Why God? – One Answer

Talking social justice on a global scale, there is one perennial problem with the world—that of sin—that the world has no answer for beyond God.

If we’re fortunate to live within a just structure of life—a culture reflecting God’s values—we may never connect truly with what is proposed above. We might be so well insulated in our general comfort, only ever getting slight nuances or tastes of true societal injustice.

Here, for instance, we’re talking corruption contributing to chronic poverty—levels known mainly in, though certainly not limited to, the Third World.

True societal injustice is not about not having a say—to the right of veto—in community change, for instance, or health-care reforms. It is, however, sin on a more major scale, to the inherent selfishness of leaders of entire macrocosms.

The ‘God’ Fix

There is enough food to go around the world. The problem, however, is distribution of this wealth of sustenance. God made more than enough resources to go around.

Sin has a plethora of worthy definitions; one of which could be, “a lack of generosity.”

The sins of the un-poor in holding or hoarding their wealth go against the God fix.

The God fix is simply the equitable sharing of wealth to the blessing of others, our communities, the environment, ourselves via our helping action, and finally to God. This is the temporal defeating of the power of sin—the selfishness of the sinful nature.

I was recently asked a poignant question: “Where is your poverty today?” In other words, where is our poverty of dysfunction regarding ourselves, other people, our impact on our social structures and the environment? Where is our selfishness hurting these relationships?

What about When People Rightly Ask, “Why God?”

This is a question many non-Christian people can and certainly do ask; it’s a question demanding a dignified response.

Why, truly, do we need God?

There is one very simple answer so far as social justice and societal equity is concerned.

We cannot, of ourselves, escape the issues of our own selfishness for long—the intrinsic want for our own safety, comfort and security, but gone to the wrangling desire that has at some points gone berserk; with none of us immune to the estranged desire.

Many of us will think we’re ‘good people,’ and of course we are; most of the time. But what about when push comes to shove on moral issues when we have our own safety, comfort and security at risk? Are we ‘good people’ then?

This is where God meets the breech, giving us a larger perspective with which to work with. In this, our eyes, our ears, and our hearts are more fully opened to the truth that anyone can fully see, if they desire to see as God sees.

Without God the needy go without. A world that still contends without or against the loving, living God is wantonly perpetuating sin.

“Why God?” – To address the sin problem; situationally now and forever in the Age to come.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.