Valuable Values

Mark Dunagan
07/24/11 - Sunday Morning

Valuable Values

What a vast array of value systems have been experimented with throughout the history of mankind, and what consequences, both good and bad, in the lives of those who have been the unsuspecting guinea pigs.  There have obviously been a number of value systems that have not blessed the human race.  Some of them only profited a few— like communism.  So which value system should I embrace?  Certainly a worthwhile value system would have the following qualities:

• It will bless everyone
• It will deal honestly with sin
• It will provide an antidote for sin
• It will last and it will be true everywhere and in all situations
• It will give meaning and purpose to life
• It will answer all the big questions

It Will Bless Everyone

A true value system or in other words, a value system from the Creator should offer blessings for everyone, men and women of all races, rich and poor, educated or uneducated, beautiful or homely.

• “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
• “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).
• “And it shall be, that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21).
• “God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him” (Acts 10:34).

In order to bless everyone, a value system must first be clear enough for all men to understand.  In addition, to be just, it must morally expect the same standards of morality of all groups of people.  The Bible certainly addresses all:  Husbands, wives, single individuals, widows and widowers, children, both the young and old, freemen and servants, Jews and Gentiles, the rich and the poor.  Even when speaking to servants, Christianity still expects them to live by a high moral standard just like everyone else (Titus 2:9-10; 1 Timothy 6:1-2) - what an encouragement in the heart of the disadvantaged—that their Creator has confidence in their ability to overcome and shine.

It Will Deal Honestly With Sin

“Most people refuse to call wrongdoing, sin.  We call it mental dysfunction, bad choices, sickness, or poor decisions.  But sin is real and deep down we all know it” (Raising Faithful Kids in a Fast-Paced World, Dr. Paul Faulkner, p. 20).  Christianity deals honestly with sin in the following ways:

• No good excuse is ever offered, rather, sin is rooted in being selfish (Isaiah 53:6).
• No sin or group of sins is ignored or downplayed.  No sin is given a free pass.  This is one major problem with our modern culture is that various sins are given a free pass while others are punished severely (Romans 1:26-32).
• The real root or source of sin is both identified, that being the evil thoughts lurking in the human heart (Mark 7:21), and even thinking them is condemned.
• Christianity is brave enough to honestly see and acknowledge the harm that is done by our selfish actions and choices (James 3:9-10; 3:16).
• Christianity is brave enough to admit that all sinful behavior is harmful (Romans 1:29-32).

A Real Antidote

It is one thing to identify wicked behavior, many value systems do some of this, yet it is entirely another thing to offer a remedy for sin.  Only Christianity offers a genuine solution.  “Somehow, someway, I need to have something that takes care of the worst fight I have every day—the fight within that causes the fight without” (Karl Menninger, Whatever Became of Sin?).  Here is how Christianity effectually deals with sin:

• It offers a clear solution— a clear sacrifice.  We all know that the sacrifice of God’s own Son would be a real solution (John 3:16).
• It offers real forgiveness.
• It offers the best motivation to change—eternal life.
• It has a proven track record.  The worst of the worst have encountered the gospel and have been radically changed (1 Timothy 1:13-15).
• We have all seen this, when people are serious and when they actually want real help, at that moment they come to God.  Prior to that moment they may try any number of Band-Aid fixes that man has invented.

Lasts Forever

Most of us have lived long enough to see many popular trends come and go.  We have equally seen that what was once considered good sound advice—was anything but.  For example, property does not always go up in value.  In fact, within the last 50 years we have seen our society experiment with marriage and the family and other values, and we have heard confident assertions, such as the children will bounce back after a divorce, or looser divorce laws will be better for women, or that living together before marriage will lead to less marriage problems, and yet all of these “values” have been proven to be absolutely dead wrong.  Keep this in mind when you hear people wanting to make even further experiments with marriage.  Remember, these are many of the same people who brought us the value system that endorsed living together relationships, the acceptance of fornication, easy divorce, and horrible parenting advice.  These are the same people whose morality has already made a mess of the home and family.  Their track record is one of failure, naivety, and refusing to keep up the societal messes they make.  Or to put it another way, the value system that is left to deal with the mess that man causes when he experiments with marriage and the family, is Christianity.  Christians are the people who are left to help the people harmed by the sexual revolution, no fault divorce, loose drug laws, alcohol abuse, and they will be the same people who will clean up the mess that will be caused by the current gender confusion.  Christianity is the only value system that does last forever and applies in all situations.

• It is the system that will be in force at the Judgment Day: John 12:48
• It will be the system that the Judge of all the earth uses when He assesses our lives, and that Judge is Christ: Acts 17:30-31
• It is the value system presented in the Word of God and the Word of God lasts forever (1 Peter 1:23-25).

Gives Meaning and Purpose to Life

Many systems will tell me what I should do while I am here, but they cannot help me why I am here.  Other systems will tell me that something is right or wrong, but they cannot tell me why those things are right and wrong. 

Answers the Big Questions

“We all need a philosophy that answers the big questions of aging and death.  Like cars and most of our toys that have built-in obsolescence, our bodies are built to last only a little while, and then we are gone.  Socrates said that the basic purpose of philosophy is to teach us how to die.  How well do we deal with wrinkles, gray hair, and the slips in memory?  Does life just go downhill after fifty until it flames out?  Shouldn’t we look for a philosophy that gives viable answers to death and dying—the really big questions that all of us face sooner or later?” (Faulkner, pp. 21-22).

Actually, the average person admits the above point on a daily basis.  When people are forced by events to face up to their own mortality, they typically turn to God and the Bible.  They may not change, they may not repent, they may not stick with it—especially if the crisis goes away for a while, but they do seek Him in that time of crisis.  This is true of a person who is quite successful, highly talented, and so on.  All of sudden all the things they had once thought were the most important things in life—are not.  Only the gospel is big enough to answer all the tough questions.  In other words, the real test of a believe system is not how it works when one is young, healthy and prosperous, but rather, how does it work when all those things are removed?

Unexpected Side Advantages of Religious Faith

• Regular church attenders live longer.
• Faith reduces the incidence of heart attacks, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, and hypertension.
• People of faith are less likely to abuse alcohol.
• Prison inmates who make a commitment to Christ are far less likely than their counterparts to return to jail.
• Marital satisfaction and overall well-being tend to increase to church attendance.
• Depression rates decline.
• A marriage based on commitment to Christ tends to avoid divorce.
• Married people who were religious express a higher satisfaction when it comes to sexual activity.

The Greatest Advantage

Even if none of these side advantages of embracing God's revealed value system existed, living by God's instructions leads to the greatest advantage of all - spending an eternity joyfully basking in the greatness of His presence, and experiencing an existence eternally that is described as pleasurable beyond "all we can ask or think".

Mark Dunagan/Beaverton Church of Christ/503-644-9017

www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net