor. 6:18-20). So what do we need to do? We need to look to Christ and the blessing of His salvation that we so easily take for granted. We need to revel in the awesome power of the blood of Christ to rescue us both in the present and future.
Why do I bring this up? As I consider this world and the upcoming generations, it has become clear to me that many, if not most, people do not feel a need for salvation. If they need something, they buy it on Amazon and have it there the next day. If they feel lonely or bored, they get online, text someone, FaceTime with someone, watch a movie, or play video games with people from all over the world. If we are sick, we go to the doctor, and, for the majority of the time, we are cured of our ailment. Things that would necessarily mean the end of your life a hundred years ago simply require routine out-patient procedures today. All of this amazing advancement in technology and ability to manipulate how we live makes it more understandable for younger generations with limited life experience to simply not see the great need for salvation in Christ. What is there to be saved from when most of the problems in life can be solved through medicine, technology, and next day delivery?
That is a great question. And anyone reading this can point out many things that medicine, tech, and fast deliveries have not and cannot solve at all. Ultimately these things cannot solve the deepest and most important problems in life. They are mere band aids compared to the reality of hatred, injustice, self-destructive heart motives, and death. From these flow symptoms like anxiety and depression, which are the number one felt-need problems facing the world today. Our biggest problems are practically ignored while we medicate ourselves with the internet, instant-gratification, and literal medicine.
But salvation! Salvation in Christ is THE solution! Christ is our hero who saves us from loveless lives, wickedness, unholy hearts, and death. He kills the power of all of our problems! How does He do this? Really the question is, how did He do this? It has already been done. All we have to do is trust in what has been done for us. He has already killed the power of sin when He took sin into Himself on the cross and dragged it into the grave (2 Cor. 5:21, Romans 6:1-11). They thought they slayed the Lord of Life that day. But the Lord of Life took sin and death and put them into a tomb and left them there! The power of your hate, wickedness, wrongful suffering, internal sinful desires, and ultimate death is dead (1 Cor. 15:50-56). In Christ, you can overcome these things here and now, and you will overcome death and live eternally. As the writhing serpent of anxiety, depression, anger, jealousy, lust, and greed tries to wrap itself around you as you go about your days, just look to the Savior who has already stomped that serpent to death. You are a conqueror in Christ, so remain in Him, because He has saved you.