I believe in absolute truth. Some things are absolutely true. This means that some things are true regardless of whether we are in India or America; whether it is 2011 or 1911; whether it is my life or yours.
The foundation for my belief in absolute truth is my biblical understanding of God’s unchanging nature. God has always been and always will be unchangeable (Malachi 3:6). Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). So, matters relating to God’s character and purposes do not change. They are immutable.
I further believe that nearly all contemporary thinking goes awry because it fails to appreciate this one momentous truth. The technical term for this error is ‘relativism’. For example, relativism would claim that there can really be no right or wrong because it is always, only, dependent upon the situation – there are no absolutes. This is a grievous error.
However, in a similar way, much traditional thinking makes a grievous error when it fails to recognize the existence of relative truth. That is to say that while absolute truth exists, not all truth is absolute. In fact, most truth is not. Most truth is contingent upon the situation or the time or the individuals involved. While not all truth is relative, a lot of it is.
An example of relative truth would be that it was once true that our North American society was defined primarily by our Christian heritage. That is not so true anymore. It was relative to a day and age that is now past.
So while some things never change, most things do, and what we need to do is learn to apply the absolute unchangeable truths of Scripture in a way that recognizes and allows for the changes in society.
The unchanging God has created a changing world. And I would argue that God is about the only thing (One) who doesn’t change. While some things never change, most things do change and this too is biblical teaching.
God created time, as well as our means of marking it. The universe has a rhythm and everything and everyone is marking time. And the Bible speaks not only of time, but of ‘times’. And when the Bible uses that expression, it denotes a clear distinction between some ‘times’ and other ‘times’; or between these ‘times’ and those ‘times’.
As an example of that, the OT chronicler spoke of the men of Issachar as those who “… understood the times and knew what Israel should do.” (1Chron 12:32)
Inherent within this statement is the reality that different times call for different measures.
Nothing frustrates me more than the suggestion that we should do things the way they have always been done. That’s ludicrous! Different days and situations have their unique challenges and call for different approaches and strategies.
Someone I read many years ago said it well, even though I can’t recall who it was. They said that the world is changing and the church too must change or else become an island of irrelevance in a sea of human need.
The world is not a museum. The church shouldn’t be one either. It bothers me when people want to treat the church as if it was their own personal museum, as if it should stay the way it is because that is how they like it!!! Some people can be quite hypocritical this way. You go to their homes and they have electricity, running water, shower, phones, medicine, refrigeration … but they object when we seek to use technology in the church setting.
Furthermore, contrary to the opinions of the ‘Biblicists’ among us, it isn’t enough to know the Bible. Don’t misunderstand me on this point. Knowing the Bible is most important, but we also have to know the times. We need to know people and culture. We need to know what is going on in our world and in peoples lives. We must understand the issues. And, yes, we must understand it all, in the light of God’s Word.
According to a eulogy given by Paul Swarup, the late great theologian John Stott (1921-2011) counseled his students to ‘double learning’ which means “listening to God’s word as well as God’s world”. Said Swarup, "He urged us to hold the Bible on one hand and the newspaper on the other so we could preach relevantly and communicate the Gospel effectively to people of the world."
It is very unfortunate that we have somehow created an understanding that if something is slow, backward and out of touch, then it must be biblical!!!
Remember, the same God who said, “I am the Lord, I change not” also said, "Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert." (Isaiah 43:18,19)
This is your most philsophical blog i have read!! It is Fantastic!! ..and so completely true!!.... very cool... I esp like the island of irrelevance in the sea of human need !! i agree, if me wrap ourselves up so much in preserving the status quo of our churchs..eventually that generation comes and go and there are no new members to fill the seats and more importantly be ambassadors of christ in our communites..all because we don't adapt with the sociocultural changes..of each generation... ... We do need to know what is going on out there and i have been thinking ..yes, it is great to have fellowship with other christians..but nothing trumps fellowship with a non christians when it comes the time to really get a chance to show them Gods love !.By that i mean be willing to befriend a non believer truely walk anongside them in their lives and not judge . laugh and hurt together... and you will see ...!! see how awesome it is to be able to show them how having the love of jesus in your lives helps YOU get through things!! and well we all know how that goes!! fantastic!...probably better then how their lack of faith gets them...so i think we need to SHOW people who jesus is and see WHO our "enemy"is( and what angle he is using this time)then when we fully understand the hardships our communites near and globally are facing We will know which tactic of the "TIMES"( which i liked in the blog as well!!.:) our church family ..could use best to communicate and serve them so that they would see jesus and relate!!..:)..these days seem very media oriented ...I liked how you mentioned our church was meeting a community need on the property..i fully agree!!
ReplyDeleteSecluding our christian lifestyles to only allowing any social time of your week for bible studies and church related events and not being among those who don't yet know God's grace is pretty much counter productive . their needs to be time for both.. we need to learn more about their struggles (probably much like our own) so we can help them heal..most of the times actions speak louder then words...and hey if you are going through rough times ..let them see that..don't pretend you always have it so together.(or your ducks all lined up in Row..as you would say haha).show them how God comes through for you..:).and well seeing is believing right?!!..You really wanna show someone What jesus looks like? ...really wanna get closer to God ? in any given generation? ..through any "times"?..treat everyone out there as his son and daughter...jesus..!.Because that is how God feels about each and every one of us.. and that is an absolute truth that will never change ! For that I am deeply grateful!!!!..
sorry for the long ramble..i liked this blog.alot..it made me think...peace!
Thanks for your comments Andrea. I am likely going to post a somewhat related blog post this week as I still have some things on my mind and heart about the subject.
ReplyDeleteYour comments about evangelism are really important. They remind me of a book I read many years ago by a gal named Rebecca Pippert that was called 'Out of the Salt Shaker'. You would really enjoy that book if you haven't read it already. It champions some of the things you said in your comments.