The listener seemed to defend homosexuality and then stated that she was raised to decide for herself what is right and wrong. The concept of deciding for one's self what is right and wrong may sound open minded but on closer examination it is really illogical. Let me explain.

The brightest intellectual lights all down through history have maintained that right and wrong are not arbitrarily decided upon but rather are discovered. We must discover the moral law which is above man's law.

True open-mindedness means one searches for truth. The person is open to discover truth and does not naively claim that he or she decides ultimate truth for one's self.

The matter of ultimate right and wrong (also called absolute truth) is of crucial importance the foundation of any society. If each person arbitrarily decides what absolute truth is then we have social chaos, moral relativism and no real basis for law and government.

The ancient Greek sophist philosopher Protagorus (c.485-411 B.C.) wrote "man is the measure of all things." This is just another way of saying that each man decides truth for himself. Pre-Socratic Greece was chaotic as a result. It was Socrates (c.469-399 B.C.) who countered the selfism and arbitrariness of the sophists like Protagorus.

Socrates, a man who had no Bible but did have the light of conscience and nature, was able to see that there is a moral law above the self. Socrates saw that there is a moral imperative or moral archetype that is above humanity.

Socrates' famous student, Plato (c.427-c.347 B.C.) wrote about the "unmoved mover," an obvious reference to God who is the source of all moral wisdom. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were wise but they lacked God's direct revelation (the Bible). They had no concept of the sacredness of human life and therefore social injustice permeated their writings. The Greek culture that they so profoundly influenced was orderly but was also brutal in many respects.

The Greek experience did tend to prove that God's truth can -- to a degree -- be discerned from nature alone. The Bible in Romans 1:20 teaches that God's wisdom and moral laws are embedded in nature and revealed by nature. This is the concept called "natural law."

The Bible itself, on the other hand, is God's direct verbal revelation of truth to humanity. The Bible is called "propositional truth." The Bible is absolute truth articulated in clear language and is "a light that shineth in a dark place" (2 Peter 1: 19). The God who created us loves us and has instructed us on how we must live. The Bible is the absolute truth for which we have searched.

In our own times postmodern philosophy predominates. Postmodernism is the notion -- that we discussed earlier -- that each human self decides his or her own truth. Postmodernism is essentially a return to pre-Socratic sophism. Postmodernism is a return to Paganism. This is why Pagan customs such as child murder (abortion, infanticide in partial birth abortion), homosexuality, adultery, fornication, etc., are gaining acceptance in western civilization.

Bible prophecies foretell the breakdown of civilization in "the last days" (2 Tim. 3:1). This social breakdown just prior to the second coming of Christ is prophesied in Matthew 24:1-14; 1 Timothy 4:1-2 and 2 Timothy 3:1-9. Revelation 13:1-18 foretells the rise of a tyrannical dictator, the antichrist, who will oppress humanity in the last days.

The stage is being set, the signs are everywhere. Jesus invites each of us to receive the forgiveness that He purchased for us when He died for our sins and was raised from the dead for our justification!

The Bible is scientifically accurate! Find the evidence at www.icr.org.  

Steps to salvation: Jesus said "Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

1. Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2. Believe that Jesus the Messiah came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you to take upon Himself the penalty for your sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18)
3. Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness. (Romans 10:13)
4. Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth. (John 1:12, Acts 2:38)
5. Follow Him as Lord. (John 14:21)

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13)

To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

"Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of West Harrison, New York, USA

(C) 2010 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish if credit given

< DEFENDING THE FAITH APOLOGETIC ARTICLES Bill Nugent currently writes a series of articles called "Defending the Faith" which, as the title suggests, defend the Christian faith from the many attacks leveled against it in our postmodern world. The articles deal with such topics as evolution, UFOs, cults, modern/postmodern philosophy, liberal theology and popular culture. At the end of each article is an invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. These articles are sent out over the Internet to several opt-in email lists. People who receive these articles are encouraged to resend them to their own lists and in this way reach their own unsaved relatives and friends with the Gospel. All Defending the Faith articles are © 2009 William P. Nugent, permission is granted to email or republish if credit given. To receive these articles which are sent out once per month fill in your email address below and click the SUBMIT button. *Security: Write the characters in the image above (Case sensitive)