35 “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:35–36 (ESV)
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11–12 ESV)
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” (1 Timothy 2:5 ESV)
11 And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:11–12 (ESV)
The aforementioned biblical texts are examples of exclusive truth claims concerning the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. These biblical truths are antithetical to the presupposition of Postmodernism; that there is no absolute, object and universal truth.
Perhaps someone has said to you regarding the Bible’s meaning, “Isn’t it all a matter of interpretation?” It sounds like a question, but it really isn’t. It is an accusation. It is a postmodern truth claim that attacks the objective truth claim of Scripture.
“It is a claim that there is not one truth, no one clear message. Thus, even when we come to a so-called revealed or inspired text, like the Bible, the claim is that there are many varied interpretations of a given text, hence, absolute truth eludes us again,” explains Amy Orr-Ewing.
Or what this common postmodern challenge: “You don’t mean to say that you take the Bible literally, do you?” Taking the Bible literally, or understanding it is a piece of literature containing many genre’s, does not mean we teach that King Herod was literally a fox (Luke 13:32), or that Jesus was literally a door (John 10:1-7). Bible interpretation understands figures of speech, such as similia and metaphor.
Language and words have clear meanings. If not, then there is no way to communicate. Believers in Christ must strive to correctly understand the specific meanings of God’s Word (2 Tim. 2:15).
“Postmodernism’s influence has clearly infected the church. It’s the very reason so many churches want to tone down their message so that the Gospel’s stark truth claims don’t sound so jarring to the postmodern ear,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.
“It’s why evangelicals now shy away from stating unequivocally that the Bible is true and all other religious systems and worshippers are false. It’s why some who call themselves Christians have gone even further purposefully denying the exclusivity of Christ and openly questioning His claim that He is the only way to God.”
The American church’s postmodern shift has occurred. Prominent pastors suggest that individuals can be saved from the penalty, power and eventual presence of sin apart from grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone. Or, there is the postmodern tolerance that accepts individuals who hold to eternal security while others believe you can lose your salvation. No effort is made to understand what the Bible says and means about the perseverance of the saints.
What may be done to counteract the postmodern influence in today’s evangelical church? That is what will be discussed when next we meet.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 