Game Changer

“[The Serpent] said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1

A recent Barna Group study suggested that a “large share of the nation’s moral and spiritual challenges is directly attributable to the absence of a biblical worldview among Americans.” In the article, the definition of "biblical worldview" used in the research is defined "as believing that absolute moral truths exist; that such truth is defined by the Bible; and firm belief in specific religious views.”

The survey concluded that 4% of all adults, and only 9% of those identifying as born-again Christians, rely on this worldview for their decision-making.[i]Only 9%!

In recent days many of us have noticed a tendency to want to view the Bible through the lens of current culture rather than the other way around. The moral, ethical, and rational judgements taught in Scripture which governed the last several centuries have somehow “expired” or have been retired. Rather than looking at culture through the lens of biblical truth, we subscribe to the theory that it doesn’t work that way anymore. Even many of us who have attended church all of our lives and read the Bible can fall into that trap.

We live in a society that believes the rules change based on popular opinion. I recently heard of a story of a 22-year-old man that was pulled over by police for an expired registration. When the officer discovered that his license had been suspended, and he had no insurance, he told the man that he was under arrest. The young man protested, "But officer, I read on Wikipedia that you would only give me a ticket!"

Instead of embracing truth, many have chosen to tell their own story about the facts, regardless of their factual and historical accuracy. We need only to turn on the evening news to see competing opinions describing the same scene. In the last few decades, the idea of narratives has replaced objective truth.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, I came to the conclusion a long time ago that if I truly believe that God is the author and Creator of the universe, then I need to acknowledge that I don’t make the rules, and I don’t get to change them.

Think about the rules of the game outlined in the first couple chapters of Genesis: God created the heavens and earth in one day with a spoken word (Genesis 1:1); He created the animal kingdom according to their kinds (1:24); Created male and female in his image and likeness (1:27); He instituted marriage between a man and a woman (2:24); and gave the human race the ability (and obligation) to choose between good and evil (3:22).

These rules sound easy enough, right? Yet every single one is currently being contested in our society today. Everywhere we look, Satan is whispering in our ear, “Did God really say you would die if [fill in the blank] ?” We have been deceived just like Eve.

What if—instead of listening to the culture, no matter how loud those voices become—we believe that absolute moral truth exists? What if we begin to view current culture through the lens of Biblical truth instead of the other way around? What if we went back to the basics outlined in the first couple chapters of Genesis and pushed back on any attempts to change the rules? Now, THAT, would be a game changer.

For more information on this topic, please see Tough Question! 8 Hard Topics Christians Should be Discussing...but Aren’t, Chapter 1: Don’t You Realize the Rules Have Changed?

[i] "A Biblical Worldview Has A Radical Effect On A Person's Life - Barna Group," 2003, Barna Group, https://www.barna.com/research/a-biblical-worldview-has-a-radical-effect-on-a-persons-life/.