Relativism Isn't a New Concept

Relativism may sound like a modern problem, but there is nothing new about people deciding they know better than God. We see it throughout Scripture, including in the time of Eli and Samuel, and we certainly see it in the world around us today. The language may have changed, the culture may look different, and social media has given everyone a platform to broadcast their opinions, but the underlying problem is still the same: people want the freedom to decide for themselves what is right, what is wrong, and which parts of truth they are willing to accept.

Judges 21:25 describes the condition of Israel with one incredibly revealing statement: “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what seemed right in his own eyes.” Honestly, that sounds a lot like our culture today. We are constantly encouraged to “live your truth,” “follow your heart,” and do whatever feels right for you. The problem is that truth does not change based on our feelings, preferences, circumstances, or opinions. We can disagree with the truth. We can ignore the truth. We can convince ourselves that the truth is outdated, offensive, or inconvenient. But none of that actually changes what is true. Everyone cannot have their own version of truth because, at some point, we are no longer talking about truth at all. We are simply talking about opinions.

By the time Samuel entered the picture, Israel was spiritually and morally struggling. Even Eli, the priest responsible for leading God's people, had allowed serious sin to continue within his own household. His sons were abusing their positions, dishonoring God, and taking advantage of the people they were supposed to serve. Eli knew what was happening, but he failed to confront it with the seriousness it deserved. That is another uncomfortable reality of relativism: it does not always begin with openly rejecting God. Sometimes it begins when we know something is wrong but become comfortable enough with it that we stop saying anything.

Then there was Samuel.

When God called his name, Samuel responded, “Speak, for your servant hears” (1 Samuel 3:10). There is something incredibly powerful about that response because Samuel did not ask God to tell him something comfortable. He did not ask whether God's message would fit his personal beliefs, protect his feelings, or make his life easier. He simply positioned himself to listen and obey. In a culture where everyone else was doing what seemed right in their own eyes, Samuel was willing to ask a completely different question: What does God say?

That is a question Christians desperately need to start asking again.

As coaches and athletes, we live in a world that constantly pressures us to adjust our convictions depending on what is popular, accepted, or convenient. We are told to stand for something until standing for it costs us something. We are encouraged to speak our truth as long as our truth agrees with everyone else's. We talk about integrity, character, discipline, and accountability, but those words mean very little if we constantly redefine them to fit whatever situation we are facing. Integrity cannot mean one thing when the cameras are on and something completely different when nobody is watching.

The influence coaches and athletes have makes this especially important. People are watching how we compete, how we lead, how we respond when things do not go our way, and whether the faith we talk about actually affects the decisions we make. We have an opportunity to influence the culture around us, but that requires more than putting a Bible verse in our social media bio, praying before games, or thanking God after a victory. It requires the courage to live according to God's truth when doing so is uncomfortable, unpopular, and sometimes costly.

The difficult reality is that many Christians have become better at blending into culture than influencing it. We want enough Jesus to feel saved, encouraged, and blessed, but not always enough Jesus to challenge the way we think, live, speak, and make decisions. We want God to guide us until His direction conflicts with where we already wanted to go. We want Scripture to be authoritative until it confronts something we would rather continue doing. At that point, it becomes incredibly tempting to create our own version of Christianity where God agrees with us about everything.

But God did not call us to live “our truth.” He called us to live according to His.

The story of Samuel reminds us that one person willing to listen to God can stand out in a generation where everyone else is doing what seems right in their own eyes. Samuel was not perfect, but he was available. He listened. He obeyed. He allowed God's voice to become louder than the culture around him.

Thousands of years later, the challenge has not changed nearly as much as we would like to think. The world will continue shifting its standards. Culture will continue redefining right and wrong. Popular opinion will continue changing. God's truth will not.

The question is whether we will have the courage to stop asking what feels right, what is popular, or what everyone else is doing and start asking the question Samuel's life challenges us to consider: What does God say?