Chatter abounded Friday night while scrolling through my social media feed. It was the eve of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, and many Christians were sharing the news of the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Many saw this as a prophetic sign with her passing falling on this Jewish feast, an event of great significance with the hopes of an appointed nominee who will help to overturn Roe v Wade. Others mourned her loss, either in tribute to her judicial legacy or in concern for her soul. I noticed that those who expressed concern for her eternity were at times met with disdain and judgment. A literary critic shared with personal followers of a Jewish tradition that if a person dies on Rosh Hashanah, that individual is said to be a person of great righteousness. There was so much being said in a matter of hours, and I went to bed thinking on these things.

While I understand that some will not agree with what I am about to say or may even meet me with disdain and judgment, I hope that at the end it gives you pause to think, especially if you are a professing believer in Christ. I am not some great theologian or Biblical scholar. I do not pretend to be, but I do want to point you back to the Word of God and to Jesus Christ as the author and finisher of our faith.

First, the feasts of the Lord do not point to anything or anyone else but Jesus Christ. He fulfilled the feasts. He is the Messiah, the One for whom the shofar is blown on Rosh Hashanah, and He has fulfilled this in His first coming. As Christians, we should understand the feasts and what they mean, but we are under no obligation to celebrate them. Colossians 2:16-17 says, “Therefore, let no one pass judgment on you in question of food or drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”

I encourage you to read past these verses as Paul speaks of not being disqualified by others for not complying with asceticism, the worship of angels, and telling of detailed visions. We are to hold fast to Christ. He is our hope. Our faith is in the work of God on the cross. Our faith is not in signs and wonders. It is not in our government or in the Supreme Court. Though we respect God ordained authority in accordance with Scripture, and we should certainly pray for our leaders and that Godly leaders would hold public office, our hope is not in a Republican majority nominated Supreme Court nor any man, which leads us to our next point.

It may surprise you to know that the landmark ruling for Roe v Wade in 1973 was done with a Republican majority nominated Supreme Court. At that time, six of the nine justices were Republican nominated. Fast forward to 1992 where the first case came before the United States Supreme Court, which had the potential to overturn Roe v Wade. At the time of this pivotal case, eight of the nine justices had been appointed by Republican Presidents, and the single remaining Democratic appointed justice was a dissenter in Roe v Wade. The outcome of that case was a plurality opinion with a 5-4 decision where Roe was reaffirmed and the trimester framework from Roe v Wade was overturned in favor of viability. Roe v Wade was essentially upheld. What is the point, some may ask. The point is that many are putting their hope and trust in a conservative majority nominated Supreme Court and other high offices of the land, but our hope is not in man made systems which fail and fall short.

The truth is that government doesn’t change hearts. It doesn’t regenerate a man or woman dead in their trespasses. Do you know what does? The gospel of Jesus Christ. We as Christians are to go into the world and proclaim the gospel, the good news of Christ coming to die for sinners in desperate need of a Savior, a Savior who cleanses us from all unrighteousness and makes us new. Jesus bore our sins and took upon Himself the full wrath of God and He became the propitiation of our sins. It is this gospel which changes hearts of stone to hearts of flesh. It is this gospel which brings the transformation from viewing an unborn baby as a parasite or clump of cells to a human life created by God from the moment of conception.

It is this gospel which promises eternal life to those who believe and bear fruit in keeping with repentance. We should most certainly stand for what is right in our nation with regards to laws clearly against God’s Word. With that we must also recognize that the church is called to pray and to proclaim the truth of His Word. Changing laws doesn’t regenerate the soul of a lost woman contemplating abortion. Stacking the Supreme Court with appointed justices from a particular political party means nothing as we can clearly see from history. We need Christ back in the homes, back in the schools, and back in the preaching and teaching of the body of Christ. We need the truth proclaimed, no matter the cost, no matter the pushback. Eternities are at stake here, which brings us to the final point.

There is a realization that no matter how great of an earthly legacy one may leave, it can be lawlessness, sin and evil before the Lord. I do not rejoice in the death of anyone, no matter how evil. If anything, it should make us ever more aware of the certainty of eternal life and eternal damnation and that God is a just Judge. When you and I as believers in Christ are concerned about the eternal state of a person, it is a facet of loving our neighbor as ourselves. It is being about the Father’s business. Let us continue to love our neighbors as ourselves with the time God has given us by sharing the truth of His Word. May we be known for the love that we have for one another and may we remember that love tells the truth.