Are There Absolutes for the Christian?

Kenneth R. Mullican, Jr.

With the emphasis on relativism and situational ethics in popular culture, one might wonder if there truly are any absolutes to guide us as Christians. Perhaps we can excuse any or all behavior or lifestyle on the basis of “that’s just the way God made me—besides, Jesus paid the price for my sin so everything’s cool!”

To the contrary, if we closely examine Jesus’ teaching and demands for discipleship, we will find that Jesus did teach that there are indeed absolutes and that a genuine encounter with Jesus demanded and produced a change in one’s behavior. As an observant Jew, the Ten Commandments formed the core of Jesus’ belief system which he summarized succinctly as “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might—and you shall loved your neighbor as yourself.” If one truly followed those two commands, then the entire Ten Commandments and all the teaching of scripture would automatically be fulfilled.

The following examples illustrate Jesus response to the sinner and the sinner’s response to Jesus and his teaching. Jesus’ response to the woman taken in adultery was, “Neither do I condemn you—go and sin no more.” Yes, Jesus forgave her sin, but he demanded a change in lifestyle.

In case of the Zacchaeus the tax collector, we are not told specifically what Jesus said to him and those gathered in Zacchaeus’ house for the meal, but whatever it was it impacted Zacchaeus’ life dramatically. He decided on the spot to give away half of his goods to the poor and repay four times over anyone he had overcharged.

It is important to note that Jesus is more that just love and compassion—he requires more than just observance of the Ten Commandments.  For example, he not only demands that we avoid sexual impurity—he demands that we avoid lustful attitudes that lead to sexual impurity. He not only demands that we avoid committing murder—he demands that we avoid getting angry which can lead to rage which can lead to murder.

Much of what is being touted in current spirituality is really nothing new but is essentially a recycling of Gnostic teaching. Some core teachings of Gnosticism:

1.   Dualism in which the God of the Hebrew Bible is not the same as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but is rather a lesser demiurge that rebelled and created the physical universe.

2.   Physical is evil—spiritual is good.

3.   Our destination after death is not determined by anything we do or do not do in the physical realm, but rather is determined by the secret knowledge (gnosis) that we possess. The more we possess, the higher we can advance spiritually.

4.   Complex sexual practices which we shall not go into at this time.

In summary, it behooves us to endeavor to avoid the trap of rationalization in an effort to excuse behavior in ourselves or others that is not consistent with the life and teaching of Jesus as a whole. Too often, isolated scriptures or examples are employed to provide a basis for supporting a belief system that fits our own personal inclination.  Many Christians would like to blame God for evil and thereby excuse behavior in themselves or others with “Well, this is just the way God made me so I’m not really responsible—God understands. God made everything so he made evil too.” To this I respond that God did not create evil. Rather, when God created the universe, he began bringing order out of chaos—an activity that he continues to this day. Sin and evil are the result of individuals choosing to rebel in favor of chaos rather that to choose to live in loving relationship with God in cooperation with God’s ordering of the universe. Without the freedom of choice that God granted humankind, our allegiance would have no more meaning than the recorded voice of a child’s doll that says, “I love your Mommie, I love you Mommie, I love you Mommie.” Maybe that is meaningful to a four year old, but certainly would not be satisfying in a meaningful adult relationship. Therefore, although God granted us freedom of choice, he certainly did not create the evil that results from our wrong choices, nor does he compel us to make wrong choices. To suggest otherwise is a most misguided attempt to avoid personal responsibility.