Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 15 - All Human (inherent) Rights come from God, and are not granted by men or governments

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 15 - All Human (inherent) Rights come from God, and are not granted by men or governments

A founding document of the United States makes this declaration,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,...

The claim may seem amazing today, but the Founders actually acknowledged the source of inherent rights as something above human power structures.  These rights belong to individuals independently of government largesse or revocations.  Rights that can be given by the government, can just as easily be taken away.  This is a recipe for totalitarianism, instead of justly exercising the power granted to them by the consent of the people.  

The proper role of government is to protect our rights, not to create or massage them.  In fact, the founding fathers explicitly listed many of these rights in the Constitution's Bill of Rights, as a reminder to the government that there are explicit limits to their power.  These unalienable rights cannot justly be usurped by the powerful, since they are granted by God.  It is good to be reminded that we are not God.      

Truth Month - July 2024 

Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 14 - All people have dignity and worth, but not all actions and beliefs are true or good

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 14 -  All people have dignity and worth, but not all actions and beliefs are true or good.

Most people would agree that all people have dignity and worth.  The Christian worldview grounds this belief in the fact that we are created in the Image of God, and thus have inherent value.  However, it is a fallacy to assume that because of this status, criticizing the actions of a person or challenging their deeply held beliefs is out of bounds.

So what is good or evil?  Intuitively, we know that all beliefs and cultures are not necessarily good or true, or at least some are better than others (e.g. cannibalism, torture of babies).  But only a worldview that holds to objective morality has the grounding to justify calling something good or evil, right or wrong.  Cultures that hold to relativistic morality lose the ability to fairly criticize others, since they have no objective basis to claim their views are morally superior.  In fact, relativism results in moral claims becoming just preferences (e.g. "I don't like that").  

For example, given relativistic morality, one can't claim that slavery is actually wrong, since slave owners can just as easily claim that it is right.  The most that can be claimed is "I believe that you are wrong and I'd prefer that you don't do it".  The problem is that we all actually have a moral intuition that tells us that it is wrong.  The Christian worldview explains this insight as a reflection of the Image of God in all of us.  Relativism fails to have that explanatory power.

Truth Month - July 2024 

Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 13 - All Truth is God's Truth

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 13 - All Truth is God's Truth

Truth is what corresponds to reality.  It is not about what we feel, or determined by strongly held convictions.  The foundational truth is that God cannot lie and that He is the author of all Truth.  He can never contradict Himself, since He is the immutably good, all powerful, and necessary being.

Christians have often struggled with change.  The enlightenment which fostered the scientific revolution has been hard for some to accept, especially when there are apparent discrepancies between the Words of Scripture and the discoveries of modern science.  Who do we believe and where do we place our trust?  Do we really have to choose between believing in God and facts discovered by the scientific method?

Fortunately, there is a third option — the realization that "All Truth is God's Truth."   The God who created the whole natural realm and then chose to reveal Himself to us cannot, and will not, deceive us or communicate falsehoods.  God did not give us evidence of a past history that never happened, nor did He give His revelation to mislead us into believing falsehoods.  

Historically, Christians have held to a concept called "dual revelation", or the two Books view, which is well articulated by the Belgic Confession of 1561: 

We know him by two means: first, by the creation, preservation and government of the universe; which is before our eyes as a most elegant book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many characters leading us to contemplate the invisible things of God, namely, his power and divinity, as the apostle Paul saith, Romans 1:20. All which things are sufficient to convince men, and leave them without excuse. Secondly, he makes himself more clearly and fully known to us by his holy and divine Word, that is to say, as far as is necessary for us to know in this life, to his glory and our salvation.

Because both revelations come from the Creator God, there can be no inherent conflict between truths found in each.  However, we need to be humble enough to realize that, as human beings, we can misinterpret one or both, and force a seeming conflict or contradiction.  Also, it is possible that we simply don't yet fully understand portions well enough to be dogmatic about certain particulars.  

The TLDR bottom line is this:  We do not have to choose between having a love for studying the amazing creation that God has given us and loving God with all our hearts and minds.  

Truth Month - July 2024 

Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 12 - To Know the Truth, Jesus said to first Follow and Obey him

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 12 - To Know the Truth, Jesus said to first Follow and Obey him

The CIA headquarters has the following line inscribed on the marble wall in their lobby,

  "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

Perhaps surprising to some is that this is a partial verse from the Bible, but it is really taken out of context.  The quotation from Jesus is, 

31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

33 They answered him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?”

34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  (John 8:31-34)

The Bible is clear that wisdom comes from acknowledging God as the source of Truth, not ourselves.

9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;

    teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

    and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.  (Proverbs 9:9-11)

and

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16:13)

 

In reality, truth can be a burden.  But when we acknowledge God first and choose to follow His Son, then we will truly be free.

Truth Month - July 2024 

Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 11 - Self-control is a Virtue; Pride is a Sin

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 11 - Self-control is a Virtue; Pride is a Sin

It used to be that a person with self-control was highly revered.  Rash behavior, violence, cruelty, and lack of personal restraint was condemned.  On the other hand, pride was considered to be one of the "deadly sins".  While sometimes it is good to be proud of virtuous behavior and unselfish accomplishments, there is a dark side to pride that destroys and can eat away the soul of the prideful person.  Historically, it was inconceivable that immoral behavior was something to be acclaimed and celebrated.

But now we as a culture have dedicated a whole month each year to celebrating Pride, but nothing comparable for the virtuous.  Maybe we should ask ourselves, "Pride in what?"  Are we exalting something that is praiseworthy and virtuous?  Is this something that should be promoted at every level of government?  Are these proclamations forced through because politicians are afraid to stand up for what is right and true, and thus bow to external pressures to concede the moral high ground.  It is hard to see why we should have pride in our civilization's widespread embrace of relativistic morality, where everyone just does what they think is right in their own eyes and where there are no objective standards of right and wrong.  Ironically, the activists don't consistently embrace relativism, since they claim that it is objectively wrong to say that there are limits on the religion of sexuality, and that equity, justice, and diversity are foundational truths that we all must embrace.  In fact, they hold to these truths so tightly that they actively squash dissenting views and speech whenever possible.  

When we have a proper view of ourselves, then we can boast in what God has allowed us to achieve and become.  Remember, 

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Truth Month - July 2024 

Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 10 - Do unto others as you would have others do unto you

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 10 - Do unto others as you would have others do unto you

Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, is well known to have taught this principle.  

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matt. 7:12)

He also said, 

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  (John 15:12-13) 

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. (Romans 12:9–13)

Regardless of personal views of who Jesus was, most people agree that he was a wise and compassionate teacher.  He is the embodiment of the servant leader.  His moral example and teachings are of value to all, but come at a cost of everything.  

Truth Month - July 2024 

Truth Month - July 2024 - Day 9 - When the moral foundation of a culture crumbles, it is inevitable that evil will prosper

 

Truth Month - July 2024

Day 9 - When the moral foundation of a culture crumbles, it is inevitable that evil will prosper

There have been many examinations of why Rome fell, but many have attributed "moral decay" to its downfall.  Especially near the end, decreasing safety, sexual promiscuity, lavish overindulgent parties, and violence had greatly increased.  Is it possible that we have headed down that same road?

The United States of America was uniquely founded upon the Judeo-Christian moral ethic.  While not all of the Founders were Christians, they almost universally held to the morality found in the Christian bible.  There was common agreement about belief in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman, of the value of human life as being created in the image of God, the good of working to earn a living and the right to keep what you earn and create, to not take or steal what belongs to others, to have just laws and have them applied impartially, and an understanding that there is objective right and wrong - good and evil.  They based our constitutional republic on the underlying foundation provided by the Ten Commandments and other biblical principles.

It is apparent to many that our nation has strayed from these core principles.  No longer do we hold there are self-evident truths that determine what is right and wrong.  Instead, now "my truth" and "lived experience" is given more weight in modern culture and political realms.  The sexual revolution keeps expanding to more extremes than was imagined possible just a short time ago.  We sacrifice the young, innocent, and unborn on the altars of diversity and convenience.  Justice is perverted, where the guilty are not punished but encouraged, while others are targeted for prosecution because of their beliefs.  Equity of outcomes is now touted as fairness, instead of giving equal opportunity, which also comes with the expectation of hard work and no guarantees.  Lifetime politicians enrich themselves and gather power.  Established religions are denigrated, while any other form of spirituality is encouraged.  Moral relativism has removed the grounding of right and wrong to the extent that things previously known to be evil are now permitted and promoted as good.

There truly is a culture war that is being waged, and the consequences to the corporate soul of our nation are dire.  Will evil continue to prosper until the inevitable fall, or will there be a revival in the hearts of the people?  Time will tell.

Truth Month - July 2024