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It's a Battle for the Bible, Once Again

Wow. All I can say is wow. Am I surprised? Definitely not. And that might be the saddest part, that things like this have ceased to surprise us. Our souls have been cauterized, desensitized to the onslaught of man's ungodliness facing off against God's absolute truth. Sadness that we are not surprised might be the significant point, if not for the fact that the biggest issue is that once again gross immorality is being passed off as normal. That's the big deal. That's what is grieving my soul most in this current cultural divide and ongoing moral slide. What does the Bible say about people calling evil good? Isaiah 5:20 says "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!" Mankind has consistently inverted God's order and treated themselves as soveriegn. People are rejecting and repudiating the Word of God for their own ideas. A clash of opposing worldviews. A battle of epic proportions.

What exactly am I talking about? What current event am I referring to? What am I angling towards? What am I so worked up about? Why am I so saddened? It's this: Two professional basketball players, Brittney Griner and Glory Johnson, recently got married. Not the most shocking thing in the world, except for the fact that they are both women. And doubly troubling is the fact that so many are definitely not shocked by this revelation. It's old news. A new normal for many. Myriad frogs in kettles are now deadened to outright sin. This isn't the only issue in life or the only issue going on the world. Nor is it the worst thing someone can do. I'm not really into ranking the badness of specific sins. Sin is sin. But it is this: just one more example of how far our society has fallen from any semblance of morality in the inward heart and the public square. One more example of man taking the reins and trying to reign supreme.

A month ago both women were arrested on domestic violence charges. Against each other. They got in a physically harmful and violent fight. No one is saying violence is good. People are rightly decrying the violence but, get this, they are ignoring the immoral lifestyle, acting as if the immorality of their same-sex marriage is perfectly legitimate. They are calling evil good. Most interesting was the response from the head of the WNBA: "It is our strong belief that violence has absolutely no place in society, in sports or in this league," Laurel Richie said. "As president, it is my responsibility to protect the league and uphold its values." Did you catch that? We will "uphold its values". Fair enough. But what values? The league obviously doesn't value the Bible as God's objective, definitive, and binding revelation of Himself and His ways for humankind. It is foolish for us to expect unbelievers to act like believers, or demand that those who do not hold to the Bible's teachings should obey Biblical truth.

The penalty for their domestic violence arrests meted out by the WNBA? A seven game suspension for each without pay. The response to their lifestyle choices and homosexual union? Widespread acceptance and celebration. They are being hailed as heroes; courageous examples, definitely not deviant. This is how far we have fallen as a society. We call evil good and good evil. Woe to us. Woe to our twisted valueless values. Woe to our deceptive display of fool's gold. Woe to the people who call evil good and good evil. And shame on us Christians for not speaking up more lovingly and firmly. Shame on us Christians for not living gospel truth more fervently and eagerly. Shame on us for not speaking truth in love more blatantly. We've run and hid from the big bad wolf. We fear our culture's disapproval more than we fear God.

Actually, I am not so concerned about what two unbelievers choose to do. I am not into legislating their morality or censoring their choices. I am more concerned with what professing Christians are doing. How supposedly Jesus-loving, Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching professed believers are living. Do believers hold to a strong belief that marriage is between one man and one woman? Do we have strong convictions that our actions within that covenant relationship matter? Do we love to uphold righteousness? Do we really believe the Bible? Are we living in light of the gospel truth? Are our marriages making much of Christ? Are we able to say that Jesus makes a difference in our marriages? Would anyone else agree? Can anyone tell that the Word of God is the compass by which we navigate life? Is the Word of God the compass by which we professing Christians navigate life?

This is not merely about a moral slide, or a cultural divide, it's about whether people will acknowledge God as Soveriegn and His Word as binding. It's about whether we will hear, believe, and obey the clear revelation of God, the Holy Scriptures. It's about whether professing believers will cave into the cultural divide, or side with the moral slide, or whether they will stand firmly on the Rock that never moves, standing by God's grace, and basing their every attitude and action upon God's thoughts not their own. Will believers order their lives and choices around biblical truth? Will Christians obey the Word of God? Will professed followers of Christ truly and fully follow Christ regardless of the cost? We are not "holier than thou". We know how sinful we are. We are wretched wrath-inducing sinners if not for the grace of God. Believers are saved by grace through faith in Christ. We are to love all people, condemning no one. And, we are also called to live by the Word of God.

We Christians have often been guilty of picking the wrong battles. But sometimes the battle comes to us and sits on our doorstep and imposes itself upon us. Sometimes the battle gets its elbows on the table and camps out and refuses to budge. Sometimes the battle barges in and shoves everything else out of the way. Sometimes a battle blocks the door and stares us down, arrogantly daring us to disagree. And what will we do in response then? What will you do? What will Christ's Church do in the age-old battle for the Bible that is showing itself once again in the current cultural divide and ongoing moral slide? My desire is that we who profess faith in Christ would humbly and boldly handle God's Word accurately and engage people appropriately. That we would be lovingly, mercifully, and consistently telling and living the truth; trusting Him Who is the Truth to do His work in and through us. So that many would see that Jesus is the only Way to life.

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