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On
Earth...
In
Matt. 6:10, Jesus calls us to pray with words like this: "Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven." "On
earth..." messages are the reflection of various local writers
sharing common experiences in daily living and then guiding
renewal of the mind and spirit from God's Word. It
is scheduled to appear on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Here Am
I, Send Me
Absolute truth vs. situational truth
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[May 28, 2008]
In Pilate's reluctant dialogue with Jesus
before Jesus' crucifixion (John 18:37), Jesus said, "For this reason
I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the
truth." In verse 38, Pilate asks the question that many ask today:
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"What is truth?"Truth is
a concept that by definition has to be absolute, or it is not
truth. Webster's New World Dictionary defines truth as:
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Being true.
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That which is
true.
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An established fact.
Absolute truth says that everything is either black or white
with nothing in between.
Many struggle with the generic concept of absolute truth. To
take an extreme black or white position means that one will
probably offend someone, because our society today does not want
everything to be black or white. Many prefer to live in an "in
between" world of gray because they are deceived into genuinely
thinking they are better self-served in the gray world.
Society wants everyone to live
in a world somewhere between the extremes. For example, we hear:
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Be reasonable.
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Be tolerant of
others' opinions.
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Everything in
moderation.
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Can't we
compromise?
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Let's do what is
fair.
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Are you so
stubborn that you cannot accept another option?
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Is your thinking
so limited that you think your religion is the only way to
heaven?
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Don't be bigoted.
Tolerance is the current fashionable word, but beware, it is
a word intended to dupe those easily taken in. It relies on our
need to be viewed as fair, open and understanding and the
resulting aversion to being considered "intolerant."
The problem is, that which is being tolerated is often
deception, and deception is the opposite of truth. We tolerate
pornography as a freedom of expression; we tolerate abortion as
a woman's right to choose; and we tolerate perverse behavior as
an alternative lifestyle. Tolerance of bad behavior is the
compromise of truth that was predicted in the Word.
"For the time will come when men
will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own
desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers
to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn
their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths." -- 2
Timothy 4:3-4
In America and much of the world, absolute truth has been
replaced by the myth of situational truth. Situational truth
allows the circumstances at the time to dictate behavior or to
be more important than real truth.
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 Situational truth sounds like:
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This abortion is
justified because I am not equipped physically, emotionally or
financially to support a child (my preferred lifestyle is more
important to me than the sanctity of another life).
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If you discipline
your child, you may damage his or her self-esteem (self-esteem
is more important than character).
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I have to look out
for "ol' No.1" (self-preservation is more important than
giving).
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The school has no
right to discipline my child (self is more important than
community).
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If I don't work, the government should
take care of me; I deserve it. (I love the freedom this country
affords me as long as someone else is responsible for me).
We should, actually, be intolerant of deception disguised as
truth. The Bible speaks clearly to the direct consequences of murder
and perverse sexual behavior as well as giving precise instruction
as to the discipline of our beloved children and our moral
obligation to be productive. There are no circumstances or
situations that can change what the Bible proclaims as truth. Still,
we have become so brainwashed by the proponents of "situational
truth" that we balk at the idea of being intolerant of anything
because, after all, "we just need to all get along."
We have the source of absolute truth in the written Word of God.
The Bible is the inerrant, infallible, unchanging, timeless truth.
The Bible is true regardless of time and regardless of
circumstances. It is absolute truth.
We need to stop compromising truth in the name of congeniality
and in boldness speak out against the deception of situational truth
that is polluting our society.
"But when he, the Spirit of truth
comes, he will guide you into all truth." -- John 16:13
"Yet a time is coming and has now come
when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is
spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." --
John 4:23-24
"To the Jews who had believed him,
Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my
disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you
free.'" -- John 8:31-32
Prayer: Help me God. I am bombarded by those who make
arguments that seem so right. Encourage, enable and compel me to not
compromise what I know to be true. Forgive my inclination to be
deceived and accept standards that are below and against your
standards. With your certain forgiveness fresh in my spirit,
embolden me, God, to express your absolute truth and dispel the
deception of situational truth.
[HERE AM I, SEND ME] |
