Is the whole thing relative?

Recently, Toni was given as homework the task of researching her family.  While helping her out on this, I came accross letters from my relatives ir previous centuries.  A particular set attracted my attention, from Thomas & Charlotte Hoseason, which providce a good starting point today.

Having lived in the Shetland Islands in Scotland, and worked as a sailor, my relation moved with his wife of six years to live in Sierra Leone ir November 1840.  Eight months later...

My dearest and beloved parent, Painful as is the task imposed upon me, wretched as are my feelings whilst writing, nevertheless it is a duty I must perform, one which is due to the sainted spirit that has flown from this world of care, and now inhabits a better and happier sphere, and duE likewise to her parents and family who cannot but feel most keenly a blow which has so unexpectedly bereaved them of an affectionate daughter, and deprived me of a most affectionate wife and friend.  Oh my dearest mother your poor sons heart is broken, he feels like one whose life is burdensome to him, who has no business with this world, now that his partner, his helpmate, his sharer in all his troubles, his friend his advisor and his nurse when sickness overcame him, has been cruelly taken from him - keen is the shaft that has been driven into my soul.

My dear children were the first taken ill, and were brought to the brink of the grave, they were however spared to me, but why I know not, as my beloved Charlotte was so soon to be taken from me.  She was taken with fever, and although every care was bestowed, she expired, she left one who doted upon her, to experience all the horrors of solitude.

A common response to circumstance like this is to say, "'How could a good God allow something like this to happen." and then to imagine that God does not in fact exist.

We are told why hardship has come upon humanity, because our sin has led to a separation from God's sustaining power.  To ask a question like "'How could a good God allow suffering?" reveals a common human failing - to question the historical truth of the first eleven chapters of the book of Genesis - because therein we are told why hardship has come upon humanity.

What I am looking at today is the problem of educating humanity back to the truth of God's word.

I spoke recently about the two foundations on which our view of the world are built - the one is the word of God, the other, the opinion of people.  The follower of the Christ can have only one foundation to their life, the word of God.  But in this present day, the world has rejected that foundations, and the effects of that rejection have made their way into the church in its wider sense.

Psalm 11 reminds us, "If the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" - picture

The foundations of Christianity have been attacked violently by ungodly people over the last two centuries.  Those who dismiss the accuracy of the first eleven chapters of Genesis.  Those who follow the fantasies of Darwin.  Even churchgoers claim to believe his musings!  But the question is if we consider Genesis untrue, then when does God start telling the truth?

Yet our scripture from John records Jesus saying this, '"if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me.  "But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?"

Let us be clear about this.  If you were to call yourself a Marxist, should you not follow the word and beliefs of Marx?  If you reject the word and beliefs of Marx are you really a Marxist?  Obviously not.  Similarly with Christ.  Christ believed Genesis.  So should Christians.

Nathan was born in Japan, the son of an American missionary.  Because he grew up in the Japanese culture, not only can he speak the language flawlessly, but he understands the thinking of Japanese people.  In fact, he makes his living as a translator.

Nathan explains, "Whenever I translate the word 'God", because of the prevalence of the Shinto religion and thus their belief in many gods, the people just add this "God" I talk about to their other idols.

So whenever I translate the word "God" I define who this God is - the God who created and upholds all things.  He is the God who is separate from his creation.

The Japanese culture has no Christian basis whatsoever.  In a population of over 150 million people less than 0.1 percent are considered to be Christians.  If I were to tell the average Japanese person that they were sinners and needed to trust in what Christ did on the cross for them, they wouldn't have any idea what I was talking about.  Without the foundational basis of the account of the fall in Genesis, and the fact that we are all traced back to one man, Adam, whom God created, how would they understand the gospel?  You can tell people they're sinners, but unless they understand what sin is, they will not comprehend the message."

Nathan explains that if we wish to communicate the message of the gospel to the average Japanese, we must first lay the foundation of the gospel from Genesis, before they would really have much understanding.

Those living in Britain or the colonies are no different.

Look at the front of the order of service.  Here is a cartoon which illustrates the church in its widest definition, and its ability to evangelize.

Why, asks the church can't we evangelize with the success that people did in past centuries?  Its so simple!  People hear about how good God is, and that he loves us.  They hear that as a punishment for sin, God imposed the death penalty upon humanity and from that time on we began to die.  Then they try to put that message on top of their evolutionary foundation and it doesn't fit.  How can it!

Adam & Eve in the garden

Their foundational view of the world tells them that there have been supposed millions of years of death and suffering prior to humanity coming into being.  The two are at odds!  You can't match death after human sin with a philosophy of death before humanity.  No wonder humanity on mass rejects the word of God.  They need to change the whole foundational view of the world before the gospel makes any sense.

Paul I says, I Cor 1:22-23 the Gentiles search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness (NAS)

Peter preached in Jerusalem at Pentecost.  His message was 'turn and repent" His audience were Jews.  They believed Genesis.

It was foundational to their thinking.  He converted boatloads of people.

In Acts chapter 17 verse 22, Paul went to Athens where his audience consisted of Epicureans and Stoics.  Neither group had a Godly background, and the message reflected that.  Paul did not give the same message as Peter.  What on earth would have been the point.

He starts his message with the essential creation evangelism.  Having demonstrated God and his creation, he THEN goes on to mention the gospel message.  And some believed!

What power there is in someone who believes God and follows him without deviation!

Noah was such a man.  Of course people who don't believe God don't believe about the flood, even though the evidence for it is in every museum.  Even though every culture in the world has a similar flood and ship record.  Do you know something that annoys me?  Illustrations of Noah's ark pictured as an overgrown houseboat.  About thirty feet long!  What ridiculous ungodly nonsense those pictures are.  No wonder people don't believe in it - how could have 16,000 animals have fitted on a boat like that.  Model

But if we read the account of God, we find that the ark was 450 feet long, 45 feet high and 75 feet wide.  As big as a supertanker.

432 double decked buses would have fitted inside.  That's 545 of those freight containers that go on ships.  That's 522 railroad boxcars.  When you next find yourself using a picture of the ark that is different to the Biblical dimensions, ask yourself, what foundation is this teaching coming from?  Is it the word of God?

This message is called "Is the whole thing relative?" I started off talking about my own relative and have continued, talking, about the word of God versus the opinion of people.  The philosophy that values human opinion above all else is called relative-ism.

There are powerful evidences in the world to back up the truth of the Bible's message about Genesis.  Let us look at Chinese words and their older derivatives.

The combination of ancient Chinese words to make new words gives a fascinating incite into the mind of ancient people.  Notice how strong the link is to Biblical concepts.

We presume this is not by chance.  It is based on recollection of actual events and Godly midsets.

This reinforces the authority of scripture for us.