Absolute in a Relative World
The story from last Sunday's message about Jacob fooling his old blind father to get his blessing was troubling on several sides, and as I mentioned, it makes you realize that in many stories of the Bible there are no "heroes." Broken, selfish people make dumb, sinful decisions, and there are always consequences for the choices they make. Reading that in a nearly 4,000 year old story just confirms what we already know about humanity, and a quick look around in today's world reminds us that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
The good news in Sunday's story, as in our lives, is that God is still in control, even when we blow it, and He is able to take our messes and work out His purposes, anyway. But that does not give us permission to disregard His holy standards or not follow His rules, even if it “works,” as it did for Jacob. In a relativistic world where we are tempted to choose situational ethics when it’s convenient, we must never compromise.
In their book, Legislating Morality, Norman Geisler and Frank Turek argue against the prevailing wisdom of our day toward moral relativism. And in it, they shared this example:
"Several years ago a professor, who was teaching a class in ethics at a university in Indiana, assigned a term paper to his students. He allowed the students to write on any topic of their choice, only requiring them to properly back up their thesis with documented sources. One student, a relativist, wrote convincingly on the merits of moral relativism. He argued, 'All morals are relative, it's all a matter of opinion; I like chocolate, you like vanilla," etc. His paper was well written, properly documented, the right length, on time, and stylishly presented in a handsome blue folder. The professor read the entire paper and then wrote on the front cover, 'F. I don't like blue folders!'
"When the student got the paper back he was enraged. He stormed into the professor's office and declared, ''F. I don't like blue folders!' That's not fair, that's not right, that's not just! You didn't grade the paper on its merits!'
"Raising his hand to quiet the bombastic student, the professor calmly retorted. 'Wait a minute. Hold on. What's this you say about being fair, right, and just? Didn't your paper argue that it's all a matter of taste? You like chocolate, I like vanilla?'
"The student replied, 'Yes, that's my view.'
"The professor responded, 'Fine, then. I don't like blue. You get an F!'
"Suddenly the light bulb went on in the student's head as he finally got the message. He really did believe in moral absolutes: at least he believed in fairness, rightness, and justice. He realized that he was charging his professor with injustice by appealing to an objective standard of justice. That simple fact defeated his entire case for relativism."
That's a good story, and certainly the professor made his point. That example is more of a picture of the society we live in today that regularly questions absolute truth and defends when "every man does what is right in his own eyes" (as in the days of Judges). But even moral relativists believes in absolutes of some kind, even as they try to deny that they exist. The question for all of us is, are we willing to surrender to the one who isAbsolute, and who makes the rules.
As we were reminded when we kicked off our sermon series on Jacob a few weeks back, God has a plan, and He is even able to work through messed-up sinners from dysfunctional situations. That's good news for all of us. But we would all do well to stop "kicking against the goads" and submit our lives to His will, knowing that He loves us, He wants what's best for us, and we will only bring frustration on ourselves when we wander from His perfect standards.
I am praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you Sunday.
--Pastor Ken
