World Views

As I've taken some of my problems in life head on I've learned a lot about myself. I know I talk a lot about how one of God's goals in our lives is to help us forget about ourselves and one fundamental lie we believe is that to be happy is to be made much of. However, if we don't understand some foundational truths about human nature we'll spend our lives running towards the wrong things. That's why there's movies called "The Pursuit of Happiness" like it's some unobtainable object who's joy is found only with it's process. You were designed to be happy. Problem is, few have the outlook that leds us there, so most are still stuck in their never-ending process.

I mean think about it. Let's pretend you and I were on a trip together to a place we'e never been before (much like life, as each day is different and new) and I was deemed the navigator and you were deemed the driver. In my excitement to take on my responsibility and get us to where we needed to go I printed out the exact directions for us. I mean every 1/8 of a mile was accounted for, every sign post, every stop light, every turn. Would we get to where we were going? Probably. Now, what if I started these directions from my driveway, but we actually started our tripe from my neighbor's driveway? That little mistake means we wouldn't get to where we wanted to go, and on top of that, we'd actually be lost the whole way and not even know it.

This is where most of the people I know are. They don't have a foundation understanding of the basic truth. The worst part is they might not ever stop to notice. They are too busy on their trip, accepting accomplishments and assets as signs they are on the right track.

There's two fundamental world views I see most.

Theism vs. Naturalism - Let me explain the difference:

Theism believes in Creation. Hence Absolute Truth, and that Absolute Truth is systematized to the Bible.
Naturalism believes in Evolution. Hence Reason, and that reason is systematized to Democracy / Power / Evolution

Why is this a big deal? Well, as we've already discovered, it's impossible to get to where you're going if you don't know where you're starting from. I'm going to start and focus on Theism, because that's what I believe to be true, hence what I know the most about.

If your world view is Theism then your view starts with a Creator and everything else flows through it. If you worldview starts with Naturalism, then your view starts with yourself and everything else flows to you. In a more simplistic way, one makes God the center, where all things flow from Him and the other makes self the center. A Theist might have a problem and will seek God's counsel, whereas someone with a naturalistic view might look within themselves (which is where the issue probably started from in the first place)...

From a Theism standpoint we have Absolute Truth. Facts about life don't change no matter what democracy, government, system or evolution of thought come about. They were the facts that the world was built on and not some grand enlightenment that came through revelation of human thought. For example, rape is always wrong, no matter what sociological customs come to fruition. These absolute truths come from God, the creator, and are able to be found in the Bible. He designed this life with specific fundamental absolute truths.

What you might hear a lot of today is called relativism and it is a bi-product of naturalism. This view comes from a naturalism perspectivea nd is the point of view that there is no absolute truth, but only relative, subjective values according to differences in perception and consideration. Some relativists believe that every "truth" is equal. Therefore, each truth is as relevant or irrelevant as the next. If that was true, then nothing is of importance and nothing really matters. If you think that way, then what you're saying doesn't matter either, so you can be quiet now- thanks for nothing. To me, this is just an easy way to create your own truth.

The bible teaches us that we're not good people who do bad things. This is one of many absolute truths that will shape the way you live your life. God created us perfect, in perfect union with him. You were created for this relationship, you were created by God - For God. Absolute truths, when ignored, violate your humanity. Once Adam and Eve started following Satan, everything went south. No longer do we have the capacity to do anything with pure motives. Now, instead of being fulfilled by God, as originally created, most of us are trying to fill that chasm by any means available and necessary. I mean really, look at everything you do. Is it not to feel cool, or accepted, important, or loved? Is that not the underlying motivation for all the things you're doing? Why you're never going to get what you're after is because you were created to be loved and fulfilled by an infinite object (God), but you're trying to fill it with a finite object. And, that's presupposing that this someone's love towards you is actually 100% pure, which, because they are just like you, it's not. Sorrrrrrry.

If you're in the camp that believes you're just a good person who occasionally does bad things, where's your starting point? Are you not aware of what God says? Do you have a truthful starting point or are you just making this up as you go so you never have to feel guilty... or think?

God tells us:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
“Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
ruin and misery mark their ways,
and the way of peace they do not know.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

If you're a good person who says bad things then my God is liar. But, I won't go there. If you're that person, then I'll ask you this instead:

If heaven is a perfect place, are you good enough to be perfect?

This is why I love the Gospel. People like me know they aren't good enough. I've screwed over so many people in my life (sorry, I was a mess), started so many fights, and done so many heinous things that I know I'm not good enough to deserve anything from God. I hated God and His rules. He was boring, uninteresting and uninvolved. That was my Catholic experience, mainly because the church was too determined to follow man made traditions. Jesus hated the religious, with their traditions. If only the church was helping people understand the absolute truth about the human heart! If they were about helping people know the living Jesus- instead of their dead traditions. Jesus came for the sinners. If you want to be a christian you can't claim you're a good person.

The thing is, if you don't have a relationship with God, you hate him too. The bible says we were born enemies of God. Probably one good reason why Jesus Christ is a swear word to some people, but not Buddha, or Muhammad. Or, when I talk about Jesus to someone who doesn't know Him they think I'm weird, but I can tell any and everyone about Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny with no qualms. You're born into sin. Meaning you were born against or away from God.

You know the word "Death" really means separation. That shouldn't be a surprise, as if it's God who gives life and we're separated from life, we're obviously dead. God says the only thing that can drive us from Him is our sin and the penalty of death is sin. Let me break it down just incase:
God = Life
Sin = Split from God
Death = Separation from Life

Here's the thing. There is an absolute truth. I know this because I know Him. That's what's amazing about the Gospel. God wants us back even though we ran away. Because we've become way too screwed up (if you can't yet see it in your own heart yet, ask God to show you, or just look around the world), God has decided to love us anyway. He's here to clean up our mess and restore us into a perfect relationship with Him anyway.

If you're familiar with the Old Testament at all, which most religions have as their starting point, then you're aware that all sins demand a blood offering. That's because, as we discovered above, the penalty for sin is death, so something has to die. Now, if I sinned against God back in the day, I'd have to take my most perfect animal and offer it us as a sin offering. That animal took on my penalty. Some day, someone is going to die for your sins. I don't want it to be you. You're not good enough to make it on your own merit and God no longer accepts guilt offerings, so leave your cat a lone.

Here's the good news though: Jesus is the Lamb of God. God took the penalty of our sins and put it on His only son. The only person that ever lived a truly perfect life is the only one who got what He didn't deserve. And, He did it for you. Jesus (God) loves you more than you hate Him right now. He lived the life you were supposed to live and died the death you were supposed to die. Because the effects of sin are now abolished, we can have perfect union with God.

That's the goods news. You're forgiven. Jesus died next to a rapist and a murderer. The guy on his left asked for forgiveness and Jesus said He'd be in eternity with him forever, and the guy on the right made fun of him and is not dead forever. Which person are you? If you're the one on the right, where's your hope? Are you the only person I've ever met that won't die?

If your starting point isn't absolute truth, then you're just making things up as you go and nothing makes sense. If you believe in creation isn't it odd that everything fits together in this world so perfectly? Was that really an accident? Al these laws of physics and dynamics? Did an explosion create that? I blew up a lot of mail boxes in my teenage years, and I'm here to tell you that 0% of those explosions created flowers, water, and life. Put it this way, if you lived in a time before watches existed, meaning you had no idea what they were because they didn't exist, but you can across a watch one day while walking around in the forest, wouldn't you think someone created it? Or, did it just become something out of nothing?

Here's my point. God freaking loves you. You're his child. Stop running away from home. Not only will he forgive you, but you'll feel His forgiveness. When Christ takes away your sins because you've invited Him into you heart, you and God become intimate again. Yes...YOU CAN KNOW GOD. Ask any Christian you know that has a relationship with Jesus. How do I know Jesus is real? The same way I know you are real or this computer is real. I can feel it, work with it, sense it, and sometimes even see it. This love fulfills your sould and you can feel it in your bones. It's better than anything this world offers- times infinity. This is why King David would write things like "Your love is better than life" - Psalm 63:3. This is why people like me can't stop talking about God, because he's what we were created to know. This is why, although I have a million things I'm supposed to do today and I haven't slept well that I'm overjoyed to get up in the morning and proclaim the good news to you. I hope you hear it.