Fact and Truth are not Democratic Processes

2005-04-25

Recently with the rise of a new pope, there have been a lot of different feelings about Pope Benedict XVI. Some are excited to see the first German pope in centuries come to power. Others are disappointed because he is a bit older than they would have liked. But the main concern of people around the world is over “conservative doctrine.” This includes particular stances Benedict XVI takes on abortion, homosexuality, and women in ministry. Even more central is his stance on the ‘exclusive’ nature of Christianity. According to the Bible, exclusivity means salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ. This type of exclusivity is the view of historical Christianity.

This article is not to discuss denominations or sects or papal authority (I endorse none of this), but to discuss Biblical authority and how it contrasts with the twenty-first century western mind. Does it mean that Christians are closed-minded bigots because they hold to absolute, objective truths? After reading many selected opinions of people around the world on the new Pontiff on news websites, it seems to me people think such things and that they want a spiritual leader to think like the masses and mold to their opinions. This is what we get for taking democratic values, and using them to determine what is fact and what is fiction. In an age of relativism, the majority of personal opinions of the masses is the only thing that matters.

Real, Biblical Christianity, however, is based off something more than mere emotions and opinions. It is based on historical fact. It is a historical fact that God in the flesh, named Jesus Christ, and a relatively small group of otherwise insignificant people turned the world upside down with the Gospel in the first century A.D. It is a historical fact that Jesus was crucified and that He rose from the dead, according to hundreds of eyewitnesses, some of which wrote what is now the New Testament. Jesus’ tomb near Jerusalem is empty today. It is also a historical fact that all of the religious gurus and philosophers of yesterday are dead, and we know where most, if not all of them are buried. Is there salvation or eternal life found in any of these people? Not a chance - salvation belongs to the One who paid the price for sin by dying on the cross, and sealed the promise of eternal life when he rose from the dead.

Now these being historical facts, should we now vote on them to confirm or discount them as historical facts? What if we held a poll - today - on whether or not people feel that George Washington was the first president of the United States under the constitution... Would the result of the poll be a fact? What if we took a poll on what people felt the value of Pi should be... or what the Pythagorean theorem should be, or the boiling point of water in normal conditions, or the quadratic formula, or the year of the Norman Conquest of England, or... whatever. People’s opinions do not make facts. They’re opinions. It is one thing to vote for your favorite candidate because you feel they are the best person for public office. But voting on historical fact is absurd.

In light of this, it is very silly to think that people’s opinions should form church doctrine. Holding to moral absolutes is integral for the church in this age - though the world may change its opinions from one age to the next, one thing is certain about God:

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8)

and,

“Thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end” (Psalm 102:27).

To say that our opinions of who should receive eternal life and what things constitute as Christian doctrine is to say that we have authority over God, when exactly the opposite is true. God is in control. The religious systems of the world since time immemorial unto the present day, have said the same thing: we make our own doctrine, we declare what is right and wrong, and by making our own standards, we can work our way to pleasing God and manipulate God. On the contrary, however, God has declared to us that it is impossible to please Him by working toward some man-made standard because we have all sinned and rebelled against God. This is why God sent His Son Jesus, to suffer and die as a sacrifice to appease His wrath. He rose again to secure the hope of eternal life for those who trust Him. By trusting in Him alone, we can have eternal life. It cannot be any easier.

I truly mean for these things to be a challenge and an encouragement to you. We can talk about homosexuality, women in ministry, and all of these issues forever if we would like with little progress. They are important issues. However, the real issue is that we all need a change of mind and a change of heart. We are all sinners, meaning we have all missed God’s standard (not our standard) for being perfect, as He is perfect. Our opinions and worldviews are not in line with God’s thinking. We need to go to God and express to Him that we have fallen short of His standard and seek His forgiveness. If we seek Him, and trust only in Him, we can be sure of our eternal salvation, having nothing else to fear.