Our only hope is that Christ is faithful. And that He's good. He, Himself...Jesus Christ...is our only hope. For all the nations of the world, and each individual, this is true.
We all depend upon God, whether we acknowledge Him or not.
He created, He gave life to all which is, yet He provided us--His creatures--the ability to reason, even as to choose. Simultaneously, He also delineated and has for all time described to us the consequences--both positive and negative--of our thoughts and actions.
We're allowed a certain amount of liberty in proceeding according to what we consider "good." And despite that our choices don't actually have power to redefine or institute absolutes, our ability to reason also propagates revision of our own internal landscapes so to accommodate for any express, apparent inconsistencies and contradictions with what actually is absolute good.
Thus, the further we've wandered from God's ways, the more drastic have been the internal revisions of our perception both of ourselves and of Him. To such extent that when we are at our most depraved, we cast Him in entirely different light (or even attempt to ignore Him, altogether), so to attempt to make peace with our own wretchedness as being unwilling to forsake depravity and make peace with Him to whom we have become so opposed.
The further from truth we wander, the more we attempt to malign truth. Unto such a place of confusion as calling good "evil" and calling evil "good"--again and again, this has been the case, throughout recorded history. As it is, now.
Again and again, to extents that defy any semblance of actual truth, humanity has sought to intellectually and practically dethrone God so to make greater concessions for our own version of what is "good and right," thus considering ourselves wise to "reject" Him upon basis of offenses to "our sensibilities."
This does no harm to Him, but it utterly warps and completely contorts our own ability to reason soundly. Exponentially so (apparently). Because He is truth, ultimately. And He is the ultimate of all which is good. So, to reason against Him--whether due to short-sightedness, lack of understanding, inability to concede one's own wrongness, or howsoever else has arisen such a vast departure from all which right and good...?
That course entails oppositions to truth and to goodness, inherently. So, explicitly, moreover. Opposition to truth undermines all ability to reason--reason which isn't founded upon absolute truth is inherently flawed, inherently illogical as unsound, unfounded. Compoundingly so.
Thus, such course signifies dire spiritual and mental disorder.
As particularly regards consequences which God revealed to us, we can know that standing in such blatant opposition to Him ultimately completely destroys individuals (diseases proliferate and mental disorder increases), societies (family loses meaning and social structures collapse, while in-fighting and rioting increases), and nations (economic collapse, administrative breakdown, and invasions occur, etc.). To such extent that eventually--when opposition becomes ardent and utmost expressed in all manner of wickedness done even further to spite Him--the very land becomes increasingly unsettled by such wretchedness, beginning to "spew out" its inhabitants.
By whatever means land does such a thing.
And this is just part of the natural order by which all things have been created--these things merely arise as external responses, manifestations of our spiritual brokenness, spiritual wickedness. Even as diseases proliferate according to the manifestation of sin, then it's only a visible means of seeing how dire is the situation, spiritually--and all people suffer as a result of the sins of any, as we're not disconnected.
But do we repent, seeing these things become more manifest?
Do we turn from our evil--beg forgiveness and seek Him desperately, that He would heal us?
He said that's what it would take to be healed and for the land to be healed. But that requires forsaking all the notions, ideals, and so-called liberties which exalt themselves against God: forsaking them, mourning and grieving over having erred against One who is so utterly and completely good and loving...and turning to Him, completely--beseeching Him endlessly for forgiveness, for direction.
For help.
Individually, societally, nationally. Internationally.
Because, aren't we so much an international society, at this juncture?
Looking at a portion of how things were with Israel, before Christ's incarnation...
God apparently had long restrained the consequences of sin from greatly affecting (and obliterating) the people, the nation. He restrained the consequences of sin--just ponder that, alone.
Our God is long-suffering...in His patience with all the world.
So, when Israel was taken captive, was slaughtered, was left destitute and ravaged--the judgment come upon them was effectively only come as the Lord withdrew restraint, then allowing a portion of actual consequences of sin to fall.
He didn't go out of His way to make them suffer. And He didn't concoct something out of nowhere, as judgment--their particular suffering was only a partial, prescribed consequence of lives they'd been leading. God had only ceased to fully restrain the consequences wrought by their sin.
Just as, even now, He restrains both the evil we would perpetuate, internationally, while He simultaneously still continues to restrain the vast majority of consequences of the evil which has already been and which is still being perpetuated. The consequences are all laid out in Scripture--it's all been revealed, already, but He's just restraining so many things, still. Were He to allow the full measure of consequences due to proceed without restraint, no one would still be alive.
If our present punishment were to fit the crime, all would have long since been destroyed. Infinite crimes against an infinite being...by finite creatures. Whereas, His wrath is completely justified, and as He is a just God...if restitution is not presently exacted, then it will be at some point. In order for justice to be maintained.
Furthermore, enacted opposition to an infinitely pure and good Being constitutes an expression of egregious evil, in contrast. So, how could evil ever rightly judge that which is good? And, alternately, how would one who is wholly good neglect justice?
Along those lines, we can't compare ourselves against one another, unto self-justification--none of us are wholly good, we've all erred against God. And God is absolutely good. So, it's His measure which matters, and all the more given He's our Creator, and thus ultimately the owner of all which is.
He has prerogative, in other words, regardless and exempting commentary.
And He could have justifiably destroyed humanity for defying Him, in Eden. He could justifiably have destroyed even Noah and his family, in the flood. He could have justifiably chosen to allow us to self-destruct, even, ages ago--we definitely tend toward that extreme.
But He took on flesh, instead, and came to save that which is lost.
Despite that we refused to come to Him--to heed or to listen. And especially despite that we refused to love, which is the greatest of all which is right and good and justly due Him and, thus, one another.
But, God came and walked among us--talked to us, and revealed Himself even more plainly than ever. And He even offered Himself as sacrifice, so we could be reconciled to Him: We killed Him, slaughtered Him. And before that, He was mocked, despised, rejected, and abandoned by all. But He went willingly--even into the torment of bearing our gravest iniquities, and bearing the curses and diseases come consequence our defiance and blasphemies.
He willingly took all our ills upon Himself. He bore all our curse, knowing we were incapable of paying the infinite debt which was unavoidably due--infinite wrath wrought per our rebellion, a justice demanding satisfaction--He satisfied that, for us. An infinite Being paid the infinite debt of His finite creation. He willingly satisfied the just demand of that infinite retribution due for our infinitely grievous error against an infinitely good God:
Paid in full, for any and all who turn to Him, seeking forgiveness and salvation.
He did this, so we could be free from brokenness, from sin, from death, from the curse wrought by our own rebellion...free from our debt to Him. So we could be restored to Him. To fellowship. To worship. To all which is good and right. In Him.
None of us have the ability to repay what was due. Just as none of us have a means of warranting His incomprehensible sacrifice of love. None of us can in any way merit such sacrifice in our favor.
We can't and couldn't pay what we owe, despite that the debt is ours all the same. So, we either remain indebted to God, under wrath--refusing to seek Him and find reconciliation through Christ, then to endure eternal wrath--or we acknowledge our grievous errors as warranted wrath, acknowledge our offensiveness, and call out to Jesus with every fiber of our beings--pleading that He would have mercy, forgive us, save our souls, help us honor Him as Lord of all, help us increasingly do His will--thereafter become increasingly surrendered to Christ, under grace.
He paid the highest price to make possible that we could be reconciled into right relationship with Him: God incarnate--the Word become flesh--shed blood, became a curse, and endured death.
Holiness and Life, Himself, became a curse and entered death for us.
And He came back to life--death could not hold Him, it could not restrain Him. So, now, because of His sacrifice and resurrection and ascension to reign the universe, forever, we may experience forgiveness of sins and deliverance into eternal life--through, in, and with Him.
He is eminently willing to save.
But the status quo oft seems preferred to legitimate surrender to God. (Despite that surrender to Him will come, regardless whether here or hereafter--He will not be denied.)
Complete surrender means some very hard things, though, for all of us who are so very self-consumed and even social-minded. Ongoing self-denial is required, and He leads in process and development and enaction...meaning, also, we no longer rely on our own ideas of what's right and necessary, in regard both to ourselves and others. And surrender means doing His will, even if unto public destruction. And trusting Him completely, even as unto death. And ultimately through it, into life eternal.
All this, without expectation of reward or comfort in this life. And without expectation of acceptance or understanding, in this life. But always longing, instead, to draw nearer to Him. To know Him and His will more clearly, more completely.
Because, in His presence is all fullness of life. In His presence is joy unspeakable, peace unwavering, and love all-consuming. And His is a love which doesn't operate according to the nature of the flesh, as never does it pander to the flesh. His is a love which transcends...completely transcends. Unto absolute fulfillment, yet wholly of a spiritual nature.
Pure, chaste, and yet more consuming and fulfilling than any which the world could even begin to comprehend. Nothing like the world. Even though certain things of the world are shadows meant to, in their purest and most holy forms, provide a faltering approximation of what the truth of experiencing His blessed favor and presence actually entails...of joy, elation, hope, fulfillment, and all things spiritually and mentally good.
These are necessary points of note, as there are so many false interpretations and impressions abounding. But that which is like the world is not of God. And that which is of God is not like the world: The world is opposed to God, in essence and in nature. Even as the flesh, the carnal mind, are enmity against the Holy Spirit, against God.
Those don't intermingle: flesh and spirit. They don't mix. So, where there is mixture, there's error abounding. And the greater the mixture is of the flesh, the more debilitating and destructive is the error.
But even then, only Christ Jesus can deliver.
Those who are drawn to Him, He won't drive away. Those who seek shelter in Him, He won't cast out. And those who trust in Him will not be ashamed or let down. He saves those who cry out to Him, in spirit and truth, for salvation.
We can't work it up. We can't talk it out. We can't ordain it. We can't set up a bullet-point production.
But we can trust Him to do what He's said He will do, as we do what He's said we can and ought. We can pray to Him at all times, rejoice always to know the truth of His goodness and mercy, seek Him with all our heart, yearn for Him as our utmost necessity, and never give Him rest until He answers.
Because it's all Him. From beginning to end. And everything in between, ultimately.
He's merciful and gracious, or otherwise we'd have no hope. He's loving and is worthy of all devotion. While the commandment is to love Him...it's only what's due, it's only what arises out of knowing Him, when one's heart isn't wholly opposed to Him.
Seek Him early. And late. Just seek Him.
Whatever it takes.
Because He is willing.
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