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In a world where everyone craves “peace and safety,” they are looking everywhere else but where it is truly found – and so wind up with neither. Our present world is in deep trouble far beyond merely the weather or the nastiest flu season in living memory. It is saddled with many juvenile political fantasies overwhelmed with economic malaise thanks to the abject legalism connected to those same political fantasies. Closely connected, our all-knowing political leaders of the world have created an extremely depressing atmosphere politically, religiously, spiritually, and psychologically – all in the face of potential nuclear war or another world war.

Yet, incredibly, so many want to “save” the world and “clean up” the planet even though they do not believe in salvation or sanctification. They want a clean environment but do not want to clean up their dirty minds, activities, or behaviors. People with sex for brains are paranoid about overpopulation and pollution. They want to tame the beasts of their dark religious dreams and replace the biblical worldview and ethics with their own nature worship cult of sustainability.

In so doing they pass policies that constantly restrict the economies of the world, particularly with regard to energy – which will only make saving the world even more unaffordable than it was yesterday. The so-called Great Reset is all being masterminded by the very folks who have already catastrophically foisted upon us staggering national and international debts across the board that are so astronomical they are literally as high as the heavens. Yet in the face of such economic absurdities, bureaucrats, politicians, and lawyers have become cultic date setters predicting a fiery end to the world if their ecological policies are not politically pursued. Even more foolish, they still believe in human progress, which is just a counterfeit eschatology leading to nowhere.

In other words, the fallenness of the world is very real. It is not just a theological or biblical theory, but rather something very experiential, if not even empirical. What is needed is not more legalism, more bureaucracy, more laws, more lawyers, more politicians – but lots of grace as was the case in both the Old and New Testaments. As such, while Psalm 4:6 points out how “many” may say, “Who will show us any good,” yet the psalmist quickly reminds his readers, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep, for You alone, O LORD, make me to dwell in safety (4:8).” Neither was such a reminder any kind of religious mysticism or mere political idealism. In his younger days, David was a wanted man often chased through the desert and surrounded by jealous enemies. However, by grace, the Lord was David’s Shepherd who led him through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23) – which He did more than once.

Very similarly in the New Testament, the apostle Paul confirms in the book of Ephesians, “But now in Christ Jesus, you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace (2:13-14).” Peace and safety are very human needs and concerns, but cannot be had through mere horizontal perspectives in which its philosophical, scientific, and political doctrines/ethics are all “weak through the flesh” as Paul warns us in Romans 7-8. Even better, the cross of Christ is also a fact of history based on previous prophecies, not a religious ideal or mystical dream, but something already accomplished in which the sins of the world have been paid in full by the sacrifice of Himself once for all as it often says in the book of Hebrews.

Peace and safety are granted by God’s grace through faith in His word, not through the self-righteousness and pride of religious and political activism. Paul thus humbles us, but also encourages us greatly, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life (Romans 5:6-10).”