The Hope of Humanity

Author: Spencer Lloyd

If 2020 taught us nothing else, it taught us that most everyone has an opinion and most everyone who has an opinion believes theirs to be right. Unfortunately, when I consider a thought like this, I am reminded of a saying from high school, “opinions are like armpits, everyone’s got them, and they all stink.” If that old quote seems offensive to you, it could be that this blog post is the antidote needed to soothe the sting.

In the last 18 to 24 months, humanity has witnessed any number of causes to rally behind, and the purpose of this blog post is not to support or condemn any of them, overtly. However, it is the point to offer the only lasting cause to rally behind—the true Gospel. I qualify with ‘true’ because all of these other causes being propagated on the Earth now are being put forth as an archetype of the Gospel that will bring reconciliation and redemption to certain portions of mankind. The problem is that they won’t. No matter how noble a cause may seem, it is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And only the Gospel of Jesus Christ will truly bring redemption and reconciliation to all of humanity. In fact, unless a cause is bringing reconciliation to ALL of humanity, is it actually bringing reconciliation; can it really be redemptive? Only the Gospel can make such a claim.

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he writes, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:6-7). These words could have been written to the Church today. The Gospel seems to have lost its pizazz to the 21st Century church. Evidently, salvation for all humanity is not compassionate or inclusive enough to keep relevance. Today, much of the Church has turned to another gospel that looks like man trying to solve the problems everywhere he looks. Hear me, I am not saying the Church should not be involved in solving the erroneous affairs of men, but I am saying Paul could as easily write to us also what he wrote in the third chapter of Galatians, “Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” The Gospel is the whole answer. It is the only answer.

The fact is that all these answers the Church and those outside of the Church are producing to ‘solve’ our problems are just manifestations of Romans chapter eight:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now, and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:18-23 ESV

All of the causes, movements, and organizations are just manifestations of the preceding passage of Scripture. All creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God—this is the redeemed walking in the fullness of the Gospel. Creation was taken hostage, and it has had enough. All creation is inclusive of all of humanity, including and especially unredeemed humanity. The parades, the marches, the banners, the soapboxes, all of it is creation groaning for Christ’s glorious church to be revealed as who She really is. Paul even accounts for the continuing in the flesh that was begun in the Spirit that he addressed to the Galatians when he writes in this Romans passage that “not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly.” That groaning has looked like failed attempts at reconciling creation to Christ. But all those attempts will fail—every single time. Trying to solve problems outside of God’s plans has been happening since Jesus walked the Earth. The Sons of Thunder did as much when they were ready to call down fire on a town that did not receive Jesus. The same spirit is in operation when we are endeavoring to establish the Kingdom apart from the King’s perfect plans.

The correct response when injustice is revealed in society is to lean into the heart of the Father and ask Him what the solution is. We have the promise in Scripture that He will answer us:

But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 12 ESV

The answer is simple. This does not mean it will always be easy, but it is simple. We must stay connected to the Heart of the Father, through the connection provided by the Holy Spirit, paid for with the blood of Jesus. When we do this together as a unified body, we will be unstoppable. Only then will the prayer that Jesus uttered in the garden of Gethsemane be answered, and only then will we see His Kingdom come on Earth as is in Heaven.