BiblicalInsights.net

“Be not deceived, God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Gal. 6:7-8).
The word mocked is a translation of the Greek word mukterizetai from muktirizo which is defined as: “to contract the nose in contempt and derision; to toss up the nose, to mock, to deride.” Muktirizo is from mukter–the Greek word for nose.  When one “turns up the nose” he rejects something because he thinks it is not good enough for him.  He refuses to accept it.  A couple of examples will help illustrate the meaning.  First, “I offered the cat some food, but it turned up its nose and walked away.”  Second, “We offered her a pretty good job, but she turned up her nose at it.”
Some synonyms would be:  “to turn down,” “to dismiss,” “to ignore,”  and “to refuse to believe or accept something.”
God’s law and His justice cannot be rejected and held in contempt by individuals without reaping the consequences.  When we reject God’s law, we are saying that it is not good enough for us.  We believe we have found something better.  But, what we have found is not better than what God has to offer us.  Hence, this type of thinking involves self-deception and this self-deception is involved in the rejection.  We are accountable to God for the self-deception and the rejection of His word.  This rejection is unbelief.  Unbelief “turns up the nose” to God!  The gesture involving derision or contempt for the sacred things of God is offensive to the goodness of God.
Paul indicates that there are only two areas of choice:  flesh and Spirit.  When we sow to the flesh (live a life in pursuit of the fleshly lusts or sinful conduct) we reap corruption.  When we sow to the Spirit (live a life in pursuit of the spiritual things that belong to God or righteousness) we reap life (the abundant life and everlasting life).  This is an eternal principle of truth–you reap what you sow!  A person cannot sow to the flesh and reap life.  A person cannot sow to the Spirit and reap corruption.  But, many believe that they can sow to the flesh and still go to heaven!  This type of thinking involves self-deception because you cannot turn up your nose to God by unbelief and think that God is going to save you.
God offers us and gives us the best.  His grace, mercy, and love are unsurpassed.  His goodness is unsurpassed.  The lusts of the flesh or works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21) do not exceed in value or quality God and His goodness.  The works of the flesh will corrupt and destroy your life.  Paul named these fleshly works in Galatians 5, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall to inherit the kingdom of God.”
Paul also lists the fruit of the Spirit, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law” (Gal. 5:22-23).  The two lists are set in strong contrast.  The end results of the pursuit of either way of life (flesh or Spirit) is equally different.  “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  For to be carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:5-6).
Paul is instructing his readers not to be deceived (self-deceived) into thinking that they can turn up the nose to God (hold Him in contempt or derision) because they believe that they have found something better in pursuing a life of fleshly lusts (which is not better than the spiritual fruit God offers through life in the Spirit).  They will reap what they sow.

If there is no free-will, then, there is no love.  God created human beings with the power of volition.  This is one aspect of being created in the image of God.  God acts freely.  He created human beings so that they can act freely as well.  One of the best ways to know that human beings have free-will is that we intuitively know that we are making choices.  These choices are conscious, volitional,  choices.  Each person is an eyewitness to the fact of volitional power.  To overthrow this vast amount of eyewitness testimony would take a tremendous amount of counter proofs.  Another way that we can know that we have free-will is that God holds human beings accountable for their words and actions.  “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things doe in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or evil” (II Cor. 5:10).  “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:5-6).  The justice of God demands free-will on the part of man. How could God be just when He punishes someone for something that they had no control over or personal responsibility for.  Free-will is also a part of our own justice system in the United States.  In 1978, the Supreme Court ruled that a deterministic view of human conduct was “inconsistent with the underlying precepts of our criminal justice system” (Warner Wallace, God’s Crime Scene, pp. 141-158).  God has ordained the government to be a punisher of the evil-doer in order to protect the innocent (Rom. 13:1-ff).  In order for this to be valid justice, the evil-doer must bear responsibility for his actions.  Personal responsibility grows out of accountability to God.  Accountability to God is a part of God’s justice.  Personal responsibility is assigned to every person who chooses to commit a crime or a sin when he or she could have chosen otherwise.
Determinism is the view that actions are determined by prior causal events outside the control of an individual.  Most evolutionists and atheists believe in material determinism.  They accept the consequences of this false concept including: (1) denial of free-will; (2) no personal responsibility for moral choices; (3) no possibility of justice; (4) no possibility of love; (5) lack of ability to alter the future by personal choices in the present.  Each of these consequences have further consequences of their own.
Love (agapē) is a deeply committed love whereby one wills to seek the highest good of another regardless of that person’s character or conduct (Matt. 5:44-45).  This love is principled and volitional.  It is undefeatable, benevolent, good-will.  One way that we can show that it is volitional is that it is a response to a command of the Lord Jesus Christ. “And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.  And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.  There is none other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:29-31).  The command to love given by the Lord can be obeyed or disobeyed.  The alternative to love is hate.  Where there is such a choice between two moral actions, there is free-will.  Love and hate are observable moral qualities and are present in the hearts of people.  Why command a moral action if it is already determined and fixed?  Where there is no choice, the command becomes void.
Love is a response of the human mind and heart to God.  In I John 4:19, God’s Word states, “We love him, because he first loved us.”  Love for God is a response of the human heart to the divine and demonstrative love manifested by God.  God’s love is shown in the unspeakable gift of His Son (John 3:16; I John 4:10).  God’s love is compelling.  The cross draws people to it (John 12:32).  Our love for God is reciprocal.  Love responds to love.  This takes freedom to act or the power of volition.
The alternative to love is also a choice.  God will punish the person who decides to hate.  Hatred is one of the seventeen sins listed by Paul as works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21).  Hate is equated with murder.  “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him” (I John 3:15).  Where there is a moral choice there is free-will.  We cannot blame others for our own failures.  We cannot excuse ourselves for disobeying God’s commandments.  When we do not love as God commands, we will face God’s justice.  Our own disobedience will condemn us.

Agapaō and phileō are two Greek words that are translated by the English word love. They are both found in the context of John 21:15-17.  The text reads, “So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (agapas) thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love (philō) thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (agapas)thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love (philō)thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest (phileis) thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest (phileis) thou me? And he said unto him, Lord thou knowest all things: thou knowest that I love (philō) thee.  Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”  Lidija Novakovic (John 11-21, A Handbook on the Greek Text, p. 326) quotes Porter with regard to these passages, “These two verbs phileō and agapaō, are not true or complete synonyms.  One of the differing components in the meanings of these words appears to be related to levels of esteem (a vertical scale) for agapaō and interpersonal associations (a horizontal scale) for phileō. The definition of a true synonym is that the two lexemes are interchangeable in all contexts (emphasis mine DS).  That simply is not true for these Greek lexemes: there is a major identifiable pattern of usage that is different.”  Porter suggests that even in John 21:15-17, phileō and agapaō are not complete synonyms because of the logic of the dialogue, in which “Jesus has reduced his first question to a simpler question, and he has received a similarly unsatisfactory answer,” which causes him to replace agapaō with phileō in his third question.
What, if any, is the distinction between agapē and philia (the nouns)?  The Greeks had four words for love: eros, storgē, philia, and agapē.  Eros is the Greek word for sexual love.  Storgē defines family and kinship love.  Philia is friendship love.  John the Baptist was the friend of the bridegroom  (John 3:29).  Jesus used the word philos in saying “our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep (John 11:11).  Agapē carries an unfailing regard for, and deeply cherishes, the object of its devotion. It is love and commitment (Hugo McCord, These Things Speak, 128).  When one is 100% committed to something or some person, the word describing such an attachment is agape.  Agape is good will and selfless giving even of one’s own life to help others.  It involves a commitment without thought of gain or loss to the giver, or merit on the part of the receiver.  Ungodly sinners and enemies of God are the recipients of agapē. The Scriptures never use eros, storgē, or philia to define God, but agapē (Rom. 5:6-10; I John 4:8,16).  McCord states, “The towering superiority of agape above the three related words does not mean that it cannot be used to convey the lesser meanings of the related words.  Both phileō and agapaō were in Jesus’ attitude toward Lazarus whom Jesus loved (John 11:5, 11).  The same is true in regard to the disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23; 19:26; 21:7, 20).  To His faithful children God extends agape but also philia (John 14:23; 16:27).  Among humans there is no greater devotion than that of laying down one’s life for his friends (agape and philia, John 15:13).  McCord affirms, “Though agape overlaps meanings found in storge and in philia, and possibly in eros, in the New Testament agape at times is in a realm by itself, a sui genesis, a monogenes.  At times, as the sun outshines the stars, agape is more brilliant than all other words.  In certain contexts it is unique, alone, solitary, a super-word, the greatest New Testament sign of an idea (cf. I Cor. 13:13).  Agape is “above all these”: “a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness meekness, long-suffering” (Col. 3:12-14). “Above all things” God’s people are commanded to practice “fervent agape” among themselves (I Pet. 4:8).  Six noble attributes (faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness (philia) by themselves are incomplete.  They need to be supplemented, “adding on your part” agape (II Pet. 1:5-7) (Ibid. p. 130).  McCord adds yet another thought, “When one understands the exalted position of agape he understands why Jesus did not use phileo in the command to love one’s enemies (Matt. 5:44).  Enmity is the opposite of phileo (friendship), but agape includes both friends and enemies.  It knows no limits (“never faileth,” I Cor. 13:8) in good will and irrepressible devotion (Ibid.).
Sometimes agape and philia overlap, but they are still intrinsically different.  Thayer mentions that “even in some cases where they might appear to be used interchangeably, the differences can still be traced” (McCord, p. 131).
McCord comments on Jesus and Peter.  “If ever there were a person understanding clearly the commitment inhering in agape, and of its superiority over the affection of philia, it was the apostle Peter.  He had bragged of his devotion to Jesus, claiming a deeper loyalty than that possessed by the other apostles:  “If all shall be offended in thee, I will never be offended” (Matthew 26:33).  However, after he had forsaken his Lord, even cursing and swearing, “I know not the man,” upon hearing the rooster crow, his heart was broken.  Bitter weeping displayed his deep shame.  Like Judas, he was a traitor, and he knew it.  All bragging was gone and his spirt was crushed.  After the Lord’s resurrection, when Peter was with the other disciples by the lakeside, Jesus asked him, “Do you love [agapao] me more than these?” (John 21:15). Peter, hearing agape in Jesus’ question, knowing the magnitude of commitment involved in that word, knowing he had betrayed the Savior, could not honestly put the word agape on his lips.  His reply was an evasion, using phileo. In this context the English word “love” does not rightly translate what Peter said: “Yes, Lord, you know that I like you”” (Ibid. 132).  All pride was absent.  Peter embraced humility in his response to Jesus’ question.  Yet, he affirmed his affection for the Lord three times and so healed a significant breach and created a new memory in his relationship with Jesus.
McCord provides a chart showing some contrasts between agape and phileo.

Phileo                                                                         Agapao
Kiss (Acts 20:37; Rom. 16:16                 “not kiss; there is so far no evidence
S of S 1:2)                                                 for that meaning of “a” (Gingrich-Danker)
Friend (Luke 11:5; Jam. 2:25)                 A beloved one (Matt. 3:17; III John 2)
Natural                                                      Learned
Emotional                                                  Volitional
External                                                      Internal
Discriminatory                                           Non-discriminatory
Conditional                                                 Unconditional
Pleasure                                                      Preciousness
Delight                                                         Esteem
Liking                                                           Prizing
Because of                                                  In spite of
Fails                                                              “Never faileth” (I Cor. 13:8)

The chart clearly shows a difference between the two words and so they are not complete synonyms.

Cold-Case Christianity was written by J. Warner Wallace and provides the reader with a unique approach to apologetics from the perspective of a cold-case homicide detective.  Wallace was a vocal atheist for many years.  Now, he uses his investigative skills to make the case for Christianity (used in the general sense).  The reader will be impressed with this approach to examination of the evidence for the reliability of the New Testament and the eyewitness accounts given therein of the life of Christ.  Wallace places the reader in the jury box.  He gives instructions on how to handle the evidence presented much as a judge would instruct the jury.  He asks you to weigh the evidence and come to a conclusion that is “beyond a reasonable doubt.”  A review of this book is now on my “Book Reviews” page.

The Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 50:1-ff, makes a statement about Jesus that His face was “set like a flint.”
This is a figurative way of stating the quality of being unshakeable.  Isa. 50:7 states, “For the LORD God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”  This statement characterizes the future Messiah of Israel.  Jesus was undaunted by the circumstances that He encountered because He knew God was with Him and He was executing the purposes of God in His ministry.  Jesus demonstrates how to be stedfast, unshakeable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord (I Cor. 15:58).
The First Quality Jesus Possessed Was Oneness With God
Jesus was one with God.  “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).  Jesus was one in nature with the Father and He was one in purpose with the Father.  This meant that He was never alone.  Jesus possessed all of the perfections of deity (Col. 2:9).  He was spiritually one with the Father.  It was the Father’s will that He die on the cross to provide the means of atonement and reconciliation between God and His creature man.  Jesus came to this earth to do the will of the Father with regard to man’s redemption (John 10:17-18).  Nothing would deter Him from obtaining this work.  We, too, can be unshakeable, if we are spiritually united with Christ as a result of our obedience to the gospel.  When we are baptized into Christ, we are united with Him and become spiritually one with Him (Gal. 3:26-29).  This means that we are never alone.  “If God be for us who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31).
The Second Quality Jesus Possessed Was Trust in God
Jesus trusted God (I Pet. 2:23).  “Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously.” Jesus was fearless in the face of suffering, persecution, and injustice.  He was mistreated, spat upon, mocked, and ridiculed, yet He remained unshakeable.  His trust was in Him who in invincible.  We, too, can be unshakeable if we put our trust in God. There is not power greater than God!  We go forward in His strength and the power of His might.  Consider the apostle Paul.  Paul faced affliction and bonds in the city of Jerusalem as revealed to others and to him by the Holy Spirit (Acts 20:23-24).  Paul states, “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”  Paul was unshakeable!  Great faith produces a stedfast heart.
The Third Quality Jesus Possessed Was Love
Jesus loved the Father.  “But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.  Arise, let us go hence” (John 14:31).  Jesus’ obedience to the Father’s will was a demonstration of His love for the Father.  Obedience flows from an inner heart of great love and is not merely isolated acts of compliance to God’s will.  The Father loved Jesus.  “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.  No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.  I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.  This commandment have I received of my Father” (John 10:17-18).  The Father’s love for His Son was expressed from heaven on two occasions:  the baptism of Jesus (Matt. 3:17) and the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:5) where the word “beloved” is used.  Love is a most powerful bond that provides strength in the face of all adversity.  We, too, can benefit from the power of love.  Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15, 23).  The blessing of obedience wrought by love is that God and Christ will abide with us.  This fellowship with deity sustains and empowers for Christian living in the face of all trials.
The Fourth Quality Jesus Possessed Was Spiritual Maturity
Jesus manifests the following qualities:  love, faith, meekness, self-control, selflessness, forgiveness, honesty, justice, courage, and wisdom.  He was spiritually mature in character and so spiritually resilient in facing trials and temptations.  Every Christian must strive for mastery of self.  Paul wrote, “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection:  lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway” (I Cor. 9:27).  Spiritual discernment is dependent upon spiritual maturity.  “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5:14).  Spiritual purity is  tied to spiritual maturity.  “That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor” (I Thess. 4:4).  We can be unmovable in the face of temptations to sin against God.
With a face “set like a flint” we can live determined, fearless, mature, confident, loving lives anchored in God.  The thoughts from a hymn help affirm what has been demonstrated by Jesus.  The hymn is, “I Shall Not Be Moved.”
Jesus is my savior, I shall not be moved.
In His love and favor, I shall not be moved.
Just like a tree that’s planted by the waters
Lord, I shall not be moved.
In my Christ abiding, I shall not be moved.
In His love I’m hiding, I shall not be moved.
Just like a tree that’s planted by the waters
Lord, I shall not be moved.
If I trust Him ever, I shall not be moved.
He will fail me never, I shall not be moved.
Just like a tree that’s planted by the waters
Lord, I shall not be moved.
On His word I’m feeding, I shall not be moved.
He’s the One’s that leading, I shall not be moved.
Just like a tree that’s planted by the waters
Lord, I shall not be moved!

Thanksgiving is a present state that draws upon past events.  In remembering past acts of God, Christians pledge to be faithful partners with God in the covenantal relationship in the present. Faithfulness to God (keeping covenant with God) is tied to thanksgiving. Thanksgiving grows out of a consideration of how God’s grace has impacted our lives and transformed them.  God’s grace is a continual flow of His goodness toward His people.  Thanksgiving is also continuous from our hearts to God.  Thanksgiving is a response of the human heart to God’s infinite goodness.
The Past–Our Redemption
First, consider God’s part in our redemption.  “And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreprovable in his sight” (Col. 1:21-22). We were at one time alienated from God due to our sins.  Yet, now, He hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ.  The past regarding our redemption involves everything that God has done to save us.  Before the world began, God purposed our salvation by Jesus Christ and in one body (Eph. 2:16; 3:10-11).  The eternal purpose of God was foretold by the prophets in the Old Testament who gave us over 300 Messianic prophecies that were to be fulfilled in the details of the life and death of Jesus.  Jesus came into the world as the result of a miraculous conception which led to His birth in Bethlehem of Judea.  Jesus’ personal and public ministry began when He was of the age of thirty and was inaugurated by His baptism in the Jordan River by John the baptist.  He taught as no one had ever taught before.  He performed innumerable miracles.  He exemplified the perfect human life. He was crucified, buried and rose again the third day.  On the cross, He shed His blood for the atonement of the sins of human beings.  God loved us and gave us the best of heaven (John 3:16).  God’s grace was manifested in an unspeakable gift (II Cor. 9:15).  His love, mercy and grace made our redemption possible.
Second, consider our faith and obedience to His commands.  When we obey the gospel (Rom. 10:16; II Thess. 1:7-9; Heb. 5:8-9), we are changed.  We are saved.  When we obey the command to repent, we change our hearts and turn away from sin to God.  When we are baptized (immersed in water) into Christ, we are forgiven of our sins by the precious blood of Christ (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38-41; Gal. 3:26-29).  When we obey the gospel, Jesus adds us to His church and we become children of God.  We are reconciled to God.  We are blessed by appropriating God’s grace and standing in His grace.  We must never forget the day of our salvation.  We must never forget the spiritual blessings that have continued to flow to us since that sacred moment.  This reflection upon past events, God’ saving acts and our obedience to the gospel, produces a life of thanksgiving.
The Present–Our Lives in Christ
“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Col 2:6-7).  Your past is affecting your present.  Your past redemption affects your present state of thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is not something we do once in a while.  It is a fundamental way of being.  It is a state of being and not just an isolated act accomplished once a year or even several times in a year.  We must abound in thanksgiving as part of “walking in him.”  God has given us an abundance of blessings: abundant hope (Rom. 15:13); abundant comfort (II Cor. 1:5); abundant grace (II Cor. 4:15); and abundant love (Phil. 1:9; I Thess. 3:13; Rom. 5:8-9).  Generous abundance of these spiritual blessings from God produces a heart continually overflowing with thanksgiving.  To live in Him, i.e. Jesus Christ, is to live in holiness.  We are called to holiness through the gospel (I Thess. 4:7) and we imitate God who is holy (Eph. 5:1; I Pet. 1:15-16).  Holiness is tied to thanksgiving.  To live life in the Lord, we must live a life worthy of the calling given to us by Jesus.  We must be worthy of His name by which we are called (Christians).  We must live a life that pleases Him in all things. This involves:  bearing fruit, growing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened, and giving thanks.  To “walk in him” is to “live a life of fullness of consecration to God.” Being (who we are) precedes doing (acts of obedience or faithfulness (keeping covenant).  Our entire life is characterized by oneness with Jesus Christ.  Christianity is something you are and not merely something you do from time to time.  Thanksgiving is an integral part of the Christian life.  Our connection to the past (God’s saving acts and our obedience to the gospel) produces a life of thanksgiving.  The infinite supply of God’s grace to us motivates a continuous flow of gratitude to Him.  Therefore, we live in holiness and overflow with thanksgiving.  Sin against God is the height of ingratitude.  Sin against God makes a mockery of our redemption.  Sin against God involves a breach in the sacred memory of God’s saving acts.  In redemption, we are transformed to live lives that honor and glorify God.  The present life we live in Christ has been made possible by past acts of God whereby we appropriate His grace to ourselves when we obey His commandments.  This past event connects to our present in holiness and thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is not something we do once in a while, it is a way of life. It is a state of being that results from being blessed by God’s infinite goodness.

The apostle Paul warns, “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ” (Col. 2:8).  By “spoil” Paul means:  as when in war the spoils belong to the victor who takes what formerly belonged to his enemy.  In this passage, false ideas or doctrines can “take one captive” so that he/she is brought under the control of those false ideas.  Philosophy refers to the many various ideas that constitute the wisdom of this world.  Vain deceit is worthless lies.  The traditions of men are doctrines or concepts of men that have their origin in the minds of men as contrasted to the mind of God.  They become perilous to the soul whenever they contradict God’s Word or set at nought God’s Word.  The rudiments of the world refers to delusive speculations of Gentiles and Jewish theories or myths treated as elementary principles upon which a world view or philosophy of life may be based.  False ideologies are behind the social problems directly affecting marriage and the home today.  These false ideologies are creating conflict, social upheaval, social change, division, strife, agitation and destruction.  Let’s examine some of them.
The General Theory of Evolution
The General Theory of Evolution relates to biological evolution.  The theory of evolution involves: cosmic evolution, chemical evolution, and biological evolution.  The General Theory of Evolution is, “All living matter as we know it today had its origin from one primitive source.  From this spontaneously produced source, probably originating in the primeval ocean water from a combination of existing molecules and atoms, life began–and through eons of time, changes in this life form took place in a progressive manner.  From unicellular life came the more complicated invertebrate life, and from this, vertebrate life.  Finally, primitive man made his appearance and evolved into the human species of today.  (Bert Thompson, “Evolution as a Threat to the Christian Home”, in The Home As God Would Have It And Contemporary Attacks Against It, p. 276).  The General Theory of Evolution is a naturalistic explanation for the origins of human beings.  God is completely left out.  This would have profound effects on our own understanding of what it means to be human.  Human beings would be nothing but a higher form of animals.  They would not possess a soul (immortal aspect to their being) and would not be dualistic in their make-up (body and soul).  This would destroy the basis for morality.  Absolutely, anything would be permissible.  This would lead to a re-definition of marriage and the family (which is happening in our present culture).  The General Theory of Evolution and its cousin Theistic Evolution would destroy the very foundations of the home as God would have it.   Belief in God and His holy Word would be supplanted with secular humanism and the deification of man.
The Political/Social Theory of Communism
The General Theory of Evolution and Communism are both atheistic philosophies.  Karl Marx wrote, regarding Darwin’s Origin of the Species: “Darwin’s book is very important and serves me as a basis in natural history for a class struggle in history.  Not only is it a death blow here for the first time to teleology in the natural sciences, but their rational meaning is emphatically explained.” In fact, Marx wanted to dedicate his book, Das Kapital to Darwin, but Darwin declined the offer, fearing family objections.  Thus, Darwin gave considerable impetus to Communism, and today evolution is the official teaching of the Communist party in regard to origins” (Ibid, Thompson, p. 286). Communism is a political, social, and economic theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to his/her abilities and needs (Oxford Languages). Communism attacks religion and is a serious threat to religious freedom.  True religion is the basis of the Christian home.  Communists hold that man has no soul and no conscience.  Communism affirms materialism, totalitarianism, and socialism.   America is being infiltrated by communist philosophy through Cultural Marxism (see my book review of the Red Trojan Horse). One of the significant tenets of Cultural Marxism is relativity.  This false idea affirms that truth is not objective, but is subjective. The notion of relativity means that one can create his/her own reality while at the same time denying the objective truth of God’s word.   This has given rise to new definitions for marriage and the home.  Marriage is no longer defined as a monogamous, heterosexual relationship between a man and a woman.  The definition of marriage is much more fluid.  Also, the home is being redefined.  The concept of the nuclear family (Dad, Mom and the children) is being replaced with a much more fluid concept involving same sex relationships and transgendered relationships.
Feminism 
The National Organization for Women (NOW) in the booklet: The Document: Declaration of Feminism states: “Heterosexual relationships are by their very nature oppressive to women in a male dominated society.  In Western society sexual roles are defined for the benefit of men.  The woman is treated as a sexual object, a thing which exists for the gratification of the man to ensure his physical comfort and his sexual pleasure.  In the eyes of men this is a woman’s place—for Eve was created of Adam’s rib—or so the story goes” (Nancy Lehman and Helen Sullinger, The Document: Declaration of Feminism, p. 8).  Betty Friedan sees the role of the modern housewife as a “sickness, a disease…And most women can no longer use their full strength, grow to their full human capacity, as housewives” (Betty Friedan, The Feminine Mystique, p. 305).  This type of feminism attacks marriage (heterosexual relationships) and the home (women who love their children and their husbands) as God would have it (Matt. 19:1-9; Titus 2:1-5). Feminism has given us abortion, no-fault divorce, and destruction of male spiritual leadership in the home and the church (attack on patriarchy).  More recently, feminists have led in the separation of sex from gender which has produced gender fluidity and advanced both homosexuality and transgendered identities.  The idea that gender can be separated from one’s sex is the result of cultural relativism which advances the notion that gender is a social construct and not tied to one’s biological makeup.  Marriage has been redefined to include both homosexuals and the transgendered.
Hedonism
Hedonism is basically the love of pleasure.  The love of pleasure is condemned in God’s Word (II Tim. 3:1-5). Hedonism is behind the sexual revolution.  Hedonism involves the unrestricted indulgence of the lusts of the flesh.  Sexual relationships outside of the marriage relationship are forbidden by God and constitute fornication (Gal. 5:19-20).  Promiscuity in sexual relationships has produced “fatherless homes.”  The absence of the father in the home has significant consequences.  More women and children are living in poverty as a result. Government programs have expanded to help with shelter, food, medical assistance, counseling, and other needs.  With government assistance comes government control.  Promiscuity has produced an epidemic in sexually transmitted diseases.  Promiscuity has contributed to “unwanted pregnancies” where abortion is seen as a remedy and so abortions have taken the lives of more than 62 million unborn children since 1973 (FoxNews, Jan. 2021).  Promiscuity has contributed to a lack of respect for Christian values and so the secularization of America.  This was a primary goal of those who desired to uproot Christian moral values and replace them with hedonism as a way of undermining Western Culture and replace it with communism (a goal of Cultural Marxists: for example Herbert Marcuse.  Consider his work: Eros and Civilization written in 1955).  Pornography would have to be included in this study of the influence of hedonism on the home.  Pornography is a multi-billion dollar business in the world today.  Pornography is “the depiction of erotic behavior (as in pictures or writings) intended to cause sexual excitement.” Carl Trueman in the Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, writes, “Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties.  It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other.  It does great injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public) since each becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others.  It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world.  It is a grave offense. It is rightly called a deathwork, “an all-out assault upon something vital to the established culture”(Rieff).  A deathwork is an attack on established cultural art forms in a manner designed to undo the deeper moral structure of society.  Pornography is an attack on marriage and exploits the sacred intimacy reserved for marriage alone and objectifies it and merchandizes it” (Trueman, pp. 96-97).
Secular Humanism
Secular Humanism is the belief that man has within himself sufficient resources to solve his problems without help from a supernatural power or person.  It involves supplanting God with self and so the deification of self.  Secular Humanism was formalized in two documents:  Humanist Manifesto I and Humanist Manifesto II (both of which express communist ideology).  These documents deny the existence of  God and denigrate true religion. They deny the existence of the human soul affirming that science discredits the “ghost in the machine or the “separable soul.”   They affirm that science believes that the human species is an emergence from natural evolutionary forces (Pat McGee, “Humanism As A Threat To Christian Marriages”, in The Home as God Would Have It and Contemporary Attacks Against It, p. 324). McGee rightly states that humanism has infiltrated America’s educational system, religious institutions, mass media, homes, and even some churches of Christ.  As secular humanism increases, the home in America decreases and suffers from its destructive forces.  When you destroy the sacred order, you also destroy the social order.  The home is the basic element of the fabric of society.  To change the home means that society will change.  Who can deny that Americans are facing the strong currents of social engineering that threaten to destroy the home as God would have it and replace it with a humanist constructed entity not worthy of the descriptive term “home.”  The result is a chaotic, unstable society that cannot hold together.
McGee states, “The first home was established by God and is, therefore a divine institution.  It is the basic social unit in all the world and in every society.  To lose the home is to eventually lose the country” (Ibid. 313).  While we are living in threatening times, Christians know the God in whom they believe is a rock, resource, strength, shelter and force that cannot be overthrown.  God’s Word is truth.  With God and His truth, we ourselves can triumph over the forces of evil that will consume others who do not believe in God nor trust in His Word.  Christians must stand strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might!