A friend asked me once, "I have believed in Jesus Christ and received forgiveness of sins through His redemption. Now that I am saved, what should my attitude be towards my country, towards society, and towards international problems? Should I take a passive stand and close my ears to everything, or should I actively participate in the solution to all problems?"
I have to admit that this is not an easy question to answer. It is a big issue. We cannot give an answer in two or three sentences. However, this matter does have a close relationship to our faith. In order to clarify this matter, I want to spend this chapter to briefly mention the proper Christian attitude towards social and political problems.
First, the Bible shows us clearly that Christ has to come to earth two times. The first happened in the past. The second has not yet come. During His first coming, He accomplished certain things. In the second coming, He will accomplish more things. We hope that He will come soon and that we do not have to wait too long. But He has His time. Christ is not apathetic towards all the social and political problems. But He has His time.
We can see from the Bible that in His first coming, He mainly dealt with sin, delivered the sinners, and dispensed a new life to them. In His second coming He will take care of the social problems and renew the political system. Our personal salvation was clearly settled at His first coming. Our nation, society, and existing systems will be taken up effectively at His second coming.
What Christ settled in His first coming has been mentioned in the previous chapters. We need not repeat them again. We want to look at the problems of our present situation, our country, and our political systems.
As Christians, we have certain stands and attitudes concerning these matters. However, we are not trying to solve all the problems. Only when Christ comes the second time will these matters be thoroughly settled.
We admit that there are many vices in our society. We cannot deny that our country has many needs. The system is basically unhealthy; there are numerous contradictions in our political framework. Tensions build up constantly on an international scale, and the future is gloomy. Modern youth are especially concerned about these issues. The more they ponder these matters, the more they are confused. Everywhere there are intelligent men trying to tackle these problems, and everywhere you can find more problems. Some wonder how man can survive on this planet in the next generation. Others study the global impact of food shortage. Then there is the question of the environment and transportation. People ask why there has to be crime and injustice and why the prisons are always filled with inmates. Others challenge the validity of class existence with some members of society being fed well while doing nothing, while others sweat all day only to find themselves in deeper poverty. Everywhere there are crises: between nations, between races, and between colors.
I admit that there are problems everywhere. On the one hand, man is busily enacting laws to prevent catastrophes from happening. On the other hand, the more laws man institutes, the more lawlessness runs rampant. Many issues are attacked and upheld with equal vehemence. Some people kill thousands of animals daily to satisfy the stomach. Others think it abhorrent to maltreat even the smallest creature. Because all these issues arise in our world, there is an endless train of questions passing through our minds daily.
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