There are two predominate world views in society today. There is the world view of Christianity which holds to the biblical God-given view that there is absolute truth in life. The other is Secular Humanism which holds that all of life is relative and situational which means there are no absolutes. Let’s follow out these two world views in a very general sense and see there they lead us?
Christianity is based on the overwhelming evidence of a God who created all that exists. There are two kinds of revelation from God and both prove conclusively that He exists. First there is what is called general revelation. This is the revelation that comes primarily through creation. The apostle Paul said, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1.19-20) KJV. We understand by the things that are made, the creation around us, that there is a God. The detail and intricate nature of life is scientifically beyond random chance, which is the unsubstantiated position of evolution. Notice the apostle Paul said all men are without excuse before God by General revelation alone.
The second revelation of God to man is called special revelation. This category of revelation includes such things as miracles, the incarnation of Christ, and the Bible. The Bible, God’s Word, reveals God to us in ways that we could not and cannot glean from nature. The Bible reveals the absolute holiness of God. The Bible reveals the absolute sinfulness of every human being. The Bible reveals the absolute holy law of God which is a revelation of His perfect character. The Bible reveals that every human being has failed to measure up to God’s standard of perfection and that we cannot save or fix ourselves. The Bible reveals the vicarious suffering of Jesus Christ on the cross as payment for the sin of all mankind, thus making the way for man to be saved by faith in Jesus Christ.
The natural result of there being a holy God is the existence of absolute truth. God created the universe and He established His law over His creation. There is the principle of ownership in the very act of being able to create. Therefore it is absolutely reasonable that we, the creature, are subject to the righteous laws of the Creator. These things lead inevitably to the fact that there is absolute truth in life. They lead to the fact that absolute truth is found in the God who created us and all that exists. The moral code of society is not based on situational ethics, it is based on the absolute standards established by a holy and righteous God.
To follow these truths out to their natural conclusion means two primary things. First, it means there is absolute right and wrong in life. Morality is not left up to us to decide, based on a situation or how we happen to feel on a given day at a given time. God has clearly declared what is right and what is wrong in life. Secondly, the fact that there is absolute truth establishes accountability. We are accountable to God for what we do that is right or wrong. God will have the last word when he sets all things right on judgment day. The writer to the Hebrews said, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9.27). The Christian world view stands on absolute truth because there is a God who is the source of all absolute truth.
The alternative world view is called Secular Humanism. This view claims there is no God. The Humanist Manifesto II of 1973, page 5, under the heading, “Religion,” says, “As non-theist, we begin with humans not God, nature not deity.” That means man, in their view, is the highest being there is and therefore we can make our own laws and rules about life and morality. In the same document on page 6, under the heading, “Ethics,” it says, “We affirm that moral values derive their source from human experience. Ethics is autonomous and situational, needing no theological or ideological sanction.” Let’s spell out what this idea means. This means that right and wrong are determined on an individual level. If one man thinks it is permissible to sleep with another man’s wife, well, the rest of us, including her husband, should be tolerant. After all, it is up to the individual to determine his or her own moral code of right and wrong. This whole idea also opens the door in areas such as the value of human life. According to this way of thinking, there could come a time when the majority of society decides that left handed people are of no value and should be eliminated. Then it would be legal to go around killing people who are left handed. You might think that sounds preposterous, but see one Adolf Hitler and his regime’s attempt to exterminate the Jews just because they were Jews.
The conclusion is clear, it is a slippery slope when we make right and wrong relative to what man thinks or feels because our thinking and our feeling are flawed by imperfection and sin. God and His grace is the only hope a lost world has. May this encourage you to consider God and His word more intently today.
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