Four Lies of Secular Culture
Author: Rev. Daniel Johnson
October 05, 2025
Hello Church Family,
Has anyone ever told you to just follow your heart? Have you been tempted to believe that happiness is the ultimate goal or that judging others is the worst thing that you can possibly do? Or how about this that God is just a guess? These are four lies that secular culture is constantly tellings us.
Last Sunday, in our series on A Biblical Worldview, we talked about how everyone views the world through some kind of lens, and that lens shapes how we see everything: ourselves, others, right and wrong, even who God is.
But here’s the thing: a secular worldview doesn’t just differ from a Biblical one, it pushes back against it. It claims to be “neutral,” but there’s no such thing as neutral when it comes to truth. It doesn’t remove faith; it replaces faith in God with faith in self.
That’s why it’s so convincing. Secular culture appeals to what we naturally want—independence, comfort, and control. And before we know it, many of us start to absorb its messages without even realizing it. They sound positive, even inspiring… but underneath, they quietly twist the truth of Scripture.
Let’s look deeper into these at four big lies our culture keeps repeating and how God’s Word gives us the truth we can stand on.
Lie #1 - “Follow Your Heart.”
We’ve all heard it—probably a hundred times this week. “Follow your heart.” It’s in movies, music, and a thousand Instagram quotes.
It sounds good, but there’s a problem: our hearts lie to us. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
When feelings become the boss, truth becomes whatever feels right in the moment. But feelings change all the time. God’s truth doesn’t.
The world says, “Follow your heart.”
Jesus says, “Follow Me.”
When we build our lives on feelings, we’re standing on sand. When we build on Christ, we’re standing on solid rock.
Lie #2 - “Happiness Is the Goal.”
We live in a culture that’s obsessed with being happy. Everything from ads to influencers screams, “Do what makes you happy.”
But Jesus never called us to chase happiness; He called us to pursue holiness.
Happiness depends on what’s happening around us. Holiness depends on who’s living within us.
True joy comes when we surrender what we want and trust what God wants. The world says, “If it makes you happy, it must be right.”
But Scripture says, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16).
Lie #3 - “Judging Is the Worst Thing You Can Do.”
One of the most quoted verses in the world is, “Don’t judge.” But when Jesus said that, He wasn’t saying, “Never speak truth.” He was warning against hypocrisy.
In John 7:24, Jesus said, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Love doesn’t mean pretending everything is okay. Real love means we care enough to tell someone the truth—with gentleness and grace.
Paul put it this way in Galatians 6:1: “If anyone is caught in sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently.”
The church isn’t a courtroom handing out punishment it’s a hospital for broken people. Biblical judgment isn’t about shaming it’s about helping.
Lie #4 - “God Is Just a Guess.”
In our culture, people rarely deny God outright—they just make Him vague. You can “believe if you want,” they say, “but no one really knows for sure.”
That’s not humility—it’s uncertainty dressed up as tolerance.
But the Bible is clear: God hasn’t hidden Himself. He’s revealed Himself—in creation, in His Word, and ultimately in Jesus Christ.
John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the one and only Son, who is Himself God… has made Him known.”
Secularism turns God into a “maybe” so we can stay in control. But Scripture calls us to trust the God who is truth, not the version of Him that’s convenient for us.
Standing Firm When Everything Feels Shaky
These four lies—about feelings, happiness, judgment, and God—are everywhere. You can’t scroll, stream, or even walk down the street without hearing them.
But every day we have a choice:
Will we build our lives on the shifting opinions of culture?
Or will we build on the solid foundation of God’s Word?
Jesus said in Matthew 7:24–25, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock… and it did not fall.”
The storms will come. The winds will blow. But those who stand on God’s Word will remain strong.
So when your feelings try to lead you—go back to Scripture.
When the world says happiness is everything—remember, holiness lasts longer.
When people say “Don’t judge”—speak truth, but speak it in love.
And when others treat God as just a guess—stand firm in your faith that Jesus is real, alive, and true.
Truth isn’t an idea.
Truth is a person.
His name is Jesus.
Coming Up Next: What Is Truth?
This Sunday, we’ll be diving into one of the biggest questions ever asked: “What is truth?” (John 18:38).
It’s the same question our culture is asking right now. Is truth relative? Can it change? Or is there something solid—someone solid—we can actually trust?
We’ll look at how Jesus answered that question, not just with His words, but with His entire life.
So bring your Bible, invite a friend, and come ready to dig in. Because in a world full of opinions, we need to stand on the truth that never changes.
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