Godly v. Secular Values

By:  Dale Weckbacher

John 18:36

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.”

(ESV)

Our world and culture finds itself in a war of values that makes even the most brutal MMA fight look like child’s play.  On one side, we live in a world dominated by a philosophy of post-modernism which believes truth is whatever one believes it is.  The Encyclopedia Britannica provides the following definition for post-modernism

There is an objective natural reality, a reality whose existence and properties are logically independent of human beings—of their minds, their societies, their social practices, or their investigative techniques. Postmodernists dismiss this idea as a kind of naive realism. Such reality as there is, according to postmodernists, is a conceptual construct, an artifact of scientific practice and language. This point also applies to the investigation of past events by historians and to the description of social institutions, structures, or practices by social scientists.  (1)

With postmodernism’s denial of absolutes such as Jesus being the only way to salvation, this philosophy stands in complete opposition to the truths taught in the Bible.  However, this philosophy dominates our culture, especially in academia (2) and the media which no longer entertains but provides a cornucopia of shows dealing with differing issues that are believed to be truth by someone.  (3)  The domination by this philosophy in education and media is most likely the reason many young people raised in Godly homes stray from their faith after attending college.  (4) 

On the other side of the battle, we have a kingdom that is not of this world, the Kingdom of God (John 18:36).  In the abridged version of the Beatitudes contained in Luke 6:20-23, Jesus presents a picture of Godly values that stands in contrast to what most value in the secular world.  Jesus picture of Godly values includes,

1)      The Kingdom of God belongs to the poor (Luke 6:20) – In our materialistic world where success is measured by the size of one’s bank account or how many worldly possessions they have the thought of the poor inheriting anything, let alone the Kingdom of God is foreign.  However, what scripture is referring to in this passage is not poverty in a material sense, but poorness of spirit.  Regardless whether a person has great material wealth or is materially poor, those that belong to the Kingdom of God are those who have surrendered their lives to the Lord Jesus Christ and thus became spiritually poor.  This involves abandoning pride and the thought that we are fully capable of running our lives. 

2)      Hunger now will be satisfied (Luke 6:21) – In Psalm 42:1 the psalmist compares his hunger for God to that of a deer longing for water.  I have been to Israel and witnessed the aridness of the Judean dessert.  There are deer living in this arid land so the psalmist most likely saw their desperation and joy upon seeing a stream of water.  Once again whether one is fully satisfied or hungry physically is not what Jesus is referring to but Jesus is referring to a hunger of one’s soul or spirit which can only find satisfaction in a relationship with God. 

3)      Sorrow on this earth is temporary and will turn to laughter (Luke 6:21) – We do not have to look hard to find things in this world that bring sorrow.  As a follower of Jesus Christ my heart is sorrowed at the statistics on abortion.  (5)  I am also sorrowed at the acceptance in our culture of gay marriage, something explicitly condemned in scripture and contrary to godly values (Genesis 19:3-15, Romans 1:26-27).  I am equally sorrowed at the decline of Christianity in some parts of the world and the rise of deception disguised as religion.  (6) In fact, even Allah is described as being the best deceiver in Suras 8:30 and 10:21 in the Quran.  (7)  However, my sorrow turns to joy when I think of the fact that my Lord is returning to establish his earthly kingdom on earth, a kingdom absent of sin and sorrow. 

The question we all face is whether to build our lives on secular or Godly values.  In Luke 6:46-49, Jesus speaks of two home builders.  The first builder built his house on a solid foundation that could withstand floodwaters and stood strong because it was built on a solid foundation.  The second homebuilder, however, built on ground without a foundation and his house collapsed in a heap when the floodwaters came. 

Many in our world today are building their lives on the philosophy of postmodernism, lacking a foundation of truth.  Is it any wonder we are seeing a rise in depression and anxiety in our society?  I therefore urge those reading this to begin building their lives on the solid foundation of Godly values by becoming poor in spirit, giving control of their lives to Jesus Christ.  I urge my readers to begin developing a hunger to know more about God the creator through study of His Word, the Bible and regularly gathering together with other believers in Christ.  I also urge my readers to not let the sorrow of what they see happening in our world overwhelm them but to instead look forward to the hope of the return of Jesus Christ to establish the Kingdom of God on earth (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). 

May God bless everyone reading this.

1. Dulgnan, Brian. Postmodernism Philosophy. www.britannica.com. [Online] Encyclopedia Britannica, October 31, 2014. [Cited: March 31, 2017.] https://www.britannica.com/topic/postmodernism-philosophy.

2. Sanbonmatsu, John. POSTMODERNISM AND THE CORRUPTION OF ACADEMIC INTELLIGENTSIA. socialistregister.com. [Online] Socialist Register. [Cited: March 31, 2017.] http://socialistregister.com/index.php/srv/article/viewFile/5851/2747.

3. Saugstad, Andreas. Postmodernism and the Media. bolesblogs.com. [Online] November 20, 2000. [Cited: March 31, 2017.] https://bolesblogs.com/2000/11/20/postmodernism-the-media/.

4. Admin. Why are college students straying from their faith? www.renewalchristiancare.com. [Online] Renewal: Christian Treatment and Recovery, September 24, 2015. [Cited: March 31, 2017.] http://www.renewalchristiancare.com/why-college-students-are-straying-away-from-their-faith/.

5. abort73.com. U.S. Abortion Statistics. abort73.com. [Online] Abort73.com. [Cited: April 2, 2017.] http://abort73.com/abortion_facts/us_abortion_statistics.

6. Breitbart London. Gatestone Institute: 423 New Mosques, 500 Closed Churches in London. www.breitbart.com. [Online] Breitbart News, April 2, 2017. [Cited: April 2, 2017.] http://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/04/02/gatestone-institute-423-new-mosques-500-closed-churches-london/.

7. Christian Debator. Deception in Islam. www.muslimhope.com. [Online] Muslim Hope. [Cited: April 2, 2017.] https://www.muslimhope.com/DeceptionInIslam.htm.