Why Is Our Culture So Confused?

    Abortion, gay rights, gay marriage, transgenderism, Supreme court judges, stem cells, war, environment, racism, illegal immigration, terrorism, Islam, Israel, unemployment, poverty etc, etc, etc. In our culture, these and many other topics generate not only debate…but sadly—division and hatred! People viciously slander one another using creative invective, often leading to permanent division--even within their own families! It is not extreme to say that America has become a permanently divided nation. But why is this?  
    Since the Garden of Eden, mankind has struggled to discern “truth”! Pontius Pilate earnestly asked Jesus—What is truth?(Jn18:38)---a question that is still vitally relevant today. As the time allotted for earth races toward its end---and as God’s Word is ignored---confusion and chaos reign, and more and more people are rejecting ‘THE TRUTH’ (Jn14:6); instead, deferring to “My Truth”---to inspire their current living experience. This deception has grave consequences!
    Paul’s admonition sums it up:
“And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;
because they received not the ‘love of the truth’, that they might be saved.”
                                          -2Thessalonians 2:10
 
    This passage informs us that unrighteousness creates deception in those who perish. The word “perish” refers to those who reject Jesus(Jn3:16)! However, on the opposite side of 2Thessalonians 2:10, it teaches that righteousness creates a love of the truth— which is required for both salvation and maturity. Therefore, the point of this passage instructs us that righteousness facilitates truth, and then truth facilitates righteousness!  
   But…what is truth? Because Jesus calls Himself “THE truth” (Jn14:6), if you consider Him credible, as I do---I begin my definition of truth with Jesus. In other words, truth is a person; or truth is a being--- the Being of Jesus Christ(Jn14:6)!!
  In addition, Scripture also declares: “the Word of God is truth”(Jn17:17);  “the Spirit is truth” (1Jn5:6); “Your law is truth”(Ps119:142); “Your commandments are truth”(Ps119:151), etc. Therefore, truth is NOT reality, nor a concept, nor a proposition, nor a feeling!!
  Theologically and philosophically, like the nature of God, truth is: 1.objective; 2.universal; 3.eternal, and therefore immutable!!! For emphasis---this describes God!
 To the contrary, however, our contemporary culture trains people to use ‘feelings’ as their way to determine right and wrong, or good and evil! This results in the tragedy of substituting “My Truth” for THE Truth”! In everyday lingo, the “My truth” ideology boils down to a rejection of God and His word in favor of “personal feelings”, which philosophically is known as relativism!
  But why is a “My Truth” ‘feelings-based value system’, i.e. feelings; i.e.relativism…wrong, or even evil? Is it not true that feelings are natural/normal, and because everyone has them, feelings must be good, because God created all things good(Gen1:31)? The answer is “yes!” BUT…when man fell, “sin entered the world and death by sin, and sin passed upon all men”(Rom5:12). This means sin entered man’s flesh…becoming sinful flesh(Rom8:3). Therefore, even though the flesh is good, it possesses sin! This is called man’s sin nature—which every human possesses (Rom5:12).
   The problem is that feelings are part of the flesh which is controlled by man’s sin nature! Therefore, feelings were never intended to determine right and wrong, nor good and evil!!! Why? Because man’s sin nature (Rom7:17-21; Ps51:5)---cannot choose good(Rom8:5-8)! In practice, the “My truth” ideology---which is relativism—and which is controlled by the sin nature, can only reject God (Rom8:5-8); which means it must reject absolutes—which come from God and His word. Man’s sin nature chooses sin naturally, normally, and easily(Rom8:6,7)! For example, when a light is turned off at midnight in a room without windows—no resistance, no strain, nor struggle ensues---darkness automatically fills that room! So, it is also true of man’s sin nature!
  A few contemporary living examples of the utter chaos of relativism are: “Do what you want to do!” or “If it feels good, do it!” or “Follow your heart!” “There are no absolutes*!” or “You can’t impose your morality on me!” Although the previous statements appear innocuous at their most fundamental level, however, under their masks lurks the authentic face of an inability to discern good and evil--which by default leaves only the choice of evil, but the perception of good! Why? Because feelings are natural/normal for each person, and each person justifies (Rom3:19,20) their own feelings as good!  Hence, “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes…” -Pro21:2.
This is relativism!
  Due to the shock value of my previous point, allow me to repeat myself. In the absence of God’s word, mankind can only choose/do evil---because man’s sin nature can only choose evil! Yet, because man justifies himself(Rom3:19,20)---he calls his evil good! Scripture verifies this fact: “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”    -Isaiah 5:20.
  However, because the entrance of God’s word is light (Ps119:130), where “light” is defined as ‘understanding’, means only God, and the absolutes of His word determine truth! On the contrary, to depart from God and His absolutes--both creates and establishes deception. How?  Deception occurs when mankind exalts ‘feelings’ to ‘absolutes’*; or lowers ‘absolutes’* to ‘feelings’.
   In review,  Why Is Our Culture So Confused? Very simply: No God of the Bible---no absolutes**; no absolutes leaves a vacuum which is filled by ‘feelings’, i.e., man’s sin nature—which is used by each individual to determine his own ‘right and wrong’ or ‘good and evil’. Another verifying passage is: “You shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatsoever is right in his own eyes.” -Deut12:8
 So….a ‘feelings-based value system’ can only justify every “feeling” as right or good—which is relativism. BUT… to apply the ‘feelings-based value system’ to everyone, relativism must contradict itself by making relativism an absolute!!
  In other words, because “My Truth” means ‘My personal truth’, it has to be right, good, moral, because it is “My Truth”. But…this philosophy must also be true of every other human being! So…as everyone adopts this principle, it becomes an absolute*! NOW…the philosophical contradiction of “My Truth” becomes crystal clear---relativism must use an absolute to prove its relativism!!
  However, moving forward from the philosophical contradiction to a practical application, the practical contradiction is even worse!!! If everyone possesses a “My Truth”, and by default that “My Truth” is right or good—because it is personal and individual---then evil cannot exist! Why? Because an evil in one person’s eyes is another person’s “My Truth”!!! Once again, the word of God is found true: “…every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”
 
To Your Abundance,
Pastor Derrick Jackson
 
*An absolute is defined as: 1.objective; 2.universal; 3.eternal
**It is important to note that all religions have absolutes. Does this mean that the absolutes of every religion are right because they are absolute? NO! Only the absolutes of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…are authentic! Why? Because…there is only one God!
2Samuel 7:22-“Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee….”
Isaiah 44:8: “…Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.”
Isaiah 44:6-“…I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. [1]”
Isaiah 43:10,11: “10… before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
           11.I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
Jeremiah 10:10: “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king:”
John17:3: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”


Quotebit
​Here's the major problem with going on strike for more money: You cannot get rich by demand.    -Unknown