TITLE: Who Stole of our Values?

TEXT: Romans 8:2-5

THEME: Modern secular originate in scripture but reject the source.

Joseph Fletcher, “Situation Ethics”

Love is the only rule in life.

Is that true?

Joseph Fletcher

"People [with children with Down's syndrome]... have no reason to feel guilty about putting a Down's syndrome baby away, whether it's "put away" in the sense of hidden in a sanitarium or in a more responsible lethal sense. It is sad; yes. Dreadful. But it carries no guilt. True guilt arises only from an offense against a person, and a Down's is not a person.”

Responses to Fletcher

1. The rule is general to be normative- what ends should be counted as loving?

Responses to Fletcher

2. If there can be one rule then why not more? He is being arbitrary and selective in choosing only one norm. How does he know he has even picked the right one?

Responses to Fletcher

3. You can be fully legalistic with just one norm- especially if you have not agreed on a way to define what the loving thing to do is.

Responses to Fletcher

4. How can you justify only picking one norm? How do you know there are not more?

Matt 7:21

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

I. The Premise: The values of secularism come through modern enlightenment.

I. The Premise: The values of secularism come through modern enlightenment.

• The values of Christianity are outdated and repressive.

I. The Premise: The values of secularism come through modern enlightenment.

• The values of Christianity are outdated and repressive.

• Morality is a subjective expression of personal desires or opinions.

I. The Premise: The values of secularism come through modern enlightenment.

• The values of Christianity are outdated and repressive.

• Morality is a subjective expression of personal desires or opinions.

• Modern science enables us to make better moral decisions.

I. The Premise: The values of secularism come through modern enlightenment.

• The values of Christianity are outdated and repressive.

• Morality is a subjective expression of personal desires or opinions.

• Modern science enables us to make better moral decisions.

• Tolerance is the supreme virtue.

I. The Premise: The values of secularism come through modern enlightenment.

• The values of Christianity are outdated and repressive.

• Morality is a subjective expression of personal desires or opinions.

• Modern science enables us to make better moral decisions.

• Tolerance is the supreme virtue.• Everything is relative- there are no

absolutes.

Example

• “Consider a man who struggles against his attraction to his stepdaughters, and especially one he believes may be his actual daughter.”

II. The Problem: Their account is a myth that ignores history and logic

• The values they espouse cannot originate through a secular/atheist worldview.

II. The Problem: Their account is a myth that ignores history and logic

• The values they espouse cannot originate through a secular/atheist worldview.

• Their values originate in Western Culture which was shaped by Christianity.

II. The Problem: Their account is a myth that ignores history and logic

• The values they espouse cannot originate through a secular/atheist worldview.

• Their values originate in Western Culture which was shaped by Christianity.– They have separated the values from their

Christian roots and deny their roots.

II. The Problem: Their account is a myth that ignores history and logic

• The values they espouse cannot originate through a secular/atheist worldview.

• Their values originate in Western Culture which was shaped by Christianity.– They have separated the values from their

Christian roots and deny their roots. – They climbed the ladder of Christianity and

kicked it out from underneath them.

II. The Problem: Their account is a myth that ignores history and logic

• The values they espouse cannot originate through a secular/atheist worldview.

• Their values originate in Western Culture which was shaped by Christianity.– They have separated the values from their

Christian roots and deny their roots. – They climbed the ladder of Christianity and

kicked it out from underneath them. – They have redefined and manipulated some of

these values.

II. The Problem: Their account is a myth that ignores history and logic

• The values they espouse cannot originate through a secular/atheist worldview.

• Their values originate in Western Culture which was shaped by Christianity.

• They reject/degrade/minimize the successes that come out of Christianity and its values.

II. The Problem: Their account is a myth that ignores history and logic

• The values they espouse cannot originate through a secular/atheist worldview.

• Their values originate in Western Culture which was shaped by Christianity

• They reject/degrade/minimize the successes that come out of Christianity and its values.

• The debate has shifted from “is it true” to “is anyone offended.”

Jerimiah 1:6 says

“To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of the Lord is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.”

John Stott

“The fact is that the authentic gospel of the New Testament remains extremely offensive to human pride, and nobody who preaches it faithfully can expect to escape at least some degree of opposition. Paul found in his day that the message of Christ crucified was both folly to Greek intellectuals and a stumbling block to self-righteous Jews.

John Stott

“Nobody can reach God by his own wisdom or by his own morality. Only at the cross can God be known. And this is doubly offensive to men and women of culture. They resent the exclusiveness of the Christian claim, and even more the humiliation implicit in it. Christ from his cross seems to say to us, "I am here because of you. If it were not for your sin and pride, I would not be here. And if you could have saved yourself, I would not be here either."

APPLICATION

The Christian pilgrimage begins with bowed head and bent knee; there is no other way into the kingdom of God except by the exaltation of those who have humbled themselves.

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging nature

of God.

• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides an objective morality.

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging nature

of God.

• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides an objective morality.– Subjective vs Objective (Truth and Values).

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging nature

of God.

• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides an objective morality– Subjective vs Objective (Truth and Values). – Relatives vs Absolutes.

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging nature

of God.

• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides an objective morality

• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture.

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging nature

of God.

• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides an objective morality

• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture.

• The Bible provides the basis for most of secularisms values

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging nature

of God.

• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides an objective morality

• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture.

• The Bible provides the basis for most of secularisms values–Women’s Rights

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging nature

of God.

• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides an objective morality

• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture.

• The Bible provides the basis for most of secularisms values–Women’s Rights- – Equal Rights-

Galatians 2:28

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”.

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging nature

of God.• The nature of God is the basis for all values

and provides an objective morality• God has revealed the essence of his nature

in scripture. • The Bible provides the basis for most of

secularisms values–Women’s Rights- – Equal Rights- – Dignity of Man

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging nature

of God.• The nature of God is the basis for all values and

provides an objective morality• God has revealed the essence of his nature in

scripture. • The Bible provides the basis for most of

secularisms values– Women’s Rights- – Equal Rights- – Dignity of Man– Humanism-

Psalm 19

“Who is man?... You have made him a little lower than “Elohim.”

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should

be grounded in the unchanging nature of God.

• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides an objective morality

• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture

• The Bible provides the basis for most of secularisms values

• Christian values are best understood in the context of faith

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should

be grounded in the unchanging nature of God.

• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides an objective morality

• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture

• The Bible provides the basis for most of secularisms values

• Christian values are best understood in the context of faith– Love vs Tolerance-

Romans 13:8-11

“8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,””

Romans 13:8-11

“and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should

be grounded in the unchanging nature of God.

• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides an objective morality

• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture.

• The Bible provides the basis for most of secularisms values

• Christian values are best understood in the context of faith– Love vs Tolerance-– Impunity

Romans 1:18

“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness.”

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging

nature of God.• The nature of God is the basis for all values and

provides an objective morality• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture. • The Bible provides the basis for most of secularisms

values• Christian values are best understood in the context of

faith• Christianity and Greek thought supports the concept of

Natural Law

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging

nature of God.• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides

an objective morality• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture. • The Bible provides the basis for most of secularisms

values• Christian values are best understood in the context of

faith• Christianity and Greek thought supports the concept of

Natural Law– Natural Law-

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging

nature of God.• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides

an objective morality• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture. • The Bible provides the basis for most of secularisms

values• Christian values are best understood in the context of

faith• Christianity and Greek thought supports the concept of

Natural Law– Natural Law – Romans 1:19-20

III. The Biblical Response: Our values should be grounded in the unchanging

nature of God.• The nature of God is the basis for all values and provides

an objective morality• God has revealed the essence of his nature in scripture. • The Bible provides the basis for most of secularisms values• Christian values are best understood in the context of faith• Christianity and Greek thought supports the concept of

Natural Law– Natural Law – Romans 1:19-20 – All the major Greek philosophers supported natural law.

Romans 1:19-20

The law of God is written on men’s hearts. “19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen,”

There are two fundamental views of reality.

• Things have a Nature that is teleologically (purposely) ordered to ends that inherent in their essence.

There are two fundamental views of reality.

• Things have a Nature that is teleologically (purposely) ordered to ends that inherent in their essence.

• Things do not have a Nature with ends: things are nothing in themselves, but are only what we make them to be according to our wills and desires. Therefore, we can make everything, including ourselves, anything that we wish and that we have the power to do.

APPLICATION

1. God has given you His Word to enable you to know Him, how you are to live and relate to Him. You are not left on our own to arbitrarily figure it out.

APPLICATION

2. God has your best in mind. He did not give you the law with its rest restrictions and expectations to make you miserable- he gave them so that we can live the life we are designed for and thus receive the enjoyment that goes with it.

APPLICATION

3. In the coming weeks we address some difficult issues like human sexuality and homosexual to address what God’s Word and natural law say about them.