If the truth were a house, then our current cultural climate could be compared to it's inhabitants. Only they want to pull up every floor board and rip out every nail. The very foundation upon which it stands is cause for demolition and destruction. What they used to call a toilet they now call a sink, and what they used to call a sink they now call a toilet. They debate and argue with the engineer who laid the plans and the construction workers who carried out the plans. They claim they have "studies" that prove their schematics are superior to the schematics that were utilized. They even preposterously claim that the house is a dangerous place, and uninhabitable. They wouldn't dare have guests for dinner in this house, as it would offend them greatly. They clamor loudly and call the house a prison, even a place of torture.
Sadly the framework and structure of truth that God has laid out for every human being is the subject of scorn to many in our day. Truths that were once taken for granted are now blatantly denied. According to popular culture's vote a man can now be named woman of the year, gender is no longer binary, babies in the womb are non-humans, and the list goes on.
Astonishingly enough, all of this originated in the Garden of Eden, when Satan whispered those fateful words, "Did God really say?." We've been falling for this trick generation after generation and now we're caught in the thick of it. Instead of trusting what God has said in His word, we revere peer reviewed analysis, pop psychology, the media, and even the all mysterious, "they." Unfortunately even people in the church are falling prey to these lofty arguments, and are prizing pseudo science above the word of God. Our culture is being subverted because the minds of those in our culture are being subverted. The truth of God's word is being exchanged for whitewashed lies and there are deadly consequences.
The Anatomy of a Cultural Subversion
The apostle Paul lays out an explanation for how a culture is subverted by exchanging truth for lies in In Romans 1:18-3, he says that people, "by their unrighteousness suppress the truth," even though ,"what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them." He continues to say that " they are without excuse" and " claiming to be wise, they became fools." He explains the consequences of this denial of God and essentially truth. He says that they become futile in their thinking or are not able to reason rightly, and that God eventually gives these people over to do whatever their darkened heart and debased mind pleases. They give up what is natural, what is clearly perceived as right and true for what is evil and wrong. One need only to turn on the news or walk out the door to see the multiple manifestations of this cultural subversion.
So how are we as Christ followers to live in this culture, where lies are truths, and truths are lies? God's word, the very word that is the subject of much reproach today, gives us the answers to this question.
The Foolish and the Wise Builders
At the end of Jesus' sermon on the mount, he also told a parable or metaphor about a house. He compared two houses, their builders, and the foundation they built their houses upon (Matthew 7:24-27). Throughout the parable, He gives only two options for building materials, you can either wisely build your house on the rock or foolishly build your house on the sand. He likened building your house on the rock to hearing God's word, taking it to heart, and obeying it. He exclaimed that building your house on the sand is like hearing God's word and then completely disregarding it. This disregard of God's word leaves only the shifting sands of public opinion, human tradition, and godless morality to build upon. Jesus goes on to exclaim that there are two very different outcomes for both those that build their house on the rock and those that build their house on the sand. Those that build their house on the rock are safe and secure, but those that build their house on the sand are vulnerable to great destruction.
Rock or Sand?
In a time where it is fashionable to build your house on the sand, we need to be wise and build our house on the rock of the word of God. We need to have our lives firmly rooted in truth. Jesus being a carpenter, knew that the foundation of a building was integral to the stability of any structure. Our lives cannot be built on both the rock and the sand, we have to choose. We need to examine ourselves, and ask ourselves whether we truly believe that God's word is sufficient guidance for our daily lives. Are we going to look to the culture or are we going to look to God's word when we need guidance on marriage, parenting, friendships, politics, and life in general? What are you building your life upon? Are you building upon the words of broken, fallen man, or the words of the all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful God?
A Firm Foundation
God's word is a firm foundation upon which to build our lives. Jesus says in (Matthew 24:5), that " Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away." Though heaven and earth give way, His word will still stand. When we show the world around us that we trust in God's wisdom rather than human wisdom, we give God glory. When we stand firm on the rock of God's word, we shine Christ's light in to a dark world. This is what it looks like to live for God, and this is how we ought to live in a world that is quickly passing away. Those that build their house on the rock will find refuge when the storms of life come. "He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. (Psalm 62:2)."
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