Black and White

More and more it seems like the god of our age is man himself. Human potential and human achievement and humans themselves are the object of worship. It seems to man that there is nothing man can't accomplish. The sky is the limit and like the early inhabitants of Babel, we seem to be trying to reach the heavens.

In the world we live in today there is one cardinal sin that stands out above all others. It is the sin of being dogmatic about something you believe. Just say something is absolutely true and you will hear the epitaphs of the masses ... bigot, intolerant, divisive, unloving ... these are a hew of the milder ones. And they are things no one wants to be in today's world. Tolerance, diversity, inclusiveness .. these are the modern watchwords. And above all, we dare not offend anyone by saying that one way is right above all others, or that others "ways" are wrong. The most heinous of the modern insults is that a "wrong religion or belief will send someone to hell."

However, the Bible does not leave us able to hold such "modern" positions. In fact, we are called to profess the "faith once and for all [time] delivered to the saints." There is a truth. It is 2000 years old and it is true for all people for all time in all places in all circumstances. God had a Son. One Son. His name is Jesus of Nazareth who is called the Christ. God came to the earth. The God-man, Jesus Christ. Jesus gave us God's truth and died as a substitute for sinners who will die and go to hell without personal faith in who Jesus is and what He has done for them personally. God did come as Mohammed. He did not come as Krishna. He did not come as Buddha. How do we know that? Because God cannot lie nor can He deny Himself. And the teachings of these other world religious leaders contradict what Jesus taught.

The Bible does not give us the luxury of believing that all pathways lead to heaven. We are told that there is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved. We are told that Jesus is the "way, the truth, and the life; and no one comes to the Father but by him [Jesus]."

The Bible tells us if two ways. There is black and white. Light and dark. Good and evil. Sheep and goats. The saved and the lost. Those on the narrow way and those on the wide way. Grace and works. Heaven and hell. Truth and error. Faithful doctrines and heretical doctrines. I could go on. And what we learn here is that there is no fence to straddle. "He who is not for us is against us." We are this or that. One or the other.

Friend, we live in a world of compromise, innuendo, half truths, sophistries and distortions. But God is the One True Judge. There is no fooling Him. He can see through all our excuses and eloquent speeches. He will know if we are His or not. Today is the day to think about it. What side of the fence are you standing on? If you say you are God's side, are you really living like you are standing on God's side? Remember, you are or you aren't. Test yourself, as the Apostle Paul says, to see whether you be in the faith or not. Now ask, what do I need to do in light of what I am seeing about truth and how I relate to it?