19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;
20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,
21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Without reliance on God, culture goes adrift. Without our personal dependence on God, our lives go out of control. Part of the sinful human condition is an attitude that we are able to do it ourselves, that we are able to navigate the decisions of life without the inspiration of the Lord. That is a struggle for disciples of Christ, even. That is why we need our minds renewed and need to adopt the position that we are nothing without Him without Him, we can do nothing.
God's truth is absolute, and He has shown us in His Word the way that we are to live. Hebrews 1 states:
1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high...
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1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high...
When you have more than half of people in a significant number of nations in the world say that you do not have to believe in God to have good morals, I think you have a problem. Without having the authoritative belief in the one true God, what is the definition of "morality" anyway?
That statistic is from a Pew Research study on how people relate to God. Now, keep in mind that this is a survey of a variety of religions, so it's not limited to Christianity. Now, the survey summary states that "Across the 34 countries, which span six continents, a median of 45% say it is necessary to believe in God to be moral and have good values." 51% percent say that belief in God is not necessary.
And, regarding belief in God, the summary says:
Despite variances in religious observance, a median of 62% across the countries surveyed say that religion plays an important role in their lives, while 61% agree that God plays an important role in their lives and 53% say the same about prayer. Since 1991, the share of people who say God is important to them has increased in Russia and Ukraine, while the opposite has occurred over the same time span in Western Europe.
In Western Europe only 22% say that belief in God is necessary for good morals and values. And, from 2002 to 2019, the percentage in the U.S. that agree with that statement has declined from 58% to 44%.
And, not surprisingly, the survey shows that those with higher income are less likely to view the necessity of God for good morality. Same for higher education levels. That makes sense, because you could say - generally speaking - that trust in money or knowledge could lessen one's dependence on God.
A smaller percentage of those surveyed in these countries said that prayer was important; the Pew survey summary relates: "Across 34 countries, a median of 61% say that God plays an important role in their lives, compared with 53% who say that prayer is important in their daily life." And, there is a stunning inverse relationship between income and prayer - the summary states: "while a median of 41% across these advanced economies say that prayer is an important part of daily life, 96% of those in emerging economies say that it is." In the U.S., 72% of those surveyed responded by saying God is important in their lives vs. 67% who say prayer is important.
Just a random sampling of social media will illustrate this overriding truth: We need God. Period.
The presence of God and the teachings of Scripture should profoundly determine our moral beliefs, our deeply held convictions. And, prayer enables us to live them out. We need to be talking with Him - and allow Him to renew our minds.
It is interesting and a bit convoluted: Over 70% of Americans say that God is important, but fewer say that communicating with Him is important. This is a bit of a disconnect; prayer, Biblical prayer, keeps us on track. A healthy relationship cannot be sustained without consistent, two-way communication. It's more than just telling God what we believe, it's earnestly seeking His face.
This survey shows that people are willing to go to other sources for a determination of morality. But, if you reject God's authority and His principles for human behavior, where do you turn? To a subjective source - the opinions of others or your own opinion. Your own truth, as it's been said. The lack of an absolute authority creates inner turmoil and cultural chaos. Hello? Are we there yet? The answer, as it always has been, is to recognize the truth that has been given to us by God and embodied in Jesus Christ.
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