Back in the 1990’s a sitting U.S. president faced impeachment because of his sexual misconduct in the oval office with a young woman who was not his wife. In responding to questions about the incidents during the impeachment process he would often begin his answer with the words, “it depends” implying that a truthful answer could be somewhat subjective. This kind of answer 20+ years ago reflects the mindset of our current culture in that many today no longer believe there is such a thing as absolute right or absolute wrong. Stark contrasts and black-and-white distinctions have been replaced by relativism. How often have we heard people describe an untruth as just a little “white lie’ inferring that it is not as bad as a big “black lie”. When scripture speaks to the sin of lying, there is no descriptor in front of the word, lie.  As followers of Jesus, we need to stand firm against these relativistic ideas.


The only kind of ‘grey’ approved in the Bible is ‘grey hair’, which is seen as ‘a crown of glory …. found in the way of righteousness’ (Prov. 16:31). Whether old or young, as adult believers our goal should be to stay strong in the absolute truths of God’s Word. In today’s reading (Psalm 71:9-18) the psalmist is determined to finish well. He writes in v.9, ‘cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.’ He wants to continue to be close to the Lord to the end of his life, to be more fruitful than the beginning. 


And in v.18, he says ‘now also when I am old and greyheaded, O God, forsake me not; Until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come.’ Succession planning is a key part of finishing well. As a parent or grandparent, we have the privilege and even the obligation to help mold the next generation to adhere to the absolute right and absolute wrong taught in God’s Word.


A recently completed study by Men in the Word focused on the question as to whether there exist objective moral standards and, if so, what is their source. Four of the five characters (one of whom was an atheist) in the novel argued the point from humanistic or philosophical points of view. All their arguments had elements of inconsistency or contradiction and a common thread of subjectivity. The fifth character argued that God alone is the standard on which good and evil are defined objectively. How thankful we are that our Creator has provided this framework on which we are to live as revealed in His Holy Word!