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For many Christians, moral laws are just that: they are laws, and they must be followed exactly, no questions asked. The reason for the law is unimportant to us; it is God’s will, and He does not have to explain Himself to us. Our duty is simply to obey.
Ironically, this mindset is exactly the opposite of what the Apostle Paul teaches. He says we are not saved—and we do not live—by law, but by grace, through faith. The just shall live by faith, not by the keeping of laws. Further, the primary goal that all Christians are to aim for in this life (as we look forward to the life to come) is to love. Love God, and love our neighbor [Matthew 22:36-40]. For the person who believes in and follows Jesus, love takes priority over everything else. Therefore, love is the foundation of morality. There are so many Scripture passages that say this that I won’t even try to list them all. But here are a few key ones:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [John 13:34]
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. [John 13:35]
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. [I Corinthians 13:2]
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar. [I John 4:20]
So, morality is not about following arbitrary rules to show what good soldiers of Christ we are; morality consists of a set of actions by which we demonstrate love. And what is love? Stated in the simplest possible terms, it is doing things which bring good to others, and refraining from actions which bring evil.
But what, exactly, is good, and what is evil? One could say that obeying God is good, and disobeying Him is evil, and that would not be wrong. . .but it is possible, through studying Scripture, to get a fair idea of what it is that God Himself considers good, just as when a child grows older, he or she will gradually learn not to just obey Mommy and Daddy without question, but will come to understand why Mommy and Daddy had those rules. Good parents know that the goal of good upbringing is to help children reason out for themselves how to make good choices even when there is no exact rule to follow.Growing to maturity in Christ is very much like growing to maturity from childhood.
So, what is the good that God wants us to understand?
To lay it out in basic form, it is good when:
-life itself is preserved, and death is avoided.
-peace prevails, and conflict is avoided.
-material well-being is maintained, and suffering is avoided.
To the convinced Christian, then, every moral law or principle has been given in order to:
-establish and strengthen the bond between a person and God, and
-preserve life and peace and maintain material well-being
Now, it is true that believers in other gods, or in no god at all, can teach and live by these same principles, and therefore live in this world with life, material well-being, and peace. They are doing well in this world, and if they believe that this world is all there is, then they will think everything is good for them. Reality will set in when this life ends for them and they enter into the next, but for now they can be content.
But it is also possible for non-Christians to advance different ultimate foundations for morality. Some may reason out the principle that “survival of the fittest” is a good reason for “looking out for Number One.”
Others may reason out that suffering is actually a good thing, and therefore will seek it out.
Others believe that the main goal is to win conflicts, not avoid them. To conquer.
Still others may conclude that since there is no ultimate reality beyond the material world, there are also no real moral rules, so it is OK to do absolutely anything one wishes to do, regardless of whether it brings happiness or unhappiness to oneself or to other people.
But the Christian who is familiar with the Bible, and who realizes that love of God and love of people is our primary aim in this life, will understand that every rule that is given by God is simply a way to fulfill the ultimate law of love. It is not the following of rules which is important, it is the love we show.
Ironically, this mindset is exactly the opposite of what the Apostle Paul teaches. He says we are not saved—and we do not live—by law, but by grace, through faith. The just shall live by faith, not by the keeping of laws. Further, the primary goal that all Christians are to aim for in this life (as we look forward to the life to come) is to love. Love God, and love our neighbor [Matthew 22:36-40]. For the person who believes in and follows Jesus, love takes priority over everything else. Therefore, love is the foundation of morality. There are so many Scripture passages that say this that I won’t even try to list them all. But here are a few key ones:
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [John 13:34]
By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. [John 13:35]
If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. [I Corinthians 13:2]
If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar. [I John 4:20]
So, morality is not about following arbitrary rules to show what good soldiers of Christ we are; morality consists of a set of actions by which we demonstrate love. And what is love? Stated in the simplest possible terms, it is doing things which bring good to others, and refraining from actions which bring evil.
But what, exactly, is good, and what is evil? One could say that obeying God is good, and disobeying Him is evil, and that would not be wrong. . .but it is possible, through studying Scripture, to get a fair idea of what it is that God Himself considers good, just as when a child grows older, he or she will gradually learn not to just obey Mommy and Daddy without question, but will come to understand why Mommy and Daddy had those rules. Good parents know that the goal of good upbringing is to help children reason out for themselves how to make good choices even when there is no exact rule to follow.Growing to maturity in Christ is very much like growing to maturity from childhood.
So, what is the good that God wants us to understand?
To lay it out in basic form, it is good when:
-life itself is preserved, and death is avoided.
-peace prevails, and conflict is avoided.
-material well-being is maintained, and suffering is avoided.
To the convinced Christian, then, every moral law or principle has been given in order to:
-establish and strengthen the bond between a person and God, and
-preserve life and peace and maintain material well-being
Now, it is true that believers in other gods, or in no god at all, can teach and live by these same principles, and therefore live in this world with life, material well-being, and peace. They are doing well in this world, and if they believe that this world is all there is, then they will think everything is good for them. Reality will set in when this life ends for them and they enter into the next, but for now they can be content.
But it is also possible for non-Christians to advance different ultimate foundations for morality. Some may reason out the principle that “survival of the fittest” is a good reason for “looking out for Number One.”
Others may reason out that suffering is actually a good thing, and therefore will seek it out.
Others believe that the main goal is to win conflicts, not avoid them. To conquer.
Still others may conclude that since there is no ultimate reality beyond the material world, there are also no real moral rules, so it is OK to do absolutely anything one wishes to do, regardless of whether it brings happiness or unhappiness to oneself or to other people.
But the Christian who is familiar with the Bible, and who realizes that love of God and love of people is our primary aim in this life, will understand that every rule that is given by God is simply a way to fulfill the ultimate law of love. It is not the following of rules which is important, it is the love we show.