Have you ever heard the term “relativism?” It was only recently that I heard the term for the first time. Based on the context I read it in, I could immediately tell it stood in contrast to Christian beliefs but I wasn’t sure what it actually meant. So, I started looking up information and trying to figure out exactly what it was. Once I understood it, I realized that I had seen it in action my entire life, I just never had a name for it. The definition as found on Google is: the doctrine that knowledge, truth and morality exist in relation to culture, society or historical context and are not absolute. I have seen this in my life, sometimes, even shoved in my face in seemingly innocent interactions. I remember reading about some historical figures that married cousins and remarking to teachers and/or other students that it was “gross” before being told that it was fairly normal back then, so it wasn’t really “gross.” Doesn’t really seem like a big deal does it? The problem is, I wasn’t being told that marrying your cousin wasn’t “gross”, rather I was being told that despite it being gross now, it was common in the past and therefore it wasn’t gross then. So already at such an early age, I was being taught that there wasn’t one right way; it was all based on context.
I don’t want to spend a lot of time breaking down the problems with relativism or trying to explain how it clearly points to a secular point of view, but I do have a couple quick points to make. The idea of relativism taken to its logical conclusion would lead to complete and utter chaos. Since, if we were ruled by the ideals of relativism there simply couldn’t be any laws against things such as theft, kidnapping, or even murder, because a relativist society would have to respect the idea that the people committing those acts didn’t consider them to be wrong and therefore, we must tolerate them and their actions. That doesn’t really sound like a world that I want to live in.
Thankfully, the Bible has shown us that we don’t need context to find truth; it is absolute. Jesus told him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) We also know that knowledge is absolute and comes from God. “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.” (Proverbs 2:6) If the 10 commandments literally being written in stone isn’t proof enough that morality is absolute than you can always find another example in Proverbs 5. We even see that power is absolute, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” (Matthew 28:18) When you consider these verses, as well as countless others, it is clear that relativism has no place in Christianity. Yet, unfortunately it would seem to be something that is popping up more and more in Christian thought and discussion.
The most obvious form of relativism in the church is the attitude of “At least I’m not as bad as that guy.” We have all seen it and we have all probably done it at some point. We look at the people around us to judge where we are in our relationship with Christ instead of looking at ourselves and examining where our heart is. We don’t focus on what God is calling us to do or look to read and follow His word. Instead, we act as though it is all a competition and as long as I pray more than this guy or read my bible more than that guy then I’m in the clear and God will know that I’m a better Christian. I’ve been guilty of this thought process too, but the fact is, it simply isn’t the true Christian mindset. We all have our own walks with Christ. We are all at different points in our walks with Christ. It isn’t for me to judge the condition of somebody else’s heart, but I should be constantly looking at my own. As Christians, we aren’t meant to be in competition with each other. We are all meant to be working toward the same goal. We are all meant to be spreading the word and bringing people to Christ. Our meaningless and pointless “holier than you” competitions only serve to undermine our God given objective. If you see somebody that is struggling in some area of their faith that you happen to be strong in, don’t gloat that you are a better Christian, instead, reach out and offer to help them. You can help them strengthen their relationship with Christ, while at the same time strengthening your own. Not to mention that person may have strengths in areas that you struggle and while you are helping them, they can be helping you. That is what the Christian community is supposed to look like; that is what it looks like when Christians stay focused on God’s objective instead of our own.
Our meaningless and pointless “holier than you” competitions only serve to undermine our God given objective.
When we attempt to mark our progress by looking down on others, we create a divide within the church, which will without a doubt make church seem like a less welcoming place for non-believers. We can’t take the attitude that we are better than others. The Bible doesn’t teach us that we are better, it actually teaches us that we are all broken and all in need of repair. I have been made whole by Christ but that doesn’t make me any better than anyone else, because the fact still remains that I couldn’t have made myself whole. I have no right to speak down to those around me, but I do have an obligation to reach out and try to bring others to Christ. We have to realize the human condition is one of sin and brokenness. No matter how long I have been a Christian, no matter how much time I spend in the Bible and no matter great my prayer life is, the nature of my heart is still one of sin and rebellion. It is through Christ’s power, not my own, that I am able to resist sin and submit to God’s will and even with that I still mess up sometimes. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith- and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). We didn’t do it ourselves, so we have no right to brag about it. No right to feel superior or entitled. Instead, we should be humbled by God’s grace and extend that to those around us, realizing, that we have simply found the answer that they are looking for, and now have the responsibility of helping them find the answer for themselves.
We live in a broken world that has warped our minds to the idea of what good is.
The other form of relativism that I see rearing its ugly head within Christianity, is a form of universalism. In my opinion, it is far more dangerous than the one I previously mentioned. Since, now we aren’t only lying to ourselves, but we are lying to the world as well. Essentially, this form of relativism states and believes that if you are a “good” person than you will go to heaven. They try to use God’s benevolent and loving nature as “proof” that He couldn’t send a good person to Hell. The problem is not only does this stand in stark contrast to the passage in Ephesians I just quoted, but also many others. (Titus 3:5, Romans 10:3, Phillipans 3:9, Acts 4:12, Isaiah 45:22, Matthew 7:21-23, Galatians 2:16…to name a few) It is clear that good deeds won’t grant you access to heaven. However, what exactly is your definition of a good person? Who are you comparing them to? We live in a broken world that has warped our minds to the idea of what good is. In fact, it is hard to find anybody that at least one person wouldn’t say is “good,” but we are judging them by our perverted worldly perspective instead of God’s perfect heavenly one. We see people and we want to see good and so, in a lot of cases, we will ignore the things that are wrong in order to focus on the best features. We will even ignore the deeds of a person and then describe them as having “a good heart.” So what makes somebody good in your eyes? Giving to charity, being polite, not being a criminal, being your friend or is it something else? Do you compare them against yourself, society or do you just consider them to be better than the people you don’t like?
He doesn’t change, He doesn’t waiver and He never lowers His standard.
We have a twisted idea of good that we have created and then expect God to recognize it as righteous, but it simply doesn’t work that way. God only has one measuring stick for righteousness and that is Jesus Christ, which if you compare it by that measure, good does not equal righteous; perfection does. It would seem that more and more of the Christian community is being lied to and then forgetting that God is absolute. He doesn’t change, He doesn’t waiver and He never lowers His standard. He isn’t clamoring for the approval of the masses, because He wants to improve us; not allow us to devalue Him. If we want righteousness, we can’t try to lead God to our relative idea of what good is; instead, we must answer the call to follow Jesus Christ.
If we want righteousness, we can’t try to lead God to our relative idea of what good is
If we believe that being good is all that is needed to get to heaven then that would mean that we didn’t need Jesus Christ to die on the cross. If Jesus didn’t need to die on the cross, but God sent Him to suffer and die anyway then that wouldn’t really be the act of a benevolent God, would it? Actually, it sounds more like the act of a tyrant, and I doubt a tyrant would allow anyone into heaven. If all it takes is being relatively good then that would mean anybody, regardless of whom or what they worship, could make it into heaven. In fact, it would even be open to atheist and agnostics. If that is the case and God has to let anyone in then that would mean God isn’t really in control, which means He isn’t omnipotent. And if God weren’t all-powerful, He wouldn’t be able to create a heaven for us to go to. If works can get you into heaven than that means it isn’t the gift of grace but rather a business transaction, which again doesn’t point to a loving God. I know a lot of people believe the “all good people go to heaven” lie because they think it sounds like the most loving thing God could do. However, if it were that simple, if that was really all that was required then, we would have absolutely no need for God. It would mean that Heaven was a completely human construct built upon human standards and human principles. Also, remember that our nature is one of sin and brokenness, which means that our creation would be broken as well; not at all like the perfect heaven our God is creating for us. Our idea of good changes from day to day and even from person to person, so either everyone would get into heaven or it would have to be decided by some sort of voting system and if that is the case a lot of “good” people might not make it due to some type of bias.
It may sound better and simpler to just make entrance into heaven open to all relatively good people, but it would actually be nearly impossible to judge relative goodness, since it would change person to person and therefore one person’s idea of relative goodness might not match other people’s idea. Meaning some deserving people might not make it into this broken heaven. God’s plan doesn’t have this problem. Entrance into his perfect heaven isn’t based on human standards. It isn’t based on relative ideals or principals. It isn’t constantly changing and impossible to measure. It is constant, steadfast and eternal; just like God. It is based on His grace, His love, His sacrifice and finally our belief and acceptance.
Righteousness isn’t relative…Righteousness is absolute! You are righteous before God or you’re not.
The Bottom Line: Righteousness isn’t relative. You can’t be more or less righteous than somebody else. Righteousness is absolute! You are righteous before God or you’re not. It isn’t based on our deeds or how good we are; it is based on God’s works and how great He is. It isn’t something we earn. It is something that we have been given. A gift: offered to the world by the shedding of the blood of Jesus Christ. He is our savior and our only hope of salvation. The gift is offered freely, but we have to accept it. Have you accepted it? Are you absolutely forgiven and righteous before God? It doesn’t matter what you have done. It doesn’t matter if you are good or bad. It doesn’t matter if you’re better or worse than your friends. All that matters is that you believe Jesus Christ was the son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins and 3 days later was risen from the grave. If you believe that, all you have to do is accept Him as your Lord and Savior: accept His grace, accept His love, and accept His Salvation. Can you do that? Do you want to do that? He is waiting. The gift is ready. It has already been purchased. He has your name on it and is holding it just for you. He is waiting for you to come. Is today the day that you will choose Him? Is today the day that you will allow Him to change your life forever?
I hope it is and I will be praying for you.
