Are there really any absolutes?

​Genesis 3:1 states that the ‘serpent’ said to the woman (Eve), “did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden’?”  It is this passage in our Old Testament where we are exposed to the original sin.  In this particular case it is a sin of deceit, lying and disobedience.
 
As we live in a post-modern world it is interesting to note that the very first sin had its origin in the arena of subjectivity, in other words, it was a direct challenge to an absolute.  One may not give absolutes versus subjectivity much thought, but I would challenge that it is this exact warfare that is going on in our culture that threatens the very fabric of our Christian identity. 
 
Without going into every nut and bolt of the definition of ‘post-modernism’, let me just state that the basic premise of post-modernism is that truth, relativism, individualism and logic are radicalized and applied to all spheres of knowledge.  Truth and reality are individually shaped by one’s own personal experience and viewpoint, and this applies to all facets of life, i.e. History, religion, science, social class, gender and so on.  It was the post-modern movement that gripped our country following the 2nd World War and then really gained tracking during the sixties movements.  Generationally speaking, the post-modern ideals were matriculated in Gen. Xers and then came full term in the Millennial generation.
 
The central tenet of our Christian faith is an absolute.  Jesus taught in John 14:6 that He is “the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  Earlier in the Gospel of John we read of His instruction to Nicodemus; “For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16,17) There is no subjectivity to these statements, there is no super-secret handshake or password that affords some another way to salvation.  Salvation is offered up by the Lord Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection on the cross, that’s it, no other way. 
 
Fast forward about 2000 years and where are we as a nation?  Here is but one example of the strange winds that have permeated the land.  Bill Gates (whom most would agree is a brilliant man) recently admitted that ‘common core’ math was a failure. (Sadly, at the expense of our children who were unwittingly chosen to be the subjects of said experiment).  But while the experiment in mathematics did fail, the overarching goal was wildly successful.  What this taught our children to do was to question even the most basic absolute that there is; 1+1 equal 2.   The result is that the child will also have difficulty then in comprehending truth versus lies.
 
If I were to take this a step further, and I will, this “social experiment” has not been the only one that permeates our landscape.  The idea of ‘transgenderism’ is one in which our society is getting bombarded with.  Scientifically and biologically men are born with an XY chromosome and women are born with an XX chromosome.  No amount of surgery or hormone treatments can alter this ‘absolute’ truth.  Yet society is attempting to indoctrinate the masses into believing that sexual gender is subjective, that it is based upon feelings and personal opinions, and sadly this is being bought into by many.  This lie is contrary to our Creator, to our God, who created ‘male and female’, as we read about in Genesis 1:27 and then validates in Matthew 19:4.
 
God’s word tells us that He has not given us over to the spirit of fear (2 Tim. 1:7).  But that does not mean that we are to ignore what is attempted to be forced upon us.  We need to be aware of Satan’s devices so that we are able to defend the truth that is found only in the Word of God.  We need to listen for that voice that say’s; “did God actually say?”
 
We need to hear that voice and we need to respond to that voice with an authoritative “YES”, God Did Say!!”  We do so with love however, not with disparaging remarks or comments.  We share the Gospel in spite of the name calling and the mocking that we may receive.  And even if it seems like no one is listening, we know that God’s word does not return void (Isa. 55:11).