The Supreme Court continues to make decisions that not only reflect our current culture, but shape it. This past Friday the Justices voted 5-4 to strike down a state’s right to ban same sex marriage. As soon as the news broke there was at the same time great celebration and great outcry. How can that be? How can Americans have such different responses and be so polarizing in their views?
Your “world view” is how you see things. It is your perspective. My world view flows from a belief in God. I believe he is the creator of all things and sovereign ruler of the universe (Genesis 1:1). I also believe he has spoken, and that his word is truth (John 17:17). I believe his word is the guide for my life and that I am responsible to believe it and obey it (Proverbs 3:5,6). So, from that particular world view I form a certain set of values and perspectives on life. Consequently, this is how I interpret events in life like Friday’s Supreme Court decision. I am going to ask “what does God say?”, and “how does he want me to respond?”
I must, however, recognize that not everyone shares my view. There are citizens of our free country, the United States, that do not believe in God. There are others who say we cannot know if there is a God. And then there are those who profess to believe in God yet do not believe in an absolute truth or in the authority of the Bible. So, these, and many others, are not going to interpret Friday’s Supreme Court decision the same way I do. Should I really be so surprised? I need to understand and respect the fact that every human being is a “free” moral agent.
So then, as a Christian, how am I going to respond to this decision and announcement? John 1:17 says, “For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” Grace and truth. God is truth, Jesus is truth, and the Scripture is truth. The Christian is to walk in truth, never compromising what is right before God. We are not to give in to popular culture, nor are we to give in to hate. Jesus, our master, was full of grace and truth. He modeled both and so should we. We find out what God has to say about the matter, follow his instruction and do so with grace.
Let’s not miss the point! This is about the gospel. A loving God sent his only son into this fallen world to rescue us from sin and death. And yes, we were all born sinners and in need of a rescue – all of us. So, let’s keep this in mind and maintain a proper focus. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing – placing our energies into telling the good news of Jesus everywhere we go.