As I reflect back on the days of my youth, I can remember how my parents and grandparents embraced the absolute morals, righteous conduct, and practical advice found in the Holy Bible. To them the Ten Commandments, the Proverbs, the fact that Jesus lived a sinless life, the Beatitudes, and other Scriptural teachings were unquestionable, timeless, and relevant—in addition to being acknowledged by most Americans. I sometimes collectively call these cornerstone beliefs "God’s truth."Today, however, I fear that most Americans have abandoned God’s truth in favor of no truth or one that is defined by each individual and from moment to moment. Instead of absolute morals and righteous conduct, we embrace personal preferences and freedom to do whatever feels right. The sad truth is that not even Christians are exempt from this new moral code. It is as if we have redefined what it means to be Christian, which has lead to widespread confusion as to what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior.
Among born again Christians (and I use the word “born-again” loosely), we hear foul language in everyday speech; see lying and cheating in tax and financial matters; notice that fornication is acceptable, often expected behavior; witness pro-choice views in regards to abortion; observe homosexuality being declared a new freedom instead of blatant sin; and find a belief (though a false one) that doing good earns us a place in heaven. While these are just a few brief examples, they point to an unfortunate reality: today’s Christians are affected by their culture much more than they are affecting their culture with Christ-like values and behaviors.
To put this into perspective, consider a group of 100 people. Fifty of them are born-again Christians and attend church regularly; the other 50 are non-Christians and have no strong religious beliefs. Now imagine if you could peer into each person’s daily life for one week. Would you be able to accurately pick out the Christians from the non-Christians based solely on their behaviors and lifestyles? I’d venture to say that you could not! For it is increasingly difficult to determine the Christian from the non-Christian in a society where absolute moral truth is giving way to personal preferences and postmodern thinking in regards to behaviors such as the aforementioned. If we have reached that point in our society, it is essential that Christian families, Christian schools, and Christian churches take steps now to reintroduce core biblical principles into their teachings or risk producing generations of Christians who lack a true understanding of the real and relevant God.
By no means am I advocating the idea that one must live a life of perfection to be considered a Christian or to receive eternal life. The Holy Bible is clear that all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins and He alone is the only way to eternal life (John 3:16). What I am advocating, however, is that the Christian community spend more time and resources educating Christians on a proper understanding of true Christianity. If Christians adopt viewpoints that clearly conflict with biblical instruction just because “that’s the way things are in this day and time” or because its “politically correct,” they are not on track with foundational biblical doctrine. Instead, they are adopting and even endorsing a secular worldview and many are not even aware of it. Without a solid foundation in biblical truth, many Christians will—and some already have—abandoned sound doctrine in favor of a watered-down type of Christianity. The Apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy forewarned of this time:
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)The Holy Bible is clear on many issues facing our world today, some of which are contrary to popular thought. Homosexuality and premarital sex, for example, are sin (1 Corinthians 6:9). Cursing and foul language are to be avoided (Ephesians 5:4, Colossians 3:8). The laws and commands found in the Bible are still valid today (Mathew 5:18). The Bible is the breathed Word of God and is the foundational tool for instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16). Other foundational Christian beliefs include the inerrancy of Scripture, the virgin birth, the Fall of Man, the Trinity, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and moral absolutes. These are all core Christian principles that more and more Christians, especially the younger generations, lack a true comprehension of, largely because they have been conditioned by secular worldviews to think in ways that cause them to question these very doctrines—God’s truth. And again, many of them are unaware that this is happening.
In summary, the Christian community would be wise to spend more time and resources into re-enforcing the foundational building blocks of Christianity lest it become a watered-down religion void of the true and living God. Perhaps the best way anyone, Christian or non-Christian, can re-enforce his or her understanding of God’s truth is by becoming more familiar with the Word of God: the Holy Bible.
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