Good Morning!

I can hear the clock ticking as summer comes to a close. The fog is thick each morning as the sun rises later and later. It’s not longer too hot to sit on the porch for a couple hours before sunset – which is setting earlier and earlier each night. It’s interesting to watch the point on the horizon change as the sun rises and sets each day. It’s very noticeable now. So be it. Fall is in the air. With that comes lots of good things. I suppose one would have a difficult time counting all the blessings that come from the change of seasons, but one is that it prepares us for changes in life itself. Nothing stays the same, does it? Therefore, we would be wise to remember the past yet not cling too tightly to it. Nor should we dread the future or dwell on that which is yet to come. There is a sweet spot, between the past and present, that is the perfect balance. We call that today. Enjoy yours! After all, it is the day the Lord has made!

Let’s go back to our question from yesterday. What about those who have never heard of Jesus? I did get one heart-wrenching letter from one person yesterday who has to endure comments from some believers about his child with disabilities. They maintain that since there is no verbal commitment to Jesus, there is no hope in heaven. That’s too bad because there is a concept we call “The Age of Accountability” that is referred to at least twice in the bible. Those who are unable to comprehend are not judged and therefore are welcomed into the Promised Land. Regrettably, it’s a matter of education to fix but it certainly stings in the meantime. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, shoot me a note. It is very comforting for those with young or mentally handicapped.

Yesterday, we left with knowledge that everything regarding God is reasonable and that one, with God, can work through salvation (not by deeds rather by faith) and sanctification. Someone may argue that is all fine and good for those who wish to call themselves Christians, but what about everybody else? So first, let’s take a peek at absolute truth. I’m sure we all have heard Ravi Zacharais counter the argument something like this: “Is the statement, ‘There is no absolute truth,’ absolutely true?” I’m going to go a different route.

Can we assume that there is logic and truth within the framework of life that we can rely on? Certainly, we see it in the material world with mathematics and physics. We see consistency and predictability from the tiniest subatomic particle to the entire cosmos at large. We see it in the biological sciences, too. We even see it in large-scale human patterns. The ability to predict through statistical analysis is what makes insurance and the lottery work. Where we don’t see absolute truth is in philosophy – the thought processes of right and wrong within and between human minds. It is said that economics is the science behind the allocation of scarce resources. It seems to me that ethics drives our political systems which is the primary means of deciding who makes the rules about what.

Having said that, is there absolute truth within human ethics? It would seem so despite the fact that it would appear otherwise. Why should everything else in all our visible universe be so organized and predictable yet the human mind remain in chaos? No, there seems to be law and order deep within a system that has gone wild. Just simply look at the wide array of ways society organizes itself. Traditional families to just about any conceivable relationships. Republics to dictatorships. Gated communities and communes to living on the streets. Democrats and Republicans. Jews and Catholics. Buddhists and Muslims. Atheists and monks. Chastity and free-sex. BLM and KKK. On and on and on it goes. No two people think alike let alone agree on the proper way to live. Our country was founded on the principle of freedom and liberty but that is giving way to destroying historical monuments as we find it is no longer acceptable to have an opinion.

Is there anything ‘inherently wrong’ in any one of all the world’s belief systems? Apparently so because we see no evidence of any society approaching utopia. It would seem to me that if even one person had obtained perfection, wouldn’t that guarantee replication? After all, aren’t we all chasing our own dream of perfection even if it is seemingly unobtainable? Don’t we all have opinions about our fellow humans? If someone actually found that which is so elusive, wouldn’t others desire it? Maybe someone has indeed obtained it and nobody wanted it. Wouldn’t that indicate to us all that people are sicker than we can even imagine?

It is a free-for-all, or so it would seem. But, to get back to the question which seems to toss Christianity into the trash bin of worthless manuscripts. Is it possible that Christianity is superior to all the other ways of thinking? To judge this fairly, we would have to look at other systems apart from Christianity. Can any faith system stand on its own merits, apart from Christianity as a benchmark? In other words, just because Christianity says other religions are bad, are they indeed so? Does each have its own seed(s) for destruction? Why do we feel we need a god in the first place? Isn’t that proof positive of the inadequacies of the human condition? Moreover, why can’t we all agree on one god to solve our problems? The fact that we can’t should be proof that we aren’t finding a solution through religion.

So, that’s our starting point as we take a look at absolute truth. Tomorrow, we’ll look at an interesting article I found in Got Questions?.

Father, thank you for reason. Let us not slumber in darkness but shine your light in our minds so that we may confidently share the Good News. It is quite reasonable – from start to finish. Amen.

Copyright © 2017 Scott Powers