Christ is our only hope

Self-help books and motivational speakers have their place in life, but when it comes to the regeneration of the human race, they are helpless. Mankind is in need of help, but no amount of our own effort will lift us out of the pit of corruption into which we have sunken. If you look at our society, you can clearly see that conditions are worsening. Mental health is declining, divorce rates are high, and homelessness is increasing across the land, especially on the West Coast. Miseries of all types are on the rise, and thinking men and women are perplexed as to the solutions to these problems.

Throughout history, philosophers and thinkers have realized the human condition is dire and have sought different solutions to uplift humanity. Buddha believed that if humans sought enlightenment, the world would be a better place. Plato and Socrates thought philosophy would uplift the race. Karl Marx believed communism was the solution to the human problem. The founding fathers of the U.S. believed capitalism and democracy—with the slogans of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—would lift man out of his downward spiral. These things appear to work for a moment, but soon decay; disillusionment sets in, and human efforts prove vain.

Human efforts, while good in many earthly ways, cannot uplift the human race from its downward spiral because they fail to address the root cause of the issue. Humanity’s problem is not a lack of education, money, or unity. Our problem is that we have been cut off from God, the source of strength and life. To be cut off from God is to be cut off from life, and the result is sinking deeper into despair, misery, and ruin. No human effort, no matter how noble, can connect man back to God. God is infinitely high and infinitely pure; unless He reaches down to us and lifts us up, we are hopeless.

When man sinned, we were cut off from God. In Adam, we died spiritually. Spiritual death led to moral and physical death. God had said, "In the day you eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will surely die." On the very day Adam sinned, humanity died spiritually, and the seeds of moral death were implanted in the soul. Corruption had begun, and man was hopelessly lost. But God, in His mercy, gave His only begotten Son to come down from heaven and reach us in the pit of despair with His long arm of mercy. He came to wash us in His blood and seat us in heavenly places, returning us to our lost dominion. Christ is our only hope.

Jesus Christ is our only hope. The human race is in need of regeneration, and only Christ can regenerate us. I am in need of recreation, and only Jesus can recreate me. When I come to Jesus and accept Him as my personal Savior—my only hope—the Holy Spirit begins the work of regeneration in my heart. When I realize that without Jesus my case is hopeless, I truly become wise. By myself, I am destined for destruction, but with Jesus, I am destined to reign with Him. Jesus is humanity’s only hope; let us seek Him daily and abide in His love. Lord, save me from my sins and my corruption, for You are my only hope of restoration.