The Foundation of Morality
Christian Morality and the Law of God • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Introduction
Prayer
Prayer
Reading of Scripture
Reading of Scripture
Exodus 20:1–17 (KJV 1900)
1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 7 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 13 Thou shalt not kill. 14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 15 Thou shalt not steal. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
Quotation
Quotation
Opening Remarks
Opening Remarks
It is my intention today to begin a series of sermons regarding Christian Ethics and the Law of God to help us to grow in our understanding of our duty before our almighty and gracious God. To do this, we will be primarily using the Westminster Larger Catechism to guide our discussion.
Outline
Outline
Moving on then from our opening remarks regarding the series and our purposes for taking it up, today we are going to begin to lay the foundation for Christian Ethics. We will be examining Westminster Larger Catechism Question 91, which is:
The Westminster Confession of Faith: Edinburgh Edition The Larger Catechism
Q. 91. What is the duty which God requireth of man?
A. The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to his revealed will.
In this question, we see several key themes come to light:
1. First is the absolute authority and dominion of God to require obedience from men
2. Mankind’s relationship to God as creatures made In the image of God obliges us to obedience to God.
3. Mankind’s special relationship to God as redeemed most especially obliges the saints to obedience to God.
2. The uniqueness of the Scriptures as the only, necessary, and sufficient rule of Christian Ethics
3. The nature of true obedience
In this sermon, we will only have time to take up the first of these three key themes. So let’s begin by considering the “absolute authority and dominion of God to require obedience from men.”
That we might grow in our appreciation for Christ in His obedience to the Father, having been made a man under the law.
That our feet might be directed in the ways of life and salvation.
23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
That we might not succumb to sins of ignorance and presumptuous sins
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. 8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned: And in keeping of them there is great reward. 12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me: Then shall I be upright, And I shall be innocent from the great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth, And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
22 And if ye have erred, and not observed all these commandments, which the Lord hath spoken unto Moses, 23 Even all that the Lord hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the Lord commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations; 24 Then it shall be, if ought be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savour unto the Lord, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. 25 And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the Lord, and their sin offering before the Lord, for their ignorance: 26 And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance. 27 And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. 28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the Lord, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. 29 Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. 30 But the soul that doeth ought presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or a stranger, the same reproacheth the Lord; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 31 Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him.
That our consciences might be properly informed and strengthened.
That we might be more induced to hate sin and to turn from it in repentance
That we, having been made dead to trespasses and sins, might yield ourselves instruments for righteousness
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? 3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. 8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: 9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
That we might obtain assurance of our salvation
That we might have pure and holy things upon which to meditate
1 Blessed is the man That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord; And in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, That bringeth forth his fruit in his season; His leaf also shall not wither; And whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 4 The ungodly are not so: But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. 5 Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. 6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.
That we might walk in grow in the fear of God and wisdom
30 The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, And his tongue talketh of judgment. 31 The law of his God is in his heart; None of his steps shall slide.
That we might have true liberty
19 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: 20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. 21 Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. 23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: 24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. 25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
That our prayers might be heard of God
9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer shall be abomination.
That we might glorify God in the face of affliction and persecution
92 Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction.
That we might more readily hear the chastisements of the Lord
12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, And teachest him out of thy law;
71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted; That I might learn thy statutes. 72 The law of thy mouth is better unto me Than thousands of gold and silver.
That we might be the recipients of the Lord’s tender mercies
That we might show forth the wisdom and holiness of God before the unbelieving world
6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons’ sons;
11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12 Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
That we might stand against the seducers of this world that seek to draw us off of righteousness
Competing secular philosophical and ethical paradigms — having risen up from the corrupt hearts of humanity and addressing themselves to the basest lusts of our sinful nature — are all competing for attention and affections of our society.
Likewise, perverse and so-called Christian theological systems are prominent in are age that call for a complete dismissal of any moral obligation for Christians to obey the Lord’s revealed will, establishing instead legalistic or antinomian systems in their place.
The effect of these opposing philosophic, theological, and ethical systems on our society are palpable, and many of the ethical perversions that we see are so egregious that it will make us blush to even speak of them in polite company. Yet, many of these debaucherous and villainous practices are presented as mainstream and morally upright.
Surely, we are witnessing the wrath and judgment of God upon our society as we see it given over to all sorts of idolatry, vain imaginations, uncleanness, dishonor, lies, vile affections, and unrighteousness as the Apostle Paul describes in Romans 1.18-32.
That we might be able to teach and guide our families in our most holy religion
1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: 2 That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
That we might be informed as to how to call for leaders in both our civil and ecclesiastical spheres and hold them accountable
Civil Magistrates
3 The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, Ruling in the fear of God.
18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites: 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the days of his life: that he may learn to fear the Lord his God, to keep all the words of this law and these statutes, to do them: 20 That his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turn not aside from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left: to the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he, and his children, in the midst of Israel.
1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Ecclesiastical (Mal 2.6-8
That we might have an interest in the heavenly hope
1 | The Absolute Authority and Dominion of God
1 | The Absolute Authority and Dominion of God
Introduction
Introduction
When we think of authority in any regard, we must think of it in two ways.
Ability - That is, having the necessary virtues, character, and power to occupy the place of authority.
Authority - That is, the right to act or legislate.
Let me give you an example of the relationship between these two concepts from the perspective of human magistrates:
1. We can conceive of a man in possession of authority that does not have the necessary character and skill to rightly perform the office. However, what could the end be of such a situation but that we will utterly fall into ruin.
1 For, behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts, Doth take away from Jerusalem and from Judah the stay and the staff, The whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water, 2 The mighty man, and the man of war, The judge, and the prophet, and the prudent, and the ancient, 3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, And the counseller, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator. 4 And I will give children to be their princes, And babes shall rule over them.
2. But, secondly, we may also conceive of a man who has the necessary character and skill to perform an office, but does not have the requisite authority to act or legislate.
Outline of First Point
Outline of First Point
So, as we speak about the absolute authority and dominion of God to require obedience from men, we ought to consider and meditate upon these two aspects of God’s sovereign rule. We will be setting forth two doctrines:
First, by reason of the divine perfection, God is the only being that is fit for absolute authority.
Second, God is the only being who possesses the right to legislate morality for his creatures.
1.1 | By reason of the divine perfection, God is the only being that is fit for absolute authority.
1.1 | By reason of the divine perfection, God is the only being that is fit for absolute authority.
By reason of the divine perfection, God is the only being that is fit for absolute authority and worthy to be obeyed.
The Lord is worthy to be obeyed and is fit for absolute authority because he is personal
The Lord is worthy to be obeyed and is fit for absolute authority because he is eternal and immutable
The Lord is worthy to be obeyed and is fit for absolute authority because he is omniscient and wise
The Lord is worthy to be obeyed and is fit for absolute authority because he is morally pure and righteous
The Lord is worthy to be obeyed and is fit for absolute authority because he is good
The Lord is worthy to be obeyed and is fit for absolute authority because he is almighty
God is the only God
Is 44.6 “6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, And his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; And beside me there is no God.”
God is morally pure and righteous
In God’s intellectual perfections (knowledge, wisdom), God not only knows all things intuitively but possesses the wisdom to order all things toward their proper end, namely His own glory.
God is eternal, immutable, and just
Almighty
Is 40.25-31 “25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. 26 Lift up your eyes on high, And behold who hath created these things, That bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names By the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; Not one faileth. 27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, And my judgment is passed over from my God? 28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, That the everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Fainteth not, neither is weary? There is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; And to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings as eagles; They shall run, and not be weary; And they shall walk, and not faint.”
God is personal - The notion of obligation necessarily presupposes a person to whom one is obligated.
2 | God is the only being with the absolute right and authority to rule over all.
By reason of God being God
There is one true and living God; therefore, there are no competitors who might claim the authority of deity to set up competing standards of morality.
1 Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the judgments, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go to possess it: 2 That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Here we see the God’s uniqueness as the only God bringing to naught any competitor. Though the hearts of men may be veritable forges of idols, these are no gods, no other being stands as true competition to demand the obedience and affections of men.
Throughout Scripture, God establishes that he is the only God. As such, there is one objective standard for morality for all men. The Lord establishes himself as one “Lord.”
This is incredibly important as we establish
The notion of sovereignty is inseparable from the notion of a God. (Heb 11.6) - To acknowledge God as a rewarder is to acknowledge him a governor; rewards being the marks of dominion.
God cannot be supposed to be the chief being, but he must be supposed to give laws to all, and receive laws from none.
By reason of God being the creator
God owns all that He has created
The name “Lord” (adoni) speaks of God’s absolute rule over all of his creation
Deut 10.14 “14 Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is.”
Psalm 24.1 “1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein.”
1 Chron 29.11-12 “11 Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.”
God rules over all of the heavenly hosts:
1 Kings 22.19 “19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.”
Rom 13.1-2 “1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.”
God rules over all nature:
God rules over all men, from the greatest to the least:
1 Tim 6.15 “15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;”
Deut 4.19 “19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.”
By reason of God being the preserver and the one who orders all things according to the ends that most fully pleases Him
Acts 17.24-31 “24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in…”
God has created all things for His own pleasure, and so all men are bound to obey God’s prescriptive, revealed will.
The extension of God’s dominion is over all of His creation:
Psalm 103.19 “19 The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; And his kingdom ruleth over all.”
1 | By reason of the divine perfection, God is the only being that is fit for absolute