P2 2020 | DOES RIGHT AND WRONG EXIST? ARE THERE MORAL ABSOLUTES?

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Understanding the Biblical Lens: How to See Life with 2020 Vision
We all view life through lenses. The lens or worldview through which you see life is a composite of your fundamental beliefs, attitudes, assumptions, and value system. Sometimes these lenses can distort what's really there.

God gave us the Bible so we could see and understand life and the world around us clearly. When we look at life through a biblical lens, we gain 2020 vision about reality.

What Happens When Everyone Knows Something is Wrong?
Consider this scenario: You're standing in a long, slow-moving airport line, watching the clock tick down to your departure time. Suddenly, a couple walks around everyone and cuts to the front of the line.

What happens next is remarkable. Despite the line being filled with people from different countries, backgrounds, education levels, and religious beliefs, everyone has the exact same reaction. There's an immediate consensus that what this couple did was wrong.

This universal reaction points to an important biblical truth: there is a universal standard for moral behavior. Everyone knows that some things are right and should be done, while other things are wrong and should not be done.

How Does This Compare to a Secular Worldview?
A secular lens suggests there are no objective, universal standards for moral behavior. Since there's no supreme being superintending the world, we get to make our own rules. According to this view, moral standards are subjective (like "blue is the prettiest color") rather than objective (like "two plus two equals four").

What's morally right for you might not be morally right for someone else because there's no authority or standard. But both human experience and the Bible teach us something different.

What Does the Bible Say About Universal Moral Standards?
Romans 3:23 tells us, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Let's examine two key words in this verse:

Sin - In the original Greek, this word (hamartia) literally means "to miss the mark." If someone was shooting at a target and missed, that was called a sin. This implies there must be a mark to miss - a standard of behavior we're expected to meet.

All - Everyone has missed the mark. We've all violated moral laws at one time or another.


This reveals an interesting paradox of human morality: an awareness of a moral code and a desire to live by it is not enough to keep us from breaking it. None of us are morally perfect. If someone claimed to be morally perfect, we would consider that claim ludicrous.


Why is Sin Such a Serious Problem According to the Bible?
The biblical lens doesn't just point out this universal moral paradox - it makes it a really big problem. Romans 6:23 states, "The wages of sin is death." Missing the mark turns out to be no small thing.


Through this biblical lens, we understand that sin is serious. Our inability to achieve moral perfection earns inevitable and destructive consequences, regardless of how harmless something may appear to be. Missing the mark is a deadly error.


A secular lens, by contrast, makes sin seem small - nothing to worry about. It suggests that as long as you're not causing harm to somebody else, it's perfectly okay if it feels good to you.

Who Sees Our Moral Failures?
Hebrews 4 tells us: "Nothing in all of creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."


Your moral misbehavior is known to God. There is no such thing as a secret sin - there is always an eyewitness. God sees all, and we are accountable to Him.


It's like trying to sneak extra liquids through TSA by hiding them in your carry-on. The X-ray machine sees everything. We are never going to slip sin by God because He doesn't just see what's public - He also sees what we're doing our best to hide.


Ecclesiastes 12:14 confirms this: "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or bad."


How Can a Loving God Judge Sin So Harshly?
When we understand that "the wages of sin is death," a question naturally arises: How could a loving God sentence sinners to death?


The answer: Because God is loving. God so loves His creation that He will destroy anything that seeks to destroy it.


Think of it this way - if an intruder broke into your home threatening your family, you would do whatever it takes to stop them. Not because you're hate-filled, but because you love those dear to you.


According to the Bible, sin threatens God's creation. Sin seeks to destroy what God loves, so God judges it harshly. Missing the mark is not only a universal problem but a serious one.


What Solution Does God Offer for Our Sin Problem?
Here's where the good news comes in: Jesus offers to pay the price for our sin. God has to judge sin because He's just, but He offers to pay the price of our sin for us.


John 3:16 tells us: "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."


The price of your sin and mine is death. Jesus died that death so you and I could live. We all missed the mark and deserve death, but God loves us so much that He offered Jesus as payment for our sins.


Romans 8:1 assures us: "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."


The complete message of Romans 6:23 is: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."


How is God's Solution Like Having Your Bill Paid?
Imagine going to a restaurant, ordering and enjoying your meal. When you ask for the check, the waiter tells you it's already been taken care of by friends sitting nearby.

Two things are true in this scenario:

You owed the restaurant for your meal - the bill was yours to pay.

You could have refused the gift and insisted on paying yourself.

The Gospel works similarly. You and I deserve to get the check - we have sinned and have a payment to make. But Jesus has paid your bill. You've missed the mark, and the price for your imperfection must be paid. Jesus paid that price.

The tragedy is that many tell God, "I don't want your grace. I insist on doing this my way." Those who reject Christ's death as payment for sins will pay for their sins themselves.

Life Application
The truth about human nature is that we all have a problem that only God can rescue us from. He offers to pay our bill, but the Bible teaches that we must accept what He has done on our behalf to be saved from our sin.

This week, consider these questions:

Through which lens am I viewing my life and moral decisions - a biblical lens or a secular one?

Have I been honest with myself about missing the mark morally?

Am I trying to pay my own bill, or have I accepted Jesus' payment for my sins?

In what areas of my life am I still trying to hide things from God, forgetting that He sees everything?

The challenge is to embrace the biblical lens that shows us both our moral failure and God's incredible solution. Rather than denying our imperfection or trying to establish our own moral standards, we can accept the gift of forgiveness and new life that Jesus offers.

This week, take time to reflect on areas where you've missed the mark, and instead of hiding them or dismissing them, bring them to God with gratitude that Jesus has already paid the price for them.