When it comes to spiritual and eternal truths – we need to ADOPT and not adapt them. But do we? Do we attempt to ‘hedge our bets’ by trying to adapt these truths rather than adopting them. Can we ever adapt truth? Absolutely not! Truth is truth and universally applied not changed, or weakened, or applied randomly.
I would argue that this has become the Trojan horse for the church. Somehow it bought into the mindset of relativity and becoming pleasing to the world. In this we have abandoned what scripture says and reworked it to the world’s values by using the mindset of ‘politically correct’. It has misused Paul’s words of being all things … so that by some means all are touched. (1Corinthians 9: 19-23)
The world turned around and called the church hypocritical. A just judgment? Or is this more of an attempt to not offend, to not be controversial, to be ‘acceptable’ to all? Regardless, it is difficult to understand what the ‘church’ stands for. I would also argue that this underscores why people stop attending church and why young people often repudiate the church. I remember, when I was a youth, asking the minister of the church I was attending what it was that the church believed. His response, after a long pause, was that for the most part, people could believe whatever they wanted as long as they believed who Jesus was and in God. My thought was that this was no standard, no foundation on which to build.
We are called Christians, therefore we should model what Christ was and is. He knew precisely who He was and what He stood for. None of that was the easy path nor unequivocal. Christians had a different message and it was a strong one. What has happened? My belief is that the church adapted and did not stand on a standard. Yes, everyone is welcomed. But also Yes, there is a standard that has to be adopted, that is the same for all. Is it? Do we all follow the manual given us – Bible? You can’t accept part and ignore or deny another part.
“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this
book. If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues
that are written in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words
of this book of the prophecy, God shall take his part from the Book of
Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this
book.” (Revelation 22:18)
This should be sufficient warning that we have a strong foundation on which we stand and we don’t need to water down the message. We can give people a reason.
