Morality: Relative or Law

Intro

Last week, we discussed the intersection between faith and science with respect to the end of the world.

We saw that both were complimentary to each other in that both faith and science pointed to the end of the world

contemplating on the end of the world, is important because it makes us evaluate our current actions and way of life.

when we evaluate our way of life we are essentially evaluating our morals, which guide our way of life.

World view

Origin —>Purpose—>Morality—>Destiny

Moral dilemma

One of the biggest questions we are constantly answering in life is what moral will guide me.

Our morals mature through out life as we mature

Morals we held in HS and College are not going to be the same.

What we held as permissible then is not what we hold as permissible now

The prevailing thought in society is “moral relativity”

What’s true for you is not true for me and what’s true for me doesn’t have to be true for you

It provides justification for their moral actions

Christians that keep God at a distance to avoid having to change their life is functionally no different than an atheist....(functional atheist)

Ultimately this stance, denies that there is a moral law that governs all of humanity

By denying a moral law for all humans or that there is an absolute moral law that applies to all... then you are denying that there is a Moral Law giver, because every law must come from a law giver.

Absolute Moral Law: something every person can agree on…

ex. every country/person fundamentally agrees murdering another person is wrong

Helping others is a good thing…humanitarian efforts

As Christians we believe that the moral law giver is God....In creating us, he wrote on our hearts how we should love and treat each other.

In denying there is a moral law that applies to all humans, we are taking God out of the equation of life

If he is out of the picture then I’m free to do whatever I want

But even if someone tries to remove God (Moral Law Giver) out of the equation, they themselves still actually believe in a moral law that governs life.

One of of the strongest lines of evidence that a moral law exists comes in our reaction to moral violations against us.

story of the blue folder

Philosophy professor of ethics

Term paper: any ethical topic of choice but must back up their thesis with reasons and documentation

A student (atheist) wrote on moral relativism

“all morals are relative; there are no absolute standards of justice or rightness; it’s all a matter of opinion; you like chocolate, I like vanilla...”

On time, right length, with appropriately cited resources in a nice blue folder

Professor “F, I don’t like blue folders”

Student went to his office enraged saying...”That’s not fair, its not right, its not just…you didn’t grade the paper on its merits”

Professor: I read a lot of papers…was yours the paper on ‘no such thing as fairness, rightness or justice…”

Student: Yes

Professor: Why are you arguing about what is fair, right and just…isn’t it all a matter of taste…I like chocolate you like vanilla

Student: yes that’s my view

Professor: Fine then....”I don’t like blue. You get and F”

Finally the student understood that, he actually believed in a moral law

Our reactions to those who violate our personally prescribed sense of morality speak to the undeniable evidence that there is a moral law that governs life.

There is a sense of right and wrong, there is a sense of justice and fairness in this world

even though morality can be distorted, twisted, manufactured for my benefit or just straight up disregarded; there is no denying that a moral law written on our hearts....its not relative

Love will grow cold

As we see this mindset of moral relativism permeate our society, we can’t turn a blind eye to the coldness that we see between our fellow man.

Today’s gospel in speaking of the end of time foretells of the coldness that will arise between us.

Matthew 24:10–12 NKJV

10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

The life of Christ is the template of life that he prescribed for us and it is starkly different than what we read in these verses.

Instead of offending our neighbor we are to be mindful and compassionate towards them

Instead of betrayal we are to truthful and transparent

Instead of hating, we are to love them as we love ourselves

Instead of living as if no law governs our morality we are called to live according to the one who gives us life

When we continually prefer our own sense of morality, we will inevitably offend, betray, or deceive others in an effort to protect my own preferred morality.

Despite the outlook of this physical world which we know, scientifically and spiritually, is coming to an end is so grim and the conditions will worsen God protects and respects our right to choose our morality.

Out of His love for us he engraved his image (morals) on us as a homing device....we are pre-wired…but not forced.

Matthew 24:13 NASB95

13 “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.

For God to choose and demand that we live according to his morals is to extinguish love all together.

But for those of us who pursue after him enduring hardship along the way will “be saved” and being saved we will be eternally united with the author of Love.

We can’t deny that we are governed by a moral law that comes from God

We have a choice to either accept and uphold OR deny and personal for my own gain.