Gospel Prism

I must admit, I didn’t know much about Voddie Baucham so I didn’t know what to expect. Since the DGM conference has so few people of color, given some of the jokes he gave concerning his race and the audience’s lack of color, I know it was obvious to him as well as to me. However, I am so thankful that an African-American (or an Asian-American) could have the same passion for the supremacy of Christ and God’s glory as any non-minority in the audience.

Introduction

Voddie’s message was stirring and powerful. He talked about how the title of his talk, “The Supremacy of God in Truth in a Post-Modern World,� as an oxymoron. The first part of the title is the issue at hand. Postmodernism is not supreme in this world, Christ is. And there are two main competing world views: 1) Christian theism and 2) Secular humanism. Both attempt to address life’s ultimate questions. He then went on to discuss 4 worldview subcategories that both worldviews try to address.

The first category is God. Christian theism looks at Him from a Christian perspective. There is a God who is all powerful. But in secular humanism, man is the starting point.

The next category is the nature of man. Christian theism sees man as a creation of God. Secular humanism sees man as nothing more as a glorified ape.

The third category is truth. Christian theism sees truth as absolute. Secular humanism views truth through the epistemology of naturalism materialism. That is, we can only know truth through the closed system of nature which should lead to atheism. An example of this is Episcopalian bishop John Shelby Spong. He holds to a ‘non-theistic view of God.’ It’s a worldview that says, “I do not believe that Jesus was born by a Virgin Birth…�

The fourth category is ethics. Christian theism sees ethics as absolute. Secular humanism sees each period of time, place, and history as distinct and negotiates its own ethics.

The Four Basic Human Questions

Thus, every human being will ask 4 basic questions no matter where you live and when you lived…

1) Who am I?

2) Why am I here?

3) What is wrong with the world?

4) How can what is wrong with the world be made right?

The Secular Humanist’s Answers

To the first question, “Who am I?� the secular humanist answers, “You are nothing, an accident, a mistake, a glorified ape, no rhyme, no reason, no purpose.�

To the second question, “Why am I here?� he answers, “You are here to consume and enjoy. So we must make the most of it.� When you put these two answers together, you can get terrible results. The logic then progresses, “It is incumbent on me to take from you what I need for my own satisfaction.� This kind of social Darwinism leads to one race to dominate others. For example, the unborn today faces the same thinking as the Jews during Holocaust. This child will hinder my ability to enjoy. Therefore, abortion is a necessity to further my ability to enjoy and consume. The Jews faced the same terrible logical outcome from the Nazis.

To the third question, “What is wrong with the world?� he answers, “People are either insufficiently educated or insufficiently governed.� That is, people do not know enough or are not being watched enough. Which flows directly to the last question, “How can what is wrong with this world be made right?� The problem with this type of thinking, however, is that if you educate murderers, than they only become more sophisticated in murdering and destroying. And then if you get more governors because of the more educated murderers, the governors will need to be governed, and who would governed them.

How Then Shall We Respond?

Voddie then went to Colossians 1 for the Christian theistic worldview. In verses 15-16, he answers the first question: “Who am I?� Christian theism answers: �We are the crown glory of His creation.� The text starts with Jesus because Christ as the Creator of all things, always begins with Jesus. He is God with us and among us. Secular humanism says we are the result of random processes. Christian theism says we are the crowned glory of God’s creation. As a result, we have inherent dignity, worth, and value. Christian theism cannot comprehend racism, and classism, and eugenics.

The question that always arises next then is, “If that’s the case, what do you do with racism and the people who believed in theism concurrently?� We need to see however, that although that sinful perspective existed much longer than it should have, it was the underlying worldview of Christ that got rid of slavery because of the supremacy of Christ.

The reality is that secular humanism can’t grasp this truth. Because of the supremacy of Christ in truth, you are who He says you are. He says you have dignity and worth. And He says that I must recognize that in you.

To the second question, “Why am I here?� Christian theism answers, “We are here to bring glory to the supremacy of Christ.� Secular humanism says to consume and enjoy. This is the overarching culture inside and outside the church. Many people in the third world think of children as a blessing, and yet inside the west, children are a blithe on one’s enjoyment. The houses we own and the cars we drive get bigger and bigger, but the size of families are getting smaller and smaller because we think children simply get in the way of our ability to consume.

We are here to bring glory and honor to Christ (v. 18-19). He is to have supremacy and preeminence over all. God is not against you having things. He is against things having you. We have the privilege to bring honor to Jesus Christ. For example, college students only have one thing in mind, what will facilitate my enjoyment.

What would it look like if we grasp the supremacy of Christ in all of our education? What if we see all of our education as stewardship, because we continually taught them the supremacy of Christ in truth because of the very purpose of their existence? He is before all things. Also, why did you choose your last job? Was it because of the supremacy of Christ in truth in all things as it relates to your purpose in creation?

To the third question, “What is wrong with the world?� Christian theism responds, “We are wrong with the world and our sin.� Colossians 1:19-22 says, “YOU are wrong with the world.� We are hostile in mind and engaged in evil deeds. We were created to give glory to God but we are now hostile to Him. So the question should be, “How on earth can a holy and righteous God know what I did and thought what I did yesterday, and not kill me in my sleep?� Until you ask the question that way, you will always think the problem is somewhere out there. Why has He not consumed or devoured us, we should be asking? It should not be about, “How dare God not employ His power on behalf of the Almighty Man?� The problem is me. The problem is that I do not acknowledge the supremacy of Christ in truth.

To the final question, “How can the world be made right?� Christian theism answers, “The subsitutionary atonement of Christ and faith in Him.� Verses 22-23 see two things:

1. What is wrong can be made right by the penal substitutionary death of Christ
2. It cannot be made right by any other way except for the supremacy of Christ in redemption. There is no other name by which we can be saved.

Every other religion in the world depends on the religious experience and hopes for the best after you die. You have to do everything in your power to do more of the good and less of the bad and still there is no security.

The problem with this is that I can’t be good and I am incapable of it. I am totally radically depraved. Even when I do good there are wrong motives. Also, what about what I did before my religious experience? And finally, “Where’s my assurance?�

The glorious answer is: “God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us in order that we might become the righteousness of Him.� The supremacy of Christ in truth also means the sufficiency of Christ in truth.

SAM: What a time of the worship of the supremacy of Jesus. It made my heart sing. Now I am awaiting Tim Keller next.