What contribution have we made? – Saint Lucia News Voice

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16)

Saint Lucia, like the world, is going through upheaval and changes of all kinds. While we continue to celebrate Liberation Day and other national holidays to reflect on our history and honour the great achievements of athletes such as Julian Alfred and Darren Sammy, Nobel Laureates and many others, there are many aspects of daily life that are disturbing and cause great concern. Crime, violence, undisciplined behaviour by students, drivers and others, stubborn refusal to dispose of waste in accordance with regulations, noise pollution and many more things can be added to this list.

St. Lucia, like all liberal democracies, is increasingly pluralistic in religion, philosophy, political ideology and choices in social life. This has led to many contentious disagreements and controversies. In this column, I am interested in the contribution of the fundamental teachings of biblical Christianity to our lives, even though I am aware of the historical crimes of political and capitalist Christianity. This is a religious article, not a sociological analysis of the impact of the church in its many manifestations. Not even concerned with different sectarian views within church groups. And certainly not concerned with the positions of other religions. We are a liberal democracy where every citizen is free to choose how to live his or her life.

Those who accept the Bible as the revelation of the Creator God acknowledge that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). As converted believers, they can no longer indulge themselves in worldly indulgences, because they know that everything in the world “is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 5:16). For devout Christians, it is necessary to distinguish themselves from the lifestyle of the society around them. They are commanded “not to be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).

Yet Christians should not wallow in self-centered isolation. The Lord Jesus responded to criticism for being friendly with sinners by saying that He did not come “to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). He declared Himself to be “the light of the world” and encouraged His followers to be “the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Our risen Savior calls each generation of disciples to play a thoughtful, responsible, and recognizable role in their communities. “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:15, 16).

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The biblical Christian position is that God is light, love, and truth through Jesus Christ. This world is filled with darkness, hatred, and deception. It is a dysfunctional, fallen world filled with sin and rebellion against God. While we point to social poverty as the primary cause of crime, the biblical position is that man’s hatred of God and His commandments is the ultimate explanation for cruelty, abuse, murder, and all crime. Sin is the ultimate lawlessness.

Since Christ’s ascension, God has chosen to enlighten the world through His faithful Church, based on the authority of the Bible. Despite the apparent divisions and sectarianism of Christianity, despite its failures, the true Church is unified and indivisible. This Bible-based Church carries Christ’s mission with a message of hope and salvation. “… we are ambassadors for Christ, as God makes his plea through us; we implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

The church is the custodian of the Bible, which, despite the imperfect nature of its secular members, is the revelation originally given by the Creator God to the prophets and apostles. Despite all criticism, faithful believers have a responsibility to demonstrate the power of the gospel, which centers on the Savior, the incarnate Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. If the Christ of the Bible is not the absolute center of the life and doctrine of the local church, there will be apostasy and no true church. “Neither is there salvation in anyone else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

We exhort devout Christians to make valuable contributions to our communities in accordance with biblical standards. To be loyal in word, thought, and deed to family, friends, employers, and social acquaintances. To hold religious and political views, but not to use them as idols and divisive weapons. We pray for the courage to speak out against obvious sin, injustice, and religious hypocrisy, and to encourage higher moral standards, while continually striving to practice what we preach.

New generations must be taught to find and adhere to the eternal standard of biblical Christian attitudes that are lacking today. Secularization, worldliness, religious shallowness, the complicity of state and church have become the hallmarks of our modernism. We should abhor the arrogance, the cultural self-confidence that is equivalent to bad manners, the obsession with popular entertainment pornography, the degradation of refusing to respect legal authority; economic poverty is no valid excuse for the terrible spiritual poverty that is so obvious. The ultimate reality of life does not depend on political parties, religious and class factions, economic gaps. These are ultimately superficial, temporary, vain, worthless, and will disappear in the grave when the eternity of each person is announced.

Ultimately, Christians must remember and proclaim that “Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13). St. Lucia may be a nominally Christian country, but it is not. Biblical standards do not control our lives to a great extent. And probably never have. One could make a case for a marked reduction in respect for religious and moral standards. We can only hope that enough devout Christians will make a worthwhile change. They have a responsibility before God to rededicate themselves to setting a true Christian example in life and work. It is not easy!!

The problem is the spiritual life of the citizens. What can we contribute? The Bible presents a systematic and logical view of the human condition. It describes the sinful state of humanity without sparing any effort. Christ is proclaimed as the incarnation of the Creator God and the only hope for salvation and escape from the present evil. The most enduring and necessary contribution of the Christian Church to our society is to teach and preach the Good News, the Gospel of the Risen Lord Jesus Christ, the loving Savior whom we need today more than ever. The sobering revelation of the Bible also promises that the historical era has an end and that God “has appointed a day when he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, having given assurance of this to everyone by raising him from the dead” (Acts 17:31).