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On today's edition of Pathway to Victory. My real concern about relativism is not the relativism that our nation has embraced. It's the fact that Christians are discarding their belief in absolute truth and buying into relativism as well. To put it simply, I'm getting sick and tired of wimpy Christians, and we have them all around us. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffress. An alarming number of people have bought into the concept of relativism.
That's the belief that there's no such thing as an absolute truth that applies to all people at all times. Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress will explain the dangers of this concept and why Christians must stand against it. Now, here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message.
Dr. Jeffress. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Along with you, I've been watching the national news and checking for updates about the country we love. These are unusual days, right? Some days, we feel a surge of hope about the future.
Other days, we're rattled by outside forces working against us, only to say this is no time for wimps. In a moment, I want to talk to you about wimp-free Christianity, but first, I'm calling on you to join me in an all-out effort to push back against the evil forces in our country. This week, we're asking God to help us add at least 50 new pathway partners to our team. A pathway partner agrees to give a generous gift in the amount that's right for you every month, and when you take this step, you're actually becoming a missionary who carries the message of Pathway to Victory into every major city in our country.
You can enlist right now by going to ptv.org. With your first gift as a pathway partner, I'm going to send you an exclusive coffee table book that celebrates the power of the cross. With colorful images from the Holy Land, my book, The Power of the Cross, tells the story of the last seven days of the earthly life of Jesus, from his triumphal entry into the Holy City to his glorious resurrection on Easter morning. You'll want to place this book in a prominent place in your home all year long as a visual reminder that your family places their trust in the power of the cross.
Now, it's time to get started with today's presentation. We live in a day when Christians are pressured to tone down our moral convictions. As a response, too many Christians have kept silent. Well, that's not the biblical model, and so today I'm talking about wimp-free Christianity.
It was the 17th century Jesuit priest Balthazar Gracian who said, truth is abhorred by the masses. If you don't believe that statement, I want to encourage you to engage in an experiment this week. I want you to try making one of these statements around the break room at work, or even try making it around the Sunday school classroom at church and see what happens. Just try saying, I believe only Christians are going to heaven, everybody else is going to hell. Or try to say, just try this out, try saying, I believe husbands ought to be the leaders of their families. Or try saying, I believe that homosexuality is a perversion.
And then just sit back and watch the fireworks. You'll be called everything from intolerant to stupid to bigoted, and those are just some of the kinder things that people will say about you. And by the way, don't be surprised if those insults don't come from the lips of Christians as frequently as from non-Christians. You see, we are living in a culture in which Christians have increasingly discarded the belief of absolute truth. That is, Christians no longer believe the idea that there are some truths that apply to everyone regardless of their religion or their culture. Instead, Christians are increasingly buying into the idea of relativism. All truth is relative. To put it simply, relativism says everything is right sometime, and nothing is right every time. The fact that so many people, even Christians, have rejected this notion of absolute truth explains why these people, even Christians, bristle when you make statements like, Jesus Christ is the only way to God. Every other religion is wrong.
Or abortion is tantamount to murder. Or America was founded as a uniquely Christian nation. You see, in our culture, the greatest sin is the claim to be right about anything. We live in a culture of relativism.
Now, you say, well, pastor, why are you getting so hot and bothered about that? What difference does relativism make in our culture? Let me point out three ways that relativism impacts your life in a direct way. First of all, relativism, that is the rejection of absolute truth, encourages immorality. It encourages immorality.
Now, this is the way that relativism will touch your family in the most obvious way. Relativism makes all sexual activity permissive. After all, if there are no absolute truths, if there are not things that are absolutely wrong in every generation, why shouldn't all sexual activity be permitted, including pedophilia, sex with a child? I mean, who is to say that raping a child is wrong? Who says that's wrong?
Now, you say, well, now, wait a minute, pastor. Society constructs its beliefs about truth. And our society has determined that to coerce a child to have sex, that's wrong.
Well, that may be true right now. But if there are no absolute truths, why couldn't society change its opinions about pedophilia? May I remind you, it was only about 40 years ago that the American Psychological Association labeled homosexuality as, quote, a psychological aberration.
That homosexuality was outlawed in most every state in the Union. What if 40 years from now or even sooner we have a same change in our attitude about sex with children? What if 40 years from now people say, well, you know what, we've discovered that pedophiles don't choose to be pedophiles, they're born that way. Or why should pedophiles live in shame and have to hide their sexuality?
Why shouldn't pedophiles be free to express themselves for the fullest and enjoy happiness like everyone else? You say that's preposterous. 40 years ago, Americans would have thought it preposterous that we'd embraced homosexuality like we do today as well. Up until the 1970s, did you know this, up until the mid-1970s, the American Psychological Association said homosexuality was a psychological aberration and then overnight they changed their opinion. Not because of any scientific evidence they discovered, but because of the force of the pro-homosexual lobby.
In a world where there are no absolutes, anything is permissible. Number two, relativism discourages evangelism. It discourages evangelism. I was watching a popular talk show, it was an audience participation show, and the topic that night was, is there only one way to heaven? And so everybody in the crowd ranted and raved about how narrow-minded and bigoted it is to say that there is only one way to heaven. But one poor little lady, she raised her hand and the talk show host went over there and put the microphone in front of her mouth and she said, well my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ says that He is the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by Him.
He is the only way to heaven. And the talk show host, in the most condescending tone he could muster said, my dear, I am so glad you believe that. And if you believe that, that's fine, but you have no right to coerce me to believe like you believe. I want you to notice two things that talk show host was saying.
One obvious, one not so obvious. First of all, he was saying that there is no such thing as absolute truth. The only people to whom that truth applies is those who believe it. If you want to believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven, fine, you can believe that, but don't try to make me believe it. Absolute truth only applies to those who believe it.
We'll see how ridiculous that conclusion is in just a moment. But the not so subtle implication also was that when you voice an absolute statement like Jesus is the only way to be saved, that is coercing other people. That is hate speech to imply that truth is narrow and there's only one application, which leads to the third danger of relativism, and that is relativism promotes persecution. And that is why there is such a wave right now in our country to silence anybody who would stand up and say this is God's truth and here's why.
But I'll have to say, ladies and gentlemen, my real concern about relativism is not the relativism that our nation has embraced. It's the fact that Christians are discarding their belief in absolute truth and buying into relativism as well. To put it simply, I'm getting sick and tired of wimpy Christians and we have them all around us. Christians who are waffling and wavering about the essential truths from God's word and you see it everywhere. And that's why, ladies and gentlemen, I'm beginning this new series today, Politically Incorrect. We are going to look at the most outrageous, politically incorrect beliefs that Christians can voice in today's world.
And not only are we going to articulate those beliefs, but I'm going to try to provide you with the best biblical, scientific, historic information and evidence that will allow you to stand up and compassionately but convincingly say, this is what we believe and this is why we believe it. Ladies and gentlemen, these are truths that are regularly denounced in the classroom. They are denounced on television.
They are denounced in most churches today. But I believe it's time for Christians to stand up and say, this is what we believe. Here's why we believe it. By the way, this entire series, this entire series is built on the notion of absolute truth. That is, there are some truths that are true regardless of a person's religion or culture.
It's what Francis Schaeffer referred to as true truth. Let me just share with you briefly three foundational principles about absolute truth that are really going to be the undergirding of this series. Number one, absolute truth is universal.
Write that down. Absolute truth is universal. I was listening to a talk show host here in Dallas on the radio driving to work and the subject of discussion was whether or not the Ten Commandments should be displayed in the public classroom. And the caller called in and he said to the host, well I'm a Christian and of course I believe the Ten Commandments ought to be displayed but I believe they ought to be displayed because these ten rules for living apply to everyone, Christians and non-Christians alike.
So everybody should see them. And the talk show host who happens to be a Christian said, well I agree with you, I'm a Christian but not everyone believes like we do. And the caller said, well that's the point. Even though everybody doesn't believe in these truths, these truths apply to everyone. And the host said, well you and I believe that they apply to everyone but just because we believe it doesn't mean it believes that it applies to everyone and on and on and on and on and on they went.
They were in an argumentative circle there. You see that talk show host had bought into this concept of relativism. It's the idea that absolute truth only applies to people who believe that it's absolute truth. Truth only applies to those who believe it.
Can you think of anything more ridiculous? Think about it. Truth only applies to those who believe it's the truth. If you get up on top of this sanctuary and say I don't believe in the law of gravity and jump off this sanctuary, what do you think's going to happen to you? Because you don't believe in the law of gravity you're going to float suspended in the air?
It doesn't matter whether you believe in the law of gravity or not if you jump off this sanctuary you're going splat on the sidewalk below. You see there's some absolute truths that apply to us whether we believe in them or not. And that's certainly true with God's truth. It doesn't matter whether you believe it's God's truth or not, these things apply to you. William Watkins in his book The New Absolutes rightly points out that everybody believes in absolute truth whether they say it or not. For example the person who says there is no such thing as absolute truth has just made an absolute statement. That person has said nowhere in any corner of the universe is there any truth that applies to everyone. Now what really has happened is we have simply replaced old absolute truths for new truths.
That's what we're doing, that's what our culture is doing. Let me illustrate that for you. For a long time it was the old truth that life begins at conception. People believe that. But today many people have replaced that old truth with a new truth that says a woman is free to do whatever she wants with her own body even if it means murdering an unborn child. And people believe that today. They've exchanged one truth for another one. It used to be that people accepted the truth that it was in society's best interest for government to promote the spread of Christianity.
And for the first 160 years of our nation's history government was adamantly involved in propagating the Christian faith in our nation. But that old truth has been replaced by a new absolute truth. And that new absolute truth is any discussion of religion should be banned from the public square. It used to be an old truth that was accepted was there are some forms of behavior, some types of sexual activity that are immoral. But that absolute truth has been replaced by a new truth that says we should not judge anybody's sexuality, that everything is permissible. Again in our culture today the greatest vice, the greatest sin is to claim to be right about anything.
Whereas one public school administrator said with a straight face, it is the mission of public schools not to tolerate intolerance. My point is simply this, everybody believes in absolute truth. The only question is which absolute truths are you going to believe in? And that leads to a second principle and that is that absolute truth is revealed.
Absolute truth is revealed. Many people have disagreed with Bush's policy on Iraq and that's fine. But in his book Bush at War Bob Woodward sat down with the president and asked him why it is he felt so compelled to invade this country and to alleviate the starving, the torture, the suffering that was being endured by the Iraqi people. Listen to what Bush said, quote, there is a human condition that we must worry about in times of war. There is a value system that cannot be compromised, God given values. These aren't United States created values. There are values of freedom and the human condition and mothers loving their children.
What's very important as we articulate foreign policy through our diplomacy and military action is that it never looks like we are creating, that we are the author of these values. It leads to a larger question of your view about God. You see President Bush like millions of other Christians believe that absolute truth is not created, it is revealed it is revealed to us by God. There are God given truths, God given values.
And where do we find those values? This book, the Bible is the depository of God's absolute truth. These are truths we didn't construct.
These are truths that have been revealed to us by God. Absolute truth is revealed. Number three, absolute truth is exclusive. Absolute truth is exclusive. Now in an effort for remote harmony among people, those who believe in relativism will say, well nobody is wrong.
We're all right in a sense. We all kind of have a little bit of sliver of the truth. In a way it's a lot more palatable to say we're all right rather than to say I'm right and you're wrong. And yet when you think about it, if there is such a thing as absolute truth, then there must be such a thing as absolute untruth.
Absolute truth is exclusive. Why is it that we have such a hard time in our culture saying I'm right and you're wrong? What I believe is right, what you believe is wrong. What they believe is wrong. Why do we find that so difficult? Some of you right now are even wincing at that idea of saying that somebody's belief is wrong.
How can you say that? See the problem is, ladies and gentlemen, we have confused two words. The words diversity and pluralism. Diversity is simply the acknowledgement that there are a number of different opinions about a certain subject. And we all acknowledge that, especially about religion. There are thousands of religions in the world. There are diversities of opinions about religion.
And by the way, that's fine. I'm not saying it shouldn't be that way in our country. We can have a diversity of opinions. But pluralism goes a step further. Pluralism says because there are a diversity of opinions, no one viewpoint can claim to be right. That's pluralism. And we as a country now embrace pluralism, the idea that no one belief system can claim to be right. But again, if there is absolute truth, obviously there is absolute untruth.
R.C. Sproul recounts the hearings that took place in the late 1980s when Clarence Thomas was being nominated for the Supreme Court. If you watch those hearings on television, you'll remember that in the midst of those hearings, a former law student, Anita Hill, accused Judge Thomas of sexual harassment.
And everybody was divided. Is Anita Hill telling the truth? Or is Clarence Thomas telling the truth?
R.C. Sproul says that he didn't know whether Thomas or Hill was telling the truth, but he said they couldn't be both telling the truth. In other words, one was telling the truth, one was lying, but there was no way to reconcile their two statements. It's the same way when it comes to religion. All religions are not telling the truth about God.
That's impossible. For example, Christianity claims that the way to God is through trusting Christ as your Savior. It is by grace we receive through faith. On the other hand, Islam claims that the way to Heaven is by working your way to Heaven and doing enough good deeds to please Allah. They are saying something entirely different than what Christianity says. Now, honestly, it's possible that both Christianity and Islam could be wrong. I mean philosophically it's possible that both could be wrong. It could be that the way to God is not through the grace of Jesus Christ or good works. It could be the way to God is by standing on your head over here in the corner and saying mamma mia three times.
You know, maybe that's the way to God. I mean it's possible, at least theoretically, that Christianity and Islam are both wrong, but it's impossible that they're both right. They both cannot be right. If Islam is right, then Christianity is wrong.
If Christianity is right, then Islam is wrong. Where there is absolute truth, there has to be absolute untruth. Now, throughout the ages, people have used, unfortunately, the truth of God's Word to mistreat people, to beat people over the head with, and have really made a bad name for Christianity, and we all realize that. But ladies and gentlemen, we cannot allow the abuse of some of God's truth.
We cannot allow that abuse to force the rest of us into what one writer calls a forced neutrality in which no one of us dares speak up and tells the truth lest we offend somebody. William Watkins in his book The New Absolutes says that it is time for Christians to become increasingly intolerant. He says we must violate the new tolerance and become people marked by intolerance. Not an intolerance that unleashes hate upon people, but an intolerance that's unwilling to allow error to masquerade as truth.
An intolerance that calls evil, evil, and good, good. And I promise you this, you can always count on Pathway to Victory to preach and teach God's Word with boldness and without apology. Gratefully, we've been given permission to speak with boldness from the very people who financially support Pathway to Victory.
I found that our audience deeply values this approach. Today, I'm prepared to thank you for your gift to Pathway to Victory by providing an exclusive coffee table book. It's called The Power of the Cross.
This is a keepsake that your family will enjoy for many years to come, not only during the Easter season, but all throughout the year. With my favorite photos from the Holy Land and with my written comments about each site, this book will elevate your gratitude for Jesus' work on the cross. Now, as I mentioned earlier, we're praying that God would lead at least 40 supporters to become Pathway partners.
We'd love to meet or even exceed this goal because God will use our partnership to advance His kingdom for His purposes. So maybe your generous gift today will be your first as a Pathway partner. You can go to ptv.org to find out all the details. Whatever the case, when you give a gift today, I'm going to say thanks by sending you my coffee table book called The Power of the Cross. Now here's David with all the details.
Thanks, Dr. Jeffress. You can become a Pathway partner when you follow the easy steps online at ptv.org. And when you give your first monthly gift or when you give a one-time gift to support Pathway to Victory, we'll say thanks by sending you The Power of the Cross.
It's a beautifully illustrated coffee table style book based on the teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Simply give us a call, 866-999-2965, or visit online at ptv.org. And when you give $75 or more, we'll also send you Live from Israel, eight powerful messages by Dr. Jeffress from the Holy Land.
These messages were preached on location in Israel, and you'll get them on both DVD video and MP3 format audio discs. Again, call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org. If you'd prefer to send your donation by mail, write to P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222.
That's P.O. Box 223-609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J. Mullins.
Is Christianity the only right religion, or can other beliefs lead to the truth? Dr. Robert Jeffress answers this important question next time here on Pathway to Victory. Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word. To become a Pathway partner, go to ptv.org slash donate or follow the link in our show notes. We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.
