The Ultimate Authority
When a man begins to see himself as the ultimate arbiter of what is good, you can be certain evil will be shortly around the bend in that individual’s attempt to destroy the rest of humanity. If the human race starts to believe it holds in its hands the keys to the definition of truth, the lies will appear in abundance. That moment when humanity believes it is the ultimate authority is when anarchy will arise with great strength. Reality will be turned upside down. Absolute truth will exist no more in the minds of humanity. The line between good and evil will be reversed. A certain hope of eternity with God will be replaced by the belief humanity arose from nothing but slime. Believing that every human being has dignity, value, and worth will be declared heresy. Of course, tolerance will declare those who differ to be intolerant. This all occurs simply because the creature has decided to brashly try his hand at playing the role of creator.
Perhaps my analysis sounds more like a quick synopsis of what is happening in the culture than an attempt to see what will occur in the future. C.S. Lewis said it well:
“The ancient man approached God (or even the gods) as the accused person approaches his judge. For the modern man the roles are reversed. He is the judge: God is in the dock . . . The trial may even end in God’s acquittal. But the important thing is that Man is on the bench and God in the dock.”1
Men of the modern age have placed themselves in the position of God. They believe it is their high calling to judge the Almighty. Lewis shows that modern man believes he has placed himself in judgment over God. Fundamentally to their theological creed is the assertion that all of the attributes of divinity have been inserted into their humanity. Which makes us wonder, how do we live in a world where humans created by God believe they are divine?
Realizing The Truth
For a human being to not believe in God is more fool hearty than lacking a belief in air. To try to live in God’s world while rebelling against Him is like professing to serve a king while leading those who seek to undermine his rule . . . neither case ends well. Attempting to uproot God’s design will only uproot the human seeking to do so. It is these truths which we must recognize. This is God’s world. We are His creation and thus are called to live in obedience to our Creator for the praise of His name. Absolute truth exists because God exists. Consequently, when men and women begin to view themselves as the final authority, their limited and derived authority will be taken from them when He who permitted it to them sees fit. Romans 1:18 says such individuals “suppress the truth.” God has clearly revealed Himself in creation and specifically in His Word, but those who reject Him do so on the grounds of willful suppression, not unfortunate ignorance.
It is then the duty of the Christian to understand the truth about God and to live accordingly. We know that this is God’s world governed as He sees fit, which means we need to joyfully submit to His Word. The foundational starting point of the truth about God is necessary for us to proclaim when encountering the Christless world system. Why are we opposed to homosexuality, murder, thieving, adultery, and so forth? Because God has revealed all of these as sin in His Word. Taking a stand against the modern social justice movement must stem from the truth about justice as defined by God. Christians are against Marxism because it corrupts the idea of government as defined by God.
The entire sum of the Christian worldview is built upon the Triune God who has revealed Himself in the Scripture. We fight not because we are the ultimate measure of truth, but because He who is ultimate has revealed Himself to us. Man is not the measure of all things, God is the One who is the Judge. Man is in the dock, God holds the gavel and shall pronounce the sentence. Those who trust Christ will be acquitted, but all who reject Him will stand everlastingly condemned. Ultimately, in a world which rejects these truths, we must live faithfully according to truth eternal even if everyone believes nothing but lies.
Sources
1 From Lewis’s work God in The Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics
Leave a Reply