sproul's advice

Some words of wisdom by RC Sproul Jr via Facebook:

Now that President Obama was re-elected, what should we do?

The church, after President Obama’s re-election, finds itself in serious trouble. Part of the good news is that at least she is beginning to recognize the trouble she is in. One wonders how many Christians would have been dancing in the aisles had the election turned out differently, and if we would have actually been in appreciably less trouble. During previous moments of mass fear within the church I have been asked what we’re supposed to do. When the housing implosion looked set to topple the entire economic house of cards under President Bush, when President Obama started racking up Weimer Republic sized debts, and now again my counsel has remained the same. Yes, by all means we are to discern the times. Having done so, however, we find that what God calls us to do is what He calls us to do in all times. Fearful of the economy? Spend less then you make. Want to benefit from the booming economy? Spend less than you make. Inflation running rampant? Spend less than you make. Deflation rattling its saber? Spend less than you make.

This, however, is but a specific application of a broader principle. Whatever the nature of the trouble, however broad its scope, when the national economy is just one ship among many, the national morality; the national defense; the nation’s unborn; circling the drain our calling is the same. The call to the individual Christian, to the Christian family, to the local Christian church, to the whole of Christendom is ever and always this- repent and believe the gospel.

We have abortion in this country not because we can’t agree on the right political strategy to end it, but because we are at ease with abortion in this country. We need to repent of our comfort, our complicity, our complacency over the murder of the unborn. We need to repent that we in the church have embraced the world’s notion that children are a burden, rather than a blessing. We need to repent that so many of us became politically aware, politically active not because President Obama changed the abortion landscape, but because he threatened our 401ks. We have shown where our treasure lies.

We repent, however, not for the power of our sorrow but to look to the power of the gospel. We believe the gospel when we move from mourning our sin to dancing His grace. The election of the President does nothing to impact your election. We are to believe we are sinners. (And so are due a far worse President than the one we now have.) We are to believe that our sin makes a mess our lives, our homes, our cities and our nation. But just as our Lord is remaking us, so He is remaking the world. The gospel promise is that He will bring all things into submission. The gospel promise is that He will break every obstreperous knee of every ruler that bucks against His rule. The gospel promise is that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.

It is true enough that our President defends and protects the murder of God’s littlest image bearers. Such is indeed an abomination of the highest magnitude. It is likewise true that had God ordained the election to end differently there might have been fewer victims of the carnage. It is also true, however, that there is much we can do for the babies besides voting for the less bloodthirsty man every four years. That this battle went badly doesn’t mean we can’t win the war. Because our King is the very one who determined that we should lose the battle. Jesus chose our President. Repent and believe the gospel, because Jesus changes everything.