"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths." ~2 Timothy 4:3-4
Doubt seems to saturate modern American culture, permeating across all walks of life. I believe this mostly stems from moral corruption and the inability to accept the truth in terms of black and white. Instead, gray is the color that prevails. No longer will somebody "take your word for it." Everybody now insists on proof, like the Pharisees from Jesus' time, or just believe they know best as to what is right and wrong.
I had proof of this today at work. A group needed to travel to the campground that is five miles north from the one where I'm located. Instead of trusting the turn by turn directions that employees hand out to lost patrons, this man insisted on having the address to plug into his GPS so that he could find his way. Rather than following the black and white directions in front of him, he wanted to put his faith into an electronic device that hadn't brought him to the correct location in the first place.
This is just one example of the skepticism that appears to be running rampant in this generation. No longer does the majority accept Jesus' words from John 14:6, when he told Thomas, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." This completely goes against the relativist belief that truth is unique as perceived by the individual, as opposed to there being a singular, unconditional basis for truth. Erwin W. Lutzer touched on this disintegration and disappearance of truth in his book, Oprah, Miracles, and the New Earth, where he wrote, "Delusions are substituted for reality and the truth is set aside for a lie. And the consequences go on for all eternity." Many would prefer to doubt and be skeptical of others in order to preserve their own self-centered "happiness," rather than accept the Truth, which clearly outlines right and wrong, good and evil. But in this day and age, those lines are severely blurred due to the rejection of God and truth. As Lutzer said in his book, When a Nation Forgets God, "Without belief in God, nothing is unconditionally wrong."
When the majority of people do not believe that there are unconditional wrongs that bear consequences, anything goes so to speak, and morals fly out the window. This is extremely prevalent in news headlines and stories that promote gay marriage, premarital sex, political slander, and 50 Shades of Grey. Instead of the era of Lucy and Ricky sleeping in separate beds, television now promotes alcoholism, polygamy, and teen pregnancy. What's worse is that any Christian courageous enough to speak out and stand up for God's truth gets labeled a hate monger or accused of bigotry. Just this week, the owner of Chick-Fil-A commented on how he doesn't agree with gay marriage and he has endured lots of backlash over his comments. Apparently nobody wants to remember the First Amendment, or obey the truth within the Bible. They would prefer to insult those who do.
Christians must avoid getting sucked into this secular melee of corruption. The truth of the Gospel must be defended at all costs. Doing what is right in His eyes should always trump the fear of what the world might think of you. We must remember the words of Erwin W. Lutzer: "As Americans, we must keep in mind that the First Amendment was not intended to mean that atheists and agnostics have veto power over all those who believe in God." In order to win the battle against skeptics and degrading morals, we must speak the truth in love and live our lives for God's glory.
No comments:
Post a Comment