“Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, so also to them-this is the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 7:12
Ethics are derived by applying a person’s theological or philosophical assumptions to the question of what’s right or wrong. The point of this lesson is to see which worldview creates the best ethical system for the real world.
The Christian affirms a fixed, transcendent moral order that governs creation that is rooted in the reality of God’s existence. It is an eternal moral order. Though unseen, it is more real than even our physical world. “The things which are seen are temporary, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18
Christians believe that ethics are ultimately based upon the nature and character of God. God has graciously revealed his nature to us two ways. God is revealed in general revelation through the laws of nature. This “moral light” is resident in every person. “That light was the true light which gives light to every man,” John 1:9. The “light” here refers to Jesus, who, as the “logos” of God, communicated the light of God’s mind, reason, thought, wisdom, intelligence, law, order, purpose, and design by virtue of creating man in God’s own image.
Because fallen man can misconstrue natural law, God has graciously revealed himself to us in the Bible. This is called special revelation. It serves as a corrective for man’s erroneous understanding and misapplication of natural law. The Founders referred to this as “the laws of nature and of nature’s God” (Declaration of Independence).
The moral law of God reflects the attributes of God who exists in perfect holiness, righteousness, justice, goodness, love, mercy, grace, faithfulness and truthfulness. All of God’s attributes inform the others. God’s perfect love, mercy and grace are perfectly holy, righteous, just, faithful and true. You cannot legitimately pit one of God’s attributes against another. God is not morally conflicted.
Because some things conform to God’s nature and moral law and some things don’t, there is such a thing as objective good and evil. “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good,” Romans 12:9. The modern idea of tolerance demands man deny the essential differences between good and evil.
Christians affirm objective moral absolutes that provide a fixed standard of justice. They reside in God’s unchanging nature and is above and outside of man. Yet, in another sense, the moral law is within all men. “The work of the law written in their [the Gentiles] hearts, their conscience also bearing witness…” Romans 2:15. Because no one perfectly keeps the moral law all men are guilty and without excuse (Romans 3:23).
Living a godly, moral life for the Christian is his spiritual act of worship. He offers up his obedience to the glory of God out of gratitude and wonder for God’s great mercies in Christ. “I urge you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service [lit. rational worship],” Romans 12:1 cf. John 14:15; John 15:10; 1 Corinthians 7:19-20; Galatians 5:13-14; Titus 2:11-12; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; 2 Peter 2:22; 1 John 2:5-6; 1 John 3:21-23.
God’s moral absolutes are summarized for us in the Ten Commandments. This is referred to as the Moral Law. The Bible expands on these laws and summarizes their moral principles in various parts of both the Old and New Testament. “Jesus said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.’" Matt 22:37-39 cf. Micah 6:8. The perfect life and teachings of Jesus Christ constitute the pinnacle of moral revelation. The Sermon on the Mount is unsurpassed for its call to outward and inward virtue (Matthew 5-7).
God’s Moral Law assumes human responsibility. Man will be judged by God’s unchanging standard. It is just that the Moral Law applies to all people at all times because God is equitable, Revelation 22:14-15. The Bible assumes all mankind has broken God’s law. “[T]he whole world lies in wickedness…” 1 John 5:19, cf. Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3.
Mankind generally wants to believe people are essentially good. So we constantly move the moral goalposts to accommodate our self-delusion. “When a person makes up his own ethical code, he always makes up an ethical system that he thinks he has kept. In the law of God, we find a law which smashes our self-righteousness, eliminates all trust in our own goodness, and convinces us we are sinners.” - Dr. D. James Kennedy
If we’re not terrible sinners for which there is no hope, there’s also no good news. The gospel assumes we are far more sinful than we could ever imagine, and yet declares God’s grace in Jesus Christ is far more lavish than we could ever dream. God’s grace not only forgives, it transforms. Now our new, true spiritual self does not desire to sin, rather we desire to love and obey God (Romans 7:13ff). God has imparted to his children the Holy Spirit who gives us the power to live a life pleasing to Him (Galatians 5:22). While Christians never attain moral perfection in this life, sin no longer has dominion over him (Romans 6) and they do realize real, substantial victory over sin over time.
Secular Ethics
Secularists deny God and therefore any universal, transcendent moral code. They are left with arbitrary manmade ethics predicated on atheism, naturalism and evolution. The Humanist Manifesto explicitly denies the Ten Commandments as too restrictive for their version of the good life.
Man can rely only on his own moral resources to know “right” from “wrong” based on human insight and reason. Because there are no fixed moral sources or standards, there is no consensus among Humanists as to what is right or wrong. Some argue morality is merely moral conventions devised by humans to meet some need. This logically leads to a world where everyone makes up their own moral code (subjectivism) that is applied differently to various circumstances (situational ethics).
Moral Relativism
Humanist’s argue there are no objective moral standards, only objective situations. Every circumstance calls for an ethical choice that’s essentially up for grabs. Ethics are reduced to experiments, opinions, preferences or theories. There’s no real right or wrong, only wise or unwise choices based on the situation and desired outcomes. This creates a big problem for the Humanist worldview. Without some objective standard for conduct that come from somewhere, how can we restrain man’s “bad” behaviors?
Humanists say that as long as they pursue things that are “healthy” and socially “useful” it will be reasonable, pleasurable and result in happiness. The evolutionary hope for an ever-improving reality is the basis of their ethical system. But, evolution is rooted in the “survival of the fittest.” This leads to some very harsh ethical conclusions.
Not surprisingly, Humanist sexual anarchy has led to rampant abortion, epidemics of sexually transmitted disease, record out of wedlock children, divorce, the acceptance of fornication, adultery, homosexuality, etc. Eugenics and the socially “useful” creation of a master race was behind the Nazis and the founding of Planned Parenthood and its attempts to rid society of its “weeds.”
Humanists argue stupidity is a “sin” and everyone has a moral obligation to be intelligent. Of course, Humanists assume they aren’t guilty of stupidity, so they are apparently the ones who are qualified to make the moral decisions for everyone.
The whole time Humanists deny any universal moral code they keep making universal ethical assertions about what is good and bad. By rejecting God, humanists have effectively made themselves into god (auto-nomy vs. theo-nomy). Humanists insist man is the final arbiter of right and wrong, but then can’t agree on what it is. We can’t survive in the morally relativistic world of humanism.
Communism simply adds another twist to the ethics of humanism. Ethics are economically based and evolutionarily driven. Marxists want to create a “new moral man” that embraces a classless society. Communists can engage in any action, no matter how brutal or immoral, because his vision for communism is superior to all other lesser kinds of morality.
Postmodernism, as in their other deliberations, adds skepticism to ethical issues. They reject God and therefore any objective, fixed moral standards. Where do they get ethics? From “little narratives.” In the same way philosophical “truth” resides in one’s community, so moral “truth” resides there, too.
Everyone does what his community dictates at the moment via various kinds of coercion. Because all arguments are based on evolving, circular reasoning there is no true morality. Yet, postmodernists are compelled to try to convince you that their evolutionary view of relativistic morality is true and should be adopted by everyone.
A consistent postmodernist would ultimately surrender to his skepticism about knowing what’s “right” for anyone or any culture and cease from pontificating. If there are no overriding universal morals, only moral relativism, no real ethical differences exist between the Nazis and the Amish.
New Age Ethics
Because mankind is divine, ethical authority resides within each individual. Every man must be liberated by finding his own particular set of values. Because man is evolving into himself through self-expression, any external laws must be forsaken. This is simply moral relativism by mysticism.
Mankind was happy until they became conscious of the knowledge of good and evil. Then mankind began to judge. We need to regain the ability not to make moral judgments. Yet there is one universal moral absolute, tolerance. But only for all who agree with moral relativism, but there is no tolerance for those who don’t. It boils down to an approach to ethics based on personal preference. Therefore, we can’t even judge Hitler because he was merely picking the path he thought best for him.
Because there is no way man can actually live like this, New Age ethics invokes Karma as an ethical scheme of rewards and punishments. Good things come back to you if you are good and vice versa all based on your behavior. The problem for their worldview is there are no distinctions. All is One. So there really is no “good” or “bad.” Next time some one with a New Age worldview asserts all things are One, agree with them. Then ask for his wallet. If he objects, tell him he is acting very hypocritically by making distinctions between his property and yours.
Islam
There is no real distinction between law and ethics in Islam. Mohammed is the “perfect” moral example of the ethical Muslim life. Morality is what ever Mohammed did, no matter how immoral it may be by any other standards. Mohammed is effectively in the place of God in the Christian worldview. Islam claims their values are derived from God in a way similar to Christians.
If the Muslim avoids what is forbidden and observes what is commanded he is sound in his morality. The Five Pillars of Islam are confession of faith in Allah and Mohammed his prophet; prayer five times a day to keep them mindful of Allah so they can resist temptation; fasting during Ramadan to practice self control; almsgiving of 2.5% of their income to poor Muslims, and pilgrimage to Mecca if their health and finances permit. The sixth pillar is “Jihad,” the internal battle against temptation and the physical war against all who oppose Islam. Muslims are not allowed to consume alcohol, pork and various other animals, nor can they gamble. They have very perverted standards of sexual morality. Ultimately, Muslims believe they will be saved from Hell if their good works outweigh their bad works.
