A Question (or two) Of Morality

The little one makes her way down through the birth canal, echoing in a silent and innocent posture of worship, the promises and praise of her loving Father...The Mighty One, who long ago designed this magnificent right of passage. (Ps 22:10 ; 139:13-16) Promises of life, hope, love, and fulfilment...but...not this time...the abortionist is ready...her birth is but partial...the doctor's act is complete. Thrusting a pair of surgical scissors into the base of the little one's skull, he suctions out her brain with a jeweler's precision , and a heart of stone. The crime is given a generic, clinical name..."D&X", and is currently being both promoted and defended by the man who represents the most powerful governmental office on earth; the President of the United States of America. (Christianity Today 1996, 114) "The fetus was not a human being !!!" ... "It's my body, it's my choice!!!"...the battle ensues, the cry's ring out...but no cry's will be heard from this little one...so precious...so precious little time.

Just as a fingerprint reveals an individual's identity, the actions within any social group reveal their value system...their morality. Our society, our fingers, are covered with innocent blood. Morality in 1996 appears to be little more than an obscure concept, that is, when it appears at all. If a society can in any way be measured according to the way it treats its weakest members, then ours would seem to have much to answer for. But to whom do we answer ? How can our actions/motives be measured ? The world is unclear on this...

"Moral behavior is behavior which is judged to be acceptable by generally acknowledged standards of right and wrong." (Philipchalk; McConnell 1994, 416)

Certainly, there is a measure of truth in that statement, however, we must ask ourselves at least a couple of questions: First of all, just what is generally acknowledged as being right? Secondly, if people believe something, even if the clear majority is in complete agreement, does that mean that they are necessarily right? I would (and do) assert that if even a billion people say the wrong thing, it is still the wrong thing. A man may deny the cliff he is walking towards, but his denial will in no way lessen the impact of his fall, or, change the outcome of it. There is a morality independent from human opinion. There is an absolute "right" and "wrong" , and it is made known to us by the very Holy God to whom we must ultimately answer. (Ps 33:11 ; 2Cor 5:10)

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. (2 Corinthians 5:10 -11)

"We try to persuade men" , but the world teaches that is hateful and wrong to promote Biblical morality. Canada's Charter Of Human Rights (following that of the U.S.) has made it clear that it is unlawful to speak out against Homosexuality. They call it a propagation of hate. Yes, calling homosexuality sin ==> preaching the Word of God in Canada, carries with it an ever growing possibility of a jail sentence! Truly there is a crime here! When an individual (by the Grace of our God) loves those people around him (all people), with the tender love of Christ. When He knows, painfully well, the desperation of their unsaved condition (Rom 6:23 ; 1John 5:12). When he longs for these individuals to come to God in Christ (Col 3:3-4)... when this individual is to be labeled a "hater" it is nothing short of a tragedy...nothing less than persecution...nothing less than a disciple following the Perfect One who suffered first...once for all. (John 15:20-21 ; 2 Timothy 3:12).

The reason for the world's negative reaction to both God's morality, and the people who declare it is given away in the writings of Dr. Louis E. Bisch. He refers to childhood teachings regarding the 'wrongness' of homosexuality (as well as alcohol, tobacco, etc...) as being lies. He considers the guilt that results from actions, rather than actions themselves, is the real enemy to human happiness, and asserts that religious teaching accomplishes nothing more than to encourage and promote this false guilt. (Bisch 1946, 55 -58). Satan has truly blinded the minds of the unbelievers. (2 Cor 4:4).

Instead of looking to God for direction, the world places the ultimate value on self, and it is this self-centered approach to life that has everyone asserting and defending their own beliefs while even the most rudimentary logic will reveal the fatal flaw in this "philosophy". Clearly, if everyone decides to live according to how they as an individual feel and think, there can be little chance of anything but chaos as a result, and yet, this is exactly what is being promoted. A brief glance at our evening news broadcasts will make it poignantly clear that we do indeed reap what we sow.

"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; ... the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. Indeed, a mighty one is a most apt description of how you'll feel when you think enough of yourself to tackle the world on your own terms." (Dyer 1977, 41)

Taking the world on! On your own terms none the less! What a pompous statement! Once again even the most basic logic indicates that if people follow this prescription, the very predictable result will be contention and oppression. We live in just such a society, where the strong prey upon the weak, where the goal is to serve self, and the enemy is anything or anyone who hinders that from happening.

What a blessed difference we see in Jesus! God comes to earth in the form of man...emptying Himself of His Glory, and subjecting Himself to the human condition. Considering others more important than Himself. Putting their needs above His own rights. Blessing those who cursed Him, loving those who hated Him, offering eternal life to the very ones who would offer only death in return. (Phil 2:1-8) If everyone were to follow His example, then all people would put the needs of others first and no one would be either left out or taken advantage of. What immeasurably greater teaching we have in Jesus! The problem however, is not in recognizing the validity of His teaching. The problem, rather, is that human beings prefer to do what they want, over what they know to be right. (John 3:19) The world prefers to serve themselves than to serve the One who created them. It is madness for sure, and any brief look at our newspaper will verify this insanity, while any careful reading of Romans chapter one, will verify the resulting mind set.

People were "offended" by prayer in our public school systems, and managed, for the most part, to take God out of the schools. The vacuum His absence made has been filled with drugs, alcohol, and violence. In the sixties and seventies highschool students may have "beat up" someone they didn't like. In the eighties and nineties, inner city elementary and junior high children are shooting each other in the face at point blank range. Has something changed? Is there something wrong?

Unfortunately, a generation of spoiled, undisciplined children have grown up and are now raising children of their own. These "baby busters" have had no real exposure to God at all, and as our nations grow farther and farther away from God and His Word, the conditions within them worsen. Discipline of any kind is now definitely frowned upon. If an individual decides to apply corporal punishment to his or her children today, no matter how lovingly or thoughtfully it is measured, they come under the scrutiny of those who would charge them for assault and/or child abuse. They are very much prepared to take a child away from a loving environment and cast him/her into a system which, despite the best intentions, has been failing. It's hard not to notice a tragic kind of irony here... a parent who is sincerely trying to train a child through discipline can (in our present system) be treated like a criminal, while the system that claims to be protecting the child can, and in too many instances actually does end up damaging the child more.

I am not in any way promoting corporal punishment, in fact, my personal conviction is not to use it. I would, however like to point out that the reduction of violence predicted by the professional care givers a decade ago (while implementing the official outlawing of corporal punishment) has simply not materialized. Instead of the promised decrease of violence in our youth we are witnessing increases across the board. To make matters worse there is now a serious lack of diciplinary action available to our parents and educators.

There is a vicious conspiracy here. The effectual removal of discipline from the home, will result in an entire generation(s) of people who will reject any/all external influence that may prohibit them from satisfying their immediate desires. We must react! But it must be in love. Christ did not come to condemn the world but to save it. (John 3:17). Our responsibility too, then, is to reach out with His love to a world poised to hate in return. We must meet hate with love...lie with truth...delusion with right-thinking. Our responsibility is to "cast down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..."

When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. This is common sense, really. You understand sleep when you are awake, not while you are sleeping. You can see mistakes in arithmetic when your mind is working properly: while you are making them you cannot see them. You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. Good people know about both good and evil: bad people do not know about either. (C. S. Lewis 1977, 84)

Jesus Christ came into this world as a light enters darkness, He led by example. In Matthew 5:14 -16 we read His command for the church to follow suit. We are ordered to shine forth in the darkness, as examples... beacons... leading people back to God.

Rev. Marshall Lawson