Definitions Matter

 

Sometimes talking to someone else can be really confusing. We can start out on a subject and think we’re on the same page. However, as we go further along we get the feeling we’re not. And while it sounded like we were talking about the same thing at the beginning, we realize we’re now confused. And the reason we’re confused is because we were using the same word but just had different definitions for the same words.

Having clear definitions from the beginning really simplifies things. We don’t have to wonder what the other person is talking about. We also can start the conversation on the same footing. What I’ve noticed in our culture today is that how some things are defined has become a subjective thing. It’s become this malleable thing that can change from one moment to the next. And it can all depend on the person you’re talking to. But if how we define things can be so arbitrarily changed from one moment to the next, how can we really be sure of anything? And if how we define things in this world can change so quickly, and so dramatically, how can that world continue to exist?

There is this new buzz word that has pervaded our society. That word is “tolerance”. This word seems to be the source of what has become our murky definition of things. And in the name of tolerance we have become afraid to define things for what they are. So, I’m wondering if maybe we’re changing the definition of what the word “tolerance” means as well. Someone once said, “You have the right to your own opinions, but you don’t have the right to your own facts.” Maybe that is at the heart of how we have come to define what is right and wrong?

I can be tolerant of someone else’s views and opinions. But does that mean I allow them to redefine fundamental truth? I think most people would agree that there are laws of morality that define and guide our society. It seems we used to agree more on what these laws were. But it has now become a much more subjective measure, where each person decides morality for themselves. But is this reasonable? Can a realm like that continue to exist? Let’s take some examples from the natural realm. Say one person believes that a red light means stop and green light means go. But another person believes the opposite. That can not only cause a lot of chaos, but be quite dangerous as well, couldn’t it? Or, someone believes in the fundamentals of gravity, but another person doesn’t. You might say, but these things are obvious. I agree. But let’s use the natural realm as a way of understanding the moral realm, or if I you like, the spiritual realm. If we were to extrapolate from the natural laws to understand moral laws we would be forced to conclude that since natural laws are clearly defined, moral laws would have to be as well. Since subjectivity in the natural world would create chaos, how could it not in the moral or spiritual world as well?

We don’t even need to guess at the outcome of a society that allows their moral fabric to be remade into an image of man’s own liking. There are examples in history that have clearly displayed that result for us. Societies like Rome come to mind. Moral fabric matters. And our definition of that moral fabric matters.

 

…Let’s go deeper

I believe having a clear view and understanding of the situations we face are key to being successful in life. We can’t have an unrealistic view of life and just expect everything will work out without some work. We also can’t be so negative that we think nothing will ever work out.
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AV 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.” If we’re going to face the difficulties of life with any sort of success, we have to start with an accurate understanding of ourselves and the situation. If we think more of ourselves than we ought, we set ourselves up for failure. We need to properly know and understand our strengths and weaknesses. This gives us solid ground and a firm foundation for us to face difficulties.

AV Proverbs 16:9: “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.” Another thing we need to recognize is frailty of our own plans. We not only need to plan, but allow for the possibility for those plans to change. First of all, our plans need to be subject to God’s authority. We don’t just go about our fully planned out day, without allowing room for God to make changes to our plans. This is also crucial to our success. Having God involved in our plans shows wisdom and humility on our part.
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AV Proverbs 24:10: “[If] thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength [is] small.” Like I mentioned earlier, we need to have strength when we face these things we can’t anticipate. We can’t fold under the pressure. This verse indicates something that adversity does for us. It gives us an accurate measure of how much we can take.

AV Col 1:11: “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;” I believe what we need, when under pressure, is strength and endurance. But that strength and endurance needs to based and rooted in Him. Not only does adversity give us an accurate measure of our strength, but an accurate measure of ours strength in Him. We know when we are facing a series of failures in our life that we need to become stronger in Him.

AV Micah 7:8: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD [shall be] a light unto me.” Finally, we need to be confident that we can overcome. And we need to be confident that God has given us the ability to overcome and be successful. This verse is a verse of boldness and confidence. It’s saying, “Things may look like a mess right now, I may look like I’m down for the count. But don’t get excited thinking that you’ve beat me. It’s not over, and I’m not done. God is in this fight with me. And He’s going to see me through the darkness.”

AV 1 Corinthians 10:12: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”

AV Proverbs 16:9: “A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.”

AV Proverbs 24:10: “[If] thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength [is] small.”

AV Micah 7:8: “Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD [shall be] a light unto me.”

AV Col 1:11: “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;”

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