Say It Ain’t So

         I want to say it ain’t so, but it is so. The high priests of the sociopolitical religion have replaced the four Gospels of the New Testament. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John have been replaced by Google, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The epistles are now Tik Tok, WhatsApp, YouTube and many others already in use and others coming soon. Of course, Alexa and/or Siri seem to serve as a spirit to lead one to the “truth” of the sociopolitical agenda.

         The priests of the sociopolitical religion are using the same old philosophies that have been around for years. Accepted social standards are out. Ridicule for any ethical ideas is in. That is cynicism. There are no truths binding on all people. Truth comes only to the individual as she/he sees it. That is Skepticism. Everything is out of control and beyond my capabilities with a nebulous deity — if at all. That is Stoicism.

         The New Testament Gospels and Epistles (plus the other Old Testament Scriptures) assure us of just the opposite of these three old, yet repackaged philosophies. For the cynic, freedom is not unbridled self-expression, rather it is a way of life modeled by Christ and His followers through the centuries. For the skeptic, God has revealed Himself to us as the ultimate truth through His creation, His Word and through His Son. For the stoic, the response is there is a God who is in control of every part of His creation; it is not “just luck” or random chance that places us in His world.

         To say it ain’t so is and can be a reality in the lives of Christians. Jesus said: “… “I am the way, the truth, and the life...” (John 14:6). John’s Gospel tells us (1:18) “No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side — he has revealed him.” Jesus told Philip: “The one who has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9). The words of the wise still speak to us today: “… fear God and keep his commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:13-14).

         No, it ain’t so for the Christian! The oracles of the “new” sociopolitical religion are as false as they ever were in times past. Let us remind ourselves of some important and unchanging words of truth etched in the council halls of eternity: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…So God created man in his own image; he created him in the image of God; he created them male and female.” (Gen. 1:1, 27).