Those who only have the past as a reference for living will want to go back to a better time. Those who have seen the future are compelled to move forward.

There is a great deal of hand wringing among church leaders about the rapid slide of our culture into sexualized secularization. Some seriously wonder if the church will survive the cultural onslaught. This reveals an alarming level of fear that results from relying on present observation. This perspective doesn't seem to consider the nature of the gospel and the promise of Jesus who is the head of his body.

Prospering on the Foundations of Our Forebears

We have been privileged to live for more than 200 years in this country on the benefits of the gospel that was preached and believed by our forebears. The very nature of our founding documents reflects the assumption of the biblical values espoused in the gospel. We have had some good times.

Sure, we acknowledge the rough spots as well. We didn't exactly act as loving missionaries to the native Indians. We fought each other over slavery. We have ignored injustice to our own shame. But, we had the foundations of human dignity, freedom of conscience, stable families and personal responsibility. A high level of prosperity was the result.

Now, we see those foundations eroding and wonder where it will end. The evil forces have aligned to lie, steal and kill again. What can we do?

We Can No Longer Assume the Benefits of the Gospel

The uncomfortable truth is that there is no guarantee that America will survive. If there aren't sufficient moral leaders to guide her, she cannot long endure.

Help us champion truth, freedom, limited government and human dignity. Support The Stream >>

But there is a nation that will not fall. It is the Kingdom of God. It will not only survive the culture wars. It will ultimately displace all other authority claims. It is populated by those who have been transformed by the power of the resurrection. The existence of this kingdom gives hope to any person or nation. Since any person can be transformed from an enemy to a friend of God, we can hope for such leaders as Saul of Tarsus, Augustine of Hippo or John Newton, the slave trader.

The past years of moral slide are not our measure of hope. The church as a colony of the kingdom of God on earth will not vanish or retreat. The promise of Jesus (Matthew 16:18) and the nature of the preached gospel (Romans 1:16-17) assure its success.

If we have any desire for America to become what it could, we must cling to Jesus and proclaim the life-giving truth of the gospel. Trying to return to a former time of borrowed benefits is futile. We can no longer assume the benefits of the gospel. It must be preached and again embraced.

Jesus sits on the throne ruling over God's affairs. We are in him and have been sent to represent his kingdom on earth now.

The great hope is that the thousands of those living on the lies of secularized and sexualized culture will acknowledge their unmet needs and be attracted to a Savior who loves sinners and specializes in mercy.

Jesus Has Already Secured the Future

Since Jesus has already moved into the future and secured it for those in him, we can live based on his perspective. We as his people have seen the future and it is the basis for our living now. We do not wring our hands in hopelessness, though we grieve over those who refuse to embrace life. We know the end.

Jesus sits on the throne ruling over God's affairs. We are in him and have been sent to represent his kingdom on earth now. There is a lot to do, but the light we carry cannot be extinguished by darkness, and the life we enjoy cannot be diminished by death. We have seen the future. We must move forward. No going back!