2 Timothy 3:1-3 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good..."
There are many issues that are relevant to the changing times in which we live. How do we as Christians deal with the changing values that our
culture is going through?
It's time to focus on the importance of adhering to and remaining firm to Biblical values and convictions in a world whose values are constantly changing. Because we live in a world whose values are constantly changing makes it a more difficult and complex world in which to live our lives in harmony with God’s plan and purpose.
Aside from all of these areas, we are also living in an era when evil is being called good and good is being called evil. Sin is running rampant in our culture and society, which is why the values and morality of our culture are deteriorating before our eyes.
Isaiah 5:20 "Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"
As we can see, our cultural values have changed over the years. They have been eroding steadily and will probably continue to do so. The question is – How do we as Christians contend with these changing values? How do we keep from becoming desensitized? How do we keep our values simple and Biblical in today’s complex world? How do we overcome in a world that has gone awry?
-Is Christianity still the champion of purity and godly values or are we being swept along in the tide of cultural change as well?
Does Christianity still have the punch that it had twenty to twenty-five years ago in the realm of purity and values? It’s not that Christianity has begun to lose its punch over the past 20-25 years; it’s that more and more Christians (it seems) are now either compromising or opting for lower standards when confronted with the choice of living in a moral purity as set forth in the Scriptures.
The battle of choices is not new. Two sections of the New Testament, written in the first century describe the internal warfare quite vividly.
Romans 6:6 "...knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin."
Romans 6:12, 13 "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."
Galatians 5:17 "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish."
Yes, Christianity is still the champion of purity and morality, but the challenges and attacks against purity and morality have never been greater, and this complicates the problem and makes it more complex for us.
How then do we make it as Christians in a world that is constantly changing its values?
-We must believe the values given in God’s Word are still relevant in today’s culture.
Psalms 119:105 "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."
2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness..."
There are those who say, “The Bible and its values and standards are outdated. We live in a progressive culture, the Bible is no longer relevant to the society in which we live.” The answer to that response is simple. As the writer of Ecclesiastes said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” There have been ancient cultures that have been just as corrupt as our culture. It was in the midst of some of these cultures that God’s word came forth.
Ecclesiastes 1:9, 10 "That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us."
As a people throughout the generations of time we have continuously moved through cycles. Nothing is new. Clothing styles are an example of this.
Our values and morals are molded by our belief system. If our belief system begins to decay, so will our morals. This is what has happened in our culture. As Christians we must come to a firm belief and adherence to God’s word and its relevancy for our lives.
For Christianity to retain its role as “the champion of purity,” the Christian is expected to be above reproach. The same is as true today as it was in the first century.
Philippians 2:15, 16 "...that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain."
-We must determine values that are not so black and white.
There are many areas in which our societal values have simply become immoral and evil according to God’s Word, but there are other areas in which values have simply shifted to more self serving and pleasing. As Christians we are often able to discern when something is outright wrong and evil and is being promoted as good, but what about values that have become more self gratifying? How do we discern and make right choices when society’s values are constantly shifting and changing?
-We Must Consider The Consequences. Living right morally means living in ways that bring good things to people. Is my decision going to hurt them or help them? What really matters morally is whether we are adding to the goodness of people’s lives.
Philippians 2:3, 4 "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others."
-We must choose to live in the realm of God’s grace rather than the permissible.
The more we adhere to and practice God’s Word in our lives, the more discernment we develop to discern the appropriate response in the many different situations that come up in our lives.
Discernment is often simply being awake and having a nose for what is going on beneath the surface, and having a sense for the more fitting response to it. This is what makes for a class act on the moral stage.
But like everything else, discernment takes practice; it doesn’t come easy. It is a gift, and like all personal gifts it comes only with exercise. It is not a gut reaction; it comes with using our eyes, our ears, our minds, our imaginations, our empathy and, yes, our intuition.
Discernment can be one of the most essential tools that we have when it comes to making good value judgments. What we have to be careful about is editing out the segments of reality that will cost us something. We have a tendency to whittle and chisel reality into nice shapes that fit our needs. We abridge our consciousness to protect ourselves.
-Our founding fathers declared that all people were created equal, but they screened out of their own consciousness the reality of thousands of black people living without freedom before their eyes.
-German citizens refused to discern the reality of Jewish people disappearing from their neighborhoods and villages, and thus refused to know that the Holocaust was happening just around the corner.
-A suburban mother refused to see the clear signs that her son is taking drugs; it would be too painful to let the reality inside her consciousness.
Because of our sensitivity to pain we distort the reality around us and we cannot give genuine responses to what is really going on around us and as a result we make the wrong moral decisions.
We are living in an era in which our values are constantly changing. But God’s Word never changes nor do His values. If we purpose to live our lives in accordance with His Word we will escape the corruption that is in this world. Christianity is still the champion of godly values.
Psalms 119:89 "Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven."
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