Nietzsche Philosophy: “The things that you think you know, you don’t know.” Frederick Nietzsche challenged accepted truths and garnered a large following. You may know this Nietzsche quote as well as the other popular Nietzsche God is dead statement.
Inherent in the Nietzsche quote that starts this article, he rejects the existence of absolute truth and there is no objective standard by which to determine truth.
This Nietzsche philosophy describes our culture today. No distinction between truth claims exists. Everyone’s truths have equal value.
Common belief says, “It all depends on how you grew up and the society in which you live. One forms truth in one way and others in a different way. They all exist together.”
Just another way to phrase the Nietzsche philosophy: “The things that you think you know, you don’t know.”
Today, this Nietzsche philosophy governs the spiritual lives of professing Christians as well as unbelievers. It affects the Christian Church’s:
attempts to engage the culture;
teaching materials;
small group Bible studies and their leadership models; and
sermon content by preachers.
Professing Christians and the Church avoid the declaration of absolute, objective Biblical truth(s) for fear of offending someone.
In the Parable of the Soils, Jesus used a common picture of His day to illustrate Biblical truth, a sower who spread seed on a variety of soils. The parable describes the varieties of soils upon which the seed fell as well as the harvest from the seed that fell on good soil. (1)
In Christ's day, and specifically in this parable, Jesus battled the religious leaders and people about conflicting truth claims.
Reason #1 To Shatter The Nietzsche Philosophy: One Seed
According to Nietzsche philosophy, many truths exist at the same time. No one possesses absolute truth, nor does any objective standard endure by which one can determine truth.
Therefore, to paraphrase Jesus’ Parable of the Soils a sower needs many different seeds, they say, not one seed. Many truths, seeds, exist. You have your truth. These people over here have their truth. These over there have their truth.
The parable refutes that fallacy. Jesus used this parable to reveal truth concerning the kingdom of heaven. In it, the sower represents Jesus, and by extension His disciples after Him who would sow the seeds of His Kingdom. The seed symbolizes the word of God.
In the parable, only one seed existed. Throughout His ministry, Jesus proclaimed one message, one gospel of the Kingdom, not many. Jesus presented absolute truth, only one seed, not many.
Further, He identified Himself as the one Savior, one Lord Jesus Christ. The parable reminds us and provides for us by way of a picture the refutation by Jesus of the false Nietzsche philosophy prevalent in our day.
Contrary to Nietzsche, Jesus taught the existence of absolute truth.
Reason #2 To Shatter The Nietzsche Philosophy: Cause Of Failure To Produce Results
An extension of the Nietzsche philosophy explains that a variety of truths exist because of the vast variety of cultures that exist. Every culture possesses its own truth(s).
Therefore, in Christian terms, the Church must declare a multitude of truths, seeds, to each culture, the soils in the parable. The world wants the Church to adapt the gospel, the seed, to the soil, the culture. It calls the Church to change the message for every society. Each society needs their own message. They need their own truth, the world proclaims.
To simplify, the world and many within the professing Church proclaim that the Church will fail to reach our culture and grow if it holds to only one gospel. Church growth and attainment of its world-wide mission depend upon the acceptance of other “gospels,” culturally based “gospels” modified to suit individual cultures.
However, the failure to reap a crop in the parable did not result from a fault in the seed sowed. In each failure, it resulted from the condition of the soil, not the seed. There were varieties of soils yes, but only one seed. In every instance of failure, it resulted because of the nature of the soils.
The seed failed to mature and produce fruit because of the failure of the soil. The hardened pathways, the stony ground, and the weed filled soil prevented the seed from taking root and accomplishing its work.
The good soil brought forth abundant fruit from the same seed sowed on the improper soil.
By application, then, the failure to reach a given culture does not rest upon the failure of the gospel message. We have seen by the explanation of this parable by the Lord Jesus that the soils provide a picture of people. The failure of the soils pictures the response of people to the message of the gospel of Christ, the seed.
Many, like the faulty soils, fail to accept the seed of the gospel and reject it. Granted, we have a variety of peoples and societies. But, we have only one gospel, one message, one Savior, the Lord Jesus. The failure does not arise from the nature of the message, but from the nature of those who hear the message and reject it.
This parable warns against changing the seed in order to obtain results from differing cultures.
Reason #3 To Shatter The Nietzsche Philosophy: Fruit Results From The Soil’s Acceptance Of The Seed
In the parable, the soil that received the seed produced fruit. When the seed became implanted in the good soil, it yielded an abundant crop. To reiterate, the success of the seed depended upon the nature of the soil and its receipt of the seed sowed upon it. Good soil permitted the seed to germinate and produce a harvest.
The same truth applies in people’s lives. Those who receive the message of Christ and trust Him will reveal a measurable change in their lives. They become new creatures. The implanted word, the seed, brings forth fruit into righteousness, some 30, some 60, some 100 fold.
Summary
The Nietzsche Philosophy declared a fallacy, and many in our day have fallen for it. It has extensive roots within our society and societies around the world. It infects and impacts the professing Church of Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus gave a warning at the end of this parable. He said to those who listened, many of them pictured by the various soils, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (2)
Listen to my message, He said. Listen to what I say. Believe the message that I proclaim to you about salvation through trust upon Me, the Father’s provision for sinners.
His cry in that day resonates down through history to our day, to sinners like you and me. “Trust me. Believe me,” He said.
The Nietzsche Philosophy? Shatter it. Trust the message of Christ, the seed, and you will experience the fruit that His seed will produce in your life.
Personal Information: Thomas P. Hill, M. A. in Ministry, Luther Rice Seminary; author of 3 books: Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing; Homosexuality, Christians, and the Church; and Keys To A Revolutionary Life ( all available online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Tom’s web site). To invite Tom to speak at your college, church, or group, contact him by email at hill_tom@att.net.
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