In a previous universe, I served on a jury for a child molestation case in the Midwest. The accused was a schoolteacher. It was an emotionally demanding thing to sit and listen carefully to the testimony of adult children, experts, and friends of the accused. When we (the jury) wandered off into our room to sit and talk about what we had heard, what we thought, and render a decision, it was amazing to me how many different views of the truth existed within this body of twelve people. In the end we the jury became deadlocked. One person on the jury would not budge off their view that the accused was innocent, the other 11 (including me) felt the accused was guilty. After 2 weeks of deliberation, we told the judge we could not come to an agreement, and that ended my involvement.

I learned two things from that experience. First, I realized that truth in the courtroom has little to do with actual truth. It only has to do with what people say on the stand, and how others interpret what was said by witnesses on the stand. The outcome from the courtroom is a human’s best guess at what might be true. Second, when humans decide what is true and what is not true, the very next day they can be persuaded to reach a different decision, then on the third day reach yet a new decision, and still feel good about themselves. This type of human derived truth has little to do with God’s absolute truth. We did not know what really happened. We were unable to discover the real (absolute) truth.

Without absolute truth, the notion of right and wrong (moral absolutes) has a negligible impact on daily life. Accomplishing a legitimate judgement of another person is impossible. When we allow the injection of absolute truth into our daily actions, then right things gradually displace wrong things. We make mistakes to be sure, but there is repentance, forgiveness, grace, and redemption as we find the clear path forward. With absolute truth, we can make a clear judgement as to the right path to follow.

During the time of the reformation (1600’s) it was believed that we as a people existed for to fulfill God’s purpose. In the early days of our walk with God, we focused on the things of God, but as time progressed some may have turned from a God-centered world view to a man-centered world view. Some have shifted their focus from the things that honor God to the things that bring individual happiness (more of us, less of Jesus). A man centered worldview will eventually lead to people doing what is right in their own eyes (implied from Proverbs 21:2-3). They will be comfortable with sin and even advocate it. My friends, this is an easy place to slide into, a comfortable place to hide within.

Paul said —  the day will come when people “accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth” (2 Timothy 4:3–4). For some, their belief systems appear from our human pride and whim. In our weakness, we are pulled towards the focus on self; we are swayed by theories of tolerance and inclusion. At the root of this push is the unbridled human need to be the King who oversees God. We are wise to search our heart and root out the rebellion.

How then do we restart? First, wrap our mind around scripture. Repent. Yield to Jesus. Then, ask the Spirit of God to give us a discerning heart to govern our life. Finally, reset our moral compass to properly distinguish between right and wrong (paraphrased from 1 Kings 3:9).

The Christian worldview embraces the truth derived from God, in which He declares some things right and other things wrong (Exodus 20:1-17) according to His righteousness (Psalms 11:7). The Christian worldview embraces redemption provided by Jesus as THE ONE WAY, the only way to restoration. This is not about pulling out the splinter from my neighbor’s eye, it is about pulling the log from my eye.

I choose Jesus.