Imagine your 15 year old daughter comes to you and says, “If two people love each other, what is wrong with them having sex? I would never do it, but I don’t see what’s wrong with it.” If you are the parent and a believer, you are likely to say, “Well, that’s not what the Bible says at all.” Then perhaps you go on to quote several passages of scripture to back up your statement. As you talk, there’s a good chance that the 15 year old pretty quickly will start to experience “MEGO.” Mego means “my eyes glaze over.” The reason that is happening is that there are unchallenged assumptions in her head about how the world works, constantly reinforced through music, movies, and advertisements. Those assumptions are louder than the Biblical teaching she receives at church and at home, unless scripture is carefully and persistently applied to those assumptions.
What are those unchallenged assumptions? One of them is, “You’ve got to be yourself.” In traditional cultures, you are a good person if you subject your feelings and desires for the good of the family. In our society, however, you are not an authentic person unless you look into your heart and decide what you want to be and what you want to do. Then you assert your individual interests over against what anyone else wants. This assumption seeps into nearly every sitcom, movie, and even cartoon.
Unless we show that the Christian faith has a better alternative and demonstrate that the world’s assumptions don’t work or even make sense, it’s going to be difficult to get through. Another unchallenged assumption is this: “Only I have the right to decide what is true for me.”
(The above paragraphs are primarily quoting from a talk Tim Keller gave in 2014 about how to apply the gospel to unique challenges of our time. In case you are interested in checking that out you can find that here.)
These assumptions are why perhaps the most often quoted Bible verse by non-believers is the first two words of Matthew 7. “Judge not.” In other words, someone might say, objecting to you pointing out a Biblical teaching on any number of hot button issues, “I thought Jesus said not to judge people.” How do you respond to that?
We need far more careful thinking about these assumptions and how to patiently and carefully demonstrate that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the best news ever. These unchallenged assumptions don’t work and are actually designed to blind us to the truth of God’s love and his good purposes for us. This is what we will be talking about Sunday from Matthew 7:1-6 in a message titled, “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right.” Between now and Mother’s Day we will finish up the series Legalists, Rebels, and Worshippers from the Sermon on the Mount.
-Gene Cornett