Objective truth gives you a view of life which is taught you in the Scripture. You believe God's revelation and its teaching that God is the Creator of all things, that man has fallen from God's favour because of his sin, that God has provided a way of salvation by which sinners can be forgiven and sin washed away, and that they can be converted or made new creatures. You believe that Christ, the eternal Son of God, came from the eternal glory into this world to live a perfect life under terrible provocation and temptation, that his righteousness earns heaven for all who trust in him, and that he suffered and died on Calvary's cross when the Father laid upon him the guilt of our sin, and he bore that punishment instead of us. These truths are not only your salvation but they are your defence. When the enemy of souls comes to you and he says, ‘You cannot be a child of God, not with some of the things you have done, and the traits of character you have deeply buried in you’, you answer that Christ died to redeem sinners like you. When he says, ‘You will never make it to the end; you will backslide’, you say, ‘No’, because Christ tells you that none will ever pluck you out of your Father’s hand. So these doctrines hold you. When temptations do come and we stumble and fall, why is it then? The girdle of truth isn’t being worn. We’re not reflecting on these things enough.
Are we sincere about the Lord? Never uttering his name insincerely, never talking about spiritual things mechanically, insincerely. Are we sincere about the word so that it really has a moral demand upon us? We read it not lightly, but we allow it to convict us, because we are sincere about the word of God. Are we sincere about worship? Coming on time: that’s part of sincerity. I want to be in church early to prepare my heart to engage with the Lord, to seek forgiveness of sin. Are we sincere about sanctification, really conscientious? I have done wrong. I should not have said that. My conscience not only tells me; it tears me apart. I have known families – and it is very delicate to say this – where I cannot see how the children could ever come to Christ, because I found that the parents when they are at home are always criticising people in the church. Oh, the tricks, the wiles of the devil!
Suppose you watch a film which portrays some historical event maybe, but it’s crammed full of sexual images and the parading of human beauty, and lasciviousness. You view it, and perhaps it is brilliantly acted, and it begins to move your affections. What have you done? Well, you have corrupted your affections. They no longer mind so much lasciviousness, fornication, immoral behaviour. You started as a Christian believer, devoted to the Lord, but you corrupted your most treasured possession, your sanctified affections with which you love God. Now you no longer hate so much. How foolish we are!
There is a big movement now teaching that same-sex affection or feelings or desires are not sinful, and this teaching comes from professing evangelicals within the Christian church. It says, ‘It’s not a sin to be tempted. Sin is not resident in the thought life; it is the action that matters.’ So a person can have, and by implication even, enjoy same-sex attraction as long as they remain celibate. Well, of course, this is brand-new. Bible believers have never held to anything like this in the past. Oh no, sin is in the thought life; sin is there within. The breastplate of righteousness is a lively conscience, which is conscious of God's standards. It is self-denial. It says, ‘This is wrong. This is utterly out of bounds and corrupt. By doing this I will pollute my heart even more than it already is.’ We must protect our affections and our thoughts and desires.