Is this statement true? Well maybe for others it is. I don't think it is true, but in today's post-modern culture, my truth is mine and is not an objective truth, so me making an objective statement that truth is truth no matter mine or anyone else's opinion is viewed as error and heresy to the post-modern mind. But isn't this an absurdity? Doesn't our mind, when looking at a red stop sign, recognize it as such? Yet, somebody else who comes to look at the same sign and states, "That's a nice yellow sign!", would it not be an error in need of correction? "Sir, that is a red stop sign, it is not yellow". How absurd would it it be for the mistaken one to cry foul and swear it is yellow. (I understand this is a silly example, and that some people are actually color blind and can't help but see a different color, but this is just an example.) I once was in a discussion with a couple friends on the subject of truth related to religion, specifically the Christian religion, and one of my friends used this "sign" example, yet claimed that all three of us can look at that sign at a different angle and see the sign (truth) but in different ways. I was not able to bring my objection to this, but this is exactly the viewpoint I am speaking of. Each of us looking at that sign saw the same thing, a sign. No matter what angle the three of us viewed it, it remained the original sign. This example is much like this culture today, where the truth could be found, even seen, by all, yet most make their own view of truth to their liking or understanding while ignoring any objectivity. "Truth" is relative to the individual. The consequence: There is no real, absolute, objective, truth to be found. Of course, even this statement is not truth, since truth is not real. It is up to everyone's own subjective interpretation. But this is not what I am writing about right now.
I have been plagued with doubt and concern about this issue of relativism in the Church today. Oh yes, the culture has been embraced by much of what America calls Christianity. I have wondered why it is that one can point out false doctrine and be called a liar instead of examining the objective truth of the Bible first. I have wondered why it is that most of American evangelicalism has such a disregard for biblical theology contrary to the Scripture's clarity on the issue of worshipping in truth. I have often pondered why it is that Scripture can speak so clearly on many topics, including soteriology (doctrine of salvation), yet many don't want to hear of it. They don't want to hear that God is so Sovereign over all, including our salvation, that He alone brings salvation to a sinner. That He has predestined them for salvation in Christ. That there are those He has elected to damnation. That we are totally and completely spiritually dead in sin apart from Christ and can do nothing of ourselves to be saved.In short, the lack of belief in the objective truth of Scripture, theology doesn't matter, we can believe God is whoever we want Him to be. Then it hit me: famine. Famine of the Word of God. Judgement from God upon us. He still calls His own, but others think they know Him when they don't and when corrected on theological error, even heresy, "Oh well, that is just your interpretation". "My God would not do that!". There is a famine of the truth, and when unregenerate people already have minds clouded with sin, both end up bringing about in people a relativity, and the logical conclusion is that none of us have true understanding of clear teachings in Scripture.
What a sad state the Visible Church is in. We wonder why there are so many denominations now, why there is so much confusion and schism and heresy. I believe it is judgement. It is our sin and unbelief.It is our idolatry and whoring with the culture. It's not anything to do with the truth of Scripture. It and it alone is the objective truth directly from God. I pray the Church repent, reform, and conform to the truth the Bible gives us. Else all we have is a professing majority who cling to Ba'al, Mammon, and a golden calf. Cling instead to Christ Jesus.
I agree that there are some things in which truth is absolute and there are no gray areas. The stop sign is a good example of that. But I think that when dealing with human perception some "truths" can be subjective. For example, when I worked as security officer for the bank, one of the exercises we did was to pick a customer and ask all the employees to write a description of them. None of the written descriptions sounded like the same person. One employee said he was wearing a hat, the other said there was no hat. One said he had red hair, the other brown.
ReplyDeleteOther instances could be when we get in arguments with one another - each person tends to have a different view than the other and each is convinced that their view is the true one.
Perhaps these really aren't what you are talking about, though?
It is, in a way. I agree that in some instances, subjectivity is inevitable. Yet, though the descriptions varied, that customer had an objective profile. Though none of them got it right, he was still that customer.
ReplyDeleteThe difference with God is that He has revealed Himself by His written Word and fulfilled that Word in his Son. He paints us a picture of Himself throughout Scripture, in His covenants, Old and New, and though there has always been someone or some group that comes along, whether ancient Marcion or medieval Rome or todays Rob Bell, and tries to paint another picture of God other than what He Himself has revealed whether by adding or subracting from the Scriptures, God will always remain who He is, though many get it wrong. The problem is, man's sinful heart does not want anything to do with who God really is, so man makes up his own version. You could look right at the passages explaining certain things about God and totally miss them or simply dismiss them, unless God changes that heart. It makes for serious business concerning having a messed up view of God when He has already given us clear "definitions", as it is idolatry, a sin the human heart has a great propensity for doing. Of course, there are some things in Scripture that truly are gray areas (masturbation, tobacco, entertainment (secular), eschatology, etc) and are left to our subjective conscience in prayer, but many very crucial things concerning different aspects of theology and theology proper are very clear (though some we finite beings could never fully understand... Like the Trinity. Wow!).
The red sign is still red. :-P