Introduction America is a pluralistic society where various beliefs and practices converge and, in theory, the state does not endorse or favor any particular religious viewpoint. In such a society the only mortal sin is to impose personal beliefs on others--at least so we claim. Cars drive around with "co-exist" bumper stickers, people sport the rainbow flag, and everyone insists that "love is love." All of this to drive home one point: there is no objective truth (God) to which all must submit, so the only right thing to do is tolerate everyone else's beliefs. This claim, of course, is impossible to consistently live by, but we will ignore that fact for now. But if religious pluralism is our current experience, how can I claim that everyone believes that God's word must be obeyed? Well, it starts with our definition of "God." The Question of "God"
The often repeated phrase from Inigo Montoya ("you keep using that word, but I do not think it means what you think it means") captures the problem we face when the discussion of "God" arises. There are over seven billion people in the world with thousands of different belief systems. But in every single system, and in every single heart, there is always a God. Whatever functions as God (and something always does) possesses key characteristics. God is whatever or whoever has final authority and power here, regardless of where here is. God is the one you believe must be obeyed. Therefore, whatever wields ultimate decision-making power functions as God, even if we do not use the word "God" to describe it. The human heart starts with a flawed definition of God. We are born with a warped worldview that does not honor and worship the Creator who rules all; instead, we exchange the truth of God for a lie and worship and serve creatures instead (Rom 1:25). Idolatry is the term Scripture uses for this twisted worldview. Idolatry views the world as being governed not by a single all-powerful Being, but by many gods who rule over their slice of the pie. A god, by definition, rules; which also means that a god must rule somewhere over something. And where a god rules is revealed by where that god is praised and obeyed. The decidedly Christian view, however, is that Christ rules over everything and does not share glory with anyone (Is 42:8). There is only One God, and His domain is everywhere, not just somewhere. All claims made by other "gods" are rendered null and void by the word of Christ. The total authority of Christ is the foundation for the Great Commission, in which we are commanded to go and make disciples (followers of Jesus) of all nations (Matt 28:18-20). The only basis we have for calling others to change is if we speak as ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20). As Abraham Kuyper famously stated, "There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” The unique and offensive claim of Christianity is this: there is only One True God whose glory and jurisdiction has no limits, and He deserves the praise and obedience of every created being at all times. No other "gods" will be tolerated, and those who refuse to worship and serve Christ will be destroyed at His appearing (Ps 2; Dan 7:13-13, 27; and 2 Thess 2:8). The Conflict We often think ideas are harmless, but in the end ideas become incarnate and affect our world. For example, one article details how DePaul University, the largest Catholic university in the United States, has embraced nine different gender identity options. A senator for the student government argued that "misgendering" someone (refusing to use an individual's preferred gender pronoun) is considered an "act of violence" by the student body. If we accept that misgendering a person is an act of violence, then this will lead to discipline for those who refuse to parrot lies. We have laws that punish those who inflict harm on others, so clear and fair criteria for deciding what constitutes true violence is a concern to be taken seriously. We are not dealing with theoretical ideas if we are using the word violence. This is a perfect illustration of what is going on more broadly in our culture. Individual people have claimed authority to define their own identity irrespective of objective facts, and there is an expectation that these claims be accepted by everyone else. And it is the demand that these declarations be accepted by others that is so problematic. The argument is not that someone should be allowed to hold to personal opinions, but that we demand others accept personal opinions of others as fact. This, again, requires we ignore the inability to apply this dogma in any consistent fashion. Refusing to acknowledge "my truth" is called evil and violent because, as the argument goes, I have the right to decide what is true about me, and it is supposedly nothing short of a violation of my sovereignty to disagree with my claims about me. Now a claim to define truth is not the same thing as making a statement about truth--these kinds of claims can be tested and argued. But defining truth is something completely different. This does not allow for discussion or disagreement. Defining truth is the prerogative of an authority, which is why it comes with an expectation of obedience. In our situation, sexual identity is not being discussed in relation to common, fixed realities understood by all, but rather on personal ever-changing feelings. There is no attempt to persuade and consider facts, there is only a demand to accept an edict from an alleged sovereign. The innovations we see in conceiving of personal identity lacks, and even avoids, any appeal to reason or truth that exists outside of the person. Instead, these claims are rooted in the subjective experience of the individual--and that is actually the point! This whole game to let people define themselves and demand others acknowledge them is really about arguing individuals are their own sovereign state that cannot be infringed upon by any outside authority. Or, to put this more biblically, this is about the desire to be our own god. This is the logical conclusion of what Adam and Eve sought when they ate the fruit in the Garden (Genesis 3). They desired to "be like God" and exist independently of their Creator, and eating from the Tree of Knowledge was about deciding for themselves what was good and evil. Every human being now operates according to that innate desire inherited from Adam, the desire to decide for themselves and be their own ultimate authority. We see an incarnation of this sinful desire to be our own god in the gender-identity debate. What is more, we have seen that mere tolerance of another's opinion is insufficient for the demands of the new dogma. The clear expectation is praise and obedience be offered in response to these self-declarations. This is why Pride Month--which seems to be extending far beyond June--is so important! Gods must be worshipped and served, and enthusiastically so. If our culture believes that each individual is their own authority (god), then we need the praise and obedience to back it up; hence the frantic demand to affirm and celebrate the sexual insanity we see. If man turns from worshipping the Creator, he has no choice but to replace God with a creature to worship as god instead. But there are many who do not perceive the danger of these ideas. The narrative is purposely framed as a discussion about a person's own body, which makes this push seem innocuous to some. God has made us as social beings, and there really are no private issues that remain private forever; we are affected by our own choices, and we then in turn affect others. Personal ideas and practices inevitably have social ripple effects, and we ignore this to our own detriment. For example, let's say there is a male named Billy who now identifies as female and wants to be called Suzy. Some might argue Billy isn't hurting anyone else by doing this because his choice is only about him. But herein lies the problem: Billy new profession assumes he has authority over his own body, and that claim is either true or false. According to Scripture, Billy's is wrong. He is a created being, and he will give an account to his Maker for what he has done with the body he was given. Billy believes a lie, and we participate in that lie if we go along with him. In fact, Billy is hurting himself by turning away from the truth, and we are failing to love Billy by letting it happen. And all of this to say nothing of the demands his identity claims will place on other "sovereign" individuals (remember that consistency problem?) he encounters when deciding which bathroom to use, which team to play on, etc. Christ has laid claim to Billy's body and demands Billy honor God with it, starting with admitting the Sovereign God made him with purpose by creating him a biological male, and that purpose is good. There is no neutrality on this issue. Does Christ or Billy have ultimate authority to define and direct Billy? Whose word will be obeyed? Billy's worship of his Creator starts with thanking God and serving Him as the male God made him to be. Loving Billy means encouraging him to live according to the truth that liberates and leads to life (Jn 8:32), and it also means refusing to going along with lies that bind and lead to death (Hos 4:6). Truth begets truth, and lies beget lies, and those who embrace lies do so because they first failed to love the truth and so be saved (2 Thess 2:9-12). Somebody needs to repent. Repentance for Billy, not God or anyone else, is the solution to this problem. So long as Billy is unhappy as God made him, he rejects God's command to "honor and give thanks" to God in what He has made (Rom 1:20-21). Our role as Christians is to joyfully, humbly, and boldly affirm the total authority of God over all things. And loving others means teaching them to obey God in everything (1 Jn 5:3). A Decision Is Needed Our natural bent is to live according to our own understanding and reject the authority of the word of God. But if we will have eternal life, we must change our mind (repent) about who is God, and even what God is like. There is only One God, and He has revealed Himself through Jesus Christ and His rule is everywhere over everything. All people in all places are commanded to give up rebellion against our Creator to obtain the freedom of the glory of God. We do not have the right to define truth; we are commanded to walk according to the truth revealed in Jesus. Jesus said that He is "the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), and only those who trust in Him will have life. God has spoken clearly through His word, and all are called to agree with what God has revealed. We must pivot according to what God has said, not demand others pivot to what we say. Jesus Christ, not you or me, is Lord, and that is good news.
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AuthorI am follower of Jesus Christ by God's grace, married to Kelsey, father to four children, and pastor of Lighthouse Church (EPC). Archives
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