You Can't Have it Your Way!

            Recently some conversations with both Christians and non-Christians have reminded me of the dangerous effects of relativism mixed with the prideful human heart. Relativism is a philosophy that says knowledge, truth and even morality exist only in relation to society and culture and that there are no absolutes or objective basis from which to determine them. You take this philosophy mixed with a heart that is “…deceitful above all things, and desperately sick..” Jeremiah 17:9 and you have a recipe for disaster. It seems like the two were made for each other, the heart wants to be the judge, the heart wants to decide what’s right and wrong, the heart wants to determine what’s true and what’s not true, and relativism is exactly the type of philosophy that allows that.

The Christian

            For the Christian, it means they get to pick and choose those verses and parts of the bible they like and believe, and those they don’t. This was obvious to me in a conversation with someone recently as they attempted to justify their disobedience by making the statement “I think we all need to figure out what’s right for us.” This is not a statement that can in anyway be backed up from a Christian worldview and understanding of scripture. To be in Christ means, it’s His way, and He doesn’t give us the option to pick and choose, see John 8:24, 10:9, 14:6, Acts 4:12, 1 Tim. 2:5 and many others. God is the objective standard by which we understand everything else, and when we disagree with God, we are the ones that need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. For the Christian, sorry, but no, we can’t have it our way!

The non-Christian

            For the non-Christian, it often means picking and choosing from every worldview that’s ever existed! But, what I found most telling in a recent conversation with a dear friend was the inability to ground any of her own beliefs. At times this person would say “isn’t that in the bible” and in the next sentence say to me, “how can you even trust that book?” When it came down to it, she was happy to be the judge of everything and determine what was right, for her. I asked, “how do you know what you’re saying is true?” she responded, “because I know it in my heart.” She had created her own “god”, one that agrees with everything she says, and loves her just the way she is. But even in her denial of the true God, she recognized there were still certain things that she clung to as true, objectively, that she had no basis for.  Therefore, even for the non-Christian, sorry but you too, can’t have it your way!

Conclusion

            Relativism, though popular, is foolish and can never truly be supported. If you are a Christian, then you must recognize that Jesus is Lord of your life, and you are to do as He says. If you are not a Christian, please, I beg you, surrender and make Jesus Lord of your life because everything else is foolishness, no one has it their way and peace is only found in His way!