A sometimes overlooked threat to our moral lives is “moral relativism.” It is the belief that each person decides individually what is right or wrong.

We know that as human beings made by God we neither have the authority nor the ability to make something “evil” be “good” by shear strength of opinion or desire. Yet this is the underlying claim with moral relativism. “Because I believe something to be good, it is good for me, even if you disagree.”

As Christians we are keenly aware of how common this thinking is and can be very frustrated with it. But we may not be aware of how this thinking can subtly begin to affect our own.

We know that the truth of anything, including moral truth, must have its root in God, who is truth. If it does not, it cannot be true, regardless of how deeply held an opinion is. We discover truth, we don’t create it.

God reveals the truth about who we are and how we are to live. Therefore, any claim that moral truth comes from me — my opinion, my perception, my feelings — runs contrary to Christianity.

Yet we recognize its attractiveness. Imagine a system where I’m always right and never wrong and no one else gets to tell me what to do. I become convinced that I create truth instead of serve it.

As a bonus, I never have to do the uncomfortable work of lovingly challenging people who may be doing something wrong because what they’re doing “may be fine for them.”

Who wouldn’t like it that way? Even Adam and Eve fell for the temptation to “become like gods, knowing good and evil” for themselves.

Ironically, with moral relativism we are subtly taught to value the very lie that caused Adam and Eve so much trouble: “you shouldn’t have to listen to any authority except your own.”

Despite its attractiveness it fails everyone who believes it. It is powerless to bring about conversion: I never have to be confronted with my sins. It results in moral cowardice: I have a ready-made excuse to avoid fraternal correction, as called for in Scripture (Jas 5:19, Mt 18:15). Likewise, it excuses public stands on important moral issues: “I am personally opposed, but who am I to say they’re wrong?”

Finally, I can be lead to believe that what I choose doesn’t matter. If other opinions about right or wrong are equally valid, then why care?

We see how it affects people and leads them further from God’s truth. And even if we personally don’t buy into it, we can still catch ourselves thinking this way at times. After all, we find ourselves in a society which tends to value the very things which can lead to moral relativism in the first place.

How often are we sent the message, directly or indirectly, that everything is up for debate or is a matter of opinion — nothing is sure or certain — one way is as good as any other — there are no absolutes? Likewise, political correctness teaches us that, “I should just accept the behavior or values of people who see things differently than I do. I should not see the Christian faith as better than any other.” And if I don’t think this way, I’m being arrogant, judgmental, even mean. It would be imprudent to think that I could live in such an environment and not run the risk of being influenced by it.

It is difficult to live our Christian faith. It always has been and always will be. In every age there are challenges which Christians must be aware of, must be able to identify and must actively take steps to avoid or overcome. Living at this time in history, we must be especially cautious of being tempted by a fruit that Adam and Eve would recognize all too well.