Nothing but the Truth,so help me God
May 27, 2010
During the week I had the privilege to a spectator at a church forum that discussed the issue of marriage vs. living together. They had speakers that came from very diverse backgrounds and everyone stated their own opinion with passion and conviction. Some of the speakers were:
- Pastors of local churches;
- A psychiatrist;
- A black lady who had a child out of wedlock;
- A single lady who stars in a popular TV soapy;
- A financial advisor;
- And a journalist to a local newspaper.
Looking at this list you know that it will make for some very interesting conversation. Well, I was not left disappointed, but still I left with great disappointment. Allow me to tell you why!
If we look at something so straightforward as the institution of marriage, or so I thought, you have to approach the Bible and find out what it says about the topic. I still have the opinion that marriage is a holy institution that originates from God, not from Dr. Phil or Oprah like some people think. Therefore marriage comes from God, I have no doubt that He will have something to say about it.
Two of the speakers communicated that with great vigor and it blessed me without end. The rest of the panel was trying to be quite sophisticated and accommodate the current cultural situation that we find ourselves in, or take actual cases and force fit it into the “truth.” Obviously you cannot fit the largeness of truth into your situation, so the next best thing is to skillfully prune the truth into your reality. That left me disappointed, very disappointed.
Os Guinness has the following to say about compromise:
- Assumption. Like the journey of a 1000 miles start with the first step, so compromise creeps up on you. We can innocently entertain living together and its economical and other advantages and not many moons from now we assume it as “true.’
- Abandonment. So everything that does not fit in with our assumption on living together is either discounted or cut out. Unfortunately in this step we normally don’t alter the facts but much rather we alter the truth. Something modern is many times assumed to be true and proper. You know, keeping up with the times is essential.
- Adaptation. Something new is assumed, something old is abandoned, and everything else is adapted. So whatever is said about marriage and living together in the scriptures is altered to fit in with the new assumption.
- Assimilation. This is the logical culmination of the first three. Living together is assumed as modern and true (step 1). As a consequence what is highlighted in the scriptures is abandoned (step 2), and everything else is adapted (step 3). At the end of the line, Christian truths are absorbed by modern “truths”. The gospel has been assimilated to the shape of culture, often without a reminder even.
Isaiah 66:2 All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I look, he who is humble and contrite in spirit, AND TREMBLES AT MY WORD. You will either have a great view of God or on the other hand you will have a great view of man. They are mutually exclusive, they cannot dwell together. Marriage vs. living together is a reality in our day and age, what will you decide?
I want the truth and nothing but the truth, so help me God!!
