Why a Christian Moral Ethic?                                                                                                                            Rev. Colin S. Marshall   

21^st February 2010                                                                                                                                  St. John’s Presbyterian Church, Mt. Roskill

Readings: Psalms 13 & 14, Genesis 39:1-23, Psalm 136, 1 Peter 1:13-25

            Joseph was one of the most blessed and tormented of men because he chose paths through life that  were right and God blessed him for it. But this didn’t always make life easy. When confronted with obvious temptation and sin Joseph had the wisdom and moral fortitude to run from it.  When under pressure he sought after and trusted in the Lord. In good situation or bad he responded with a careful calm and resoluteness that we can admire.  In our day-to-day lives we too are called to make moral decisions.  Some of our challenges are obvious while some temptations are more devious and less observable.  How would you like your Christian life to be judged, not on what everyone can see, but on how you act and think when no one else can see? 

            This morning we come to the last of the ‘Why?’ questions that we have been looking at for the last few weeks with a consideration of the question “Why a Christian moral ethic?”  In moving to wind up this mini-series I want to ground what has been said in practical life because if faith, if all that God has worked toward and intended, is not grounded in everyday life then the experience of faith has very little to commend it.  I would go as far as arguing that one of the biggest problems in the church is where people, for all practical intents and purposes, see or treat faith as an appendage, like an oddly shaped extra arm that has little practical import in their life.  In ministry one of the greatest joys is seeing how people develop in their faith walk.  One of the greatest and most distressing aspects is seeing a lack of development in individual’s lives.  This is not a case of judging, it is simply a case of observing reality.  How an observation or evaluation of spiritual development be made, yes of others, but more importantly of ourselves?  It comes down to how we live and who we are and hence the need this morning to consider the Christian moral ethic.  Are we increasingly reflecting Christ to the world or are we stuck in a rut, or worse?

            Ethics as a social science has been variously defined.  A simple definition is given by Robertson and McQuilkin.  They define “ethics” as a “system of moral values and duties”.  Our moral ethic determines ideal character, action and ends.”  In other words, what we consider acceptable and good behaviour is defined by our ethical viewpoint.  There are cultures in the world that consider violence to be acceptable, even to be encouraged.  Others view cunningness and clever deception as admirable traits – ripping someone off, if done well, is applauded.  Yet other cultures effectively see women at almost the same level as animals, put on earth for the primary purpose of bearing more males and to work slavishly.  Today’s immoral society has opened the door to no end of possibilities.  Here in NZ the state would tell us that, legally at least, prostitution, lesbian and homosexual practices are acceptable and normal.  The list of possibilities for human experimentation and perversion is endless.  How is it that Christians can make determinations of right and wrong, black and white when the world insists on shades of grey?  Do we have any right to bring our children up in a particular manner, refusing the dominant or minority views of the culture around us?  Knowing and understanding what system of moral ethics we choose and our justification of it provides us with a solid base on which to stand when we face the world.

            An underlying first-cause principle that Christians accept is that the Biblical world view is based on an absolute: God exists and has a direct relational engagement with the world.  The current relativist approach to life taken by much of the world is rejected by the Christian faith.  Perception does not create reality although it often seems that way.  Absolute reality exists whether or not people want to acknowledge it.  The psalmists continually questioned God as to how long He would stand by and let evil and sin seem to overshadow righteousness.  How could idols and false gods be allowed to exist?  Why does evil seem to hold such sway in the world?  Why does God seem so slow to act?  Why does God seem to hide Himself?  Yet, at the same time, the same psalmists affirmed that God is in heaven enthroned forever, that He does have dominion over all the created order and that He does care for those who call out to Him.  Our faith is based on the absolute assurance that God exists and is actively involved in the world.  As we observed a few weeks ago in the “Why Jesus?” sermon, Jesus has stamped the world irrevocably with God’s personal presence.  As God absolutely exists, there is an external basis for determining right and wrong. So what is appropriate behaviour and belief?

            The social sciences tell us that there are essentially three human motivations: political expediency, personal profiteering, and altruism.  Or put another way we are motivated by status, profit and love.  In the Scriptures, we find that God gives us two foundations for action, the bases that motivate Him: love and holiness.  The two go hand in hand and each helps define the other.  On one hand, love without holiness becomes totally relativised and leads to chaos; pretty much what we see in the world today. On the other hand, holiness without love becomes austere and cold. This is religiosity at its worst.  Together we find a love that has a base in the absolute holy nature of God and a holiness that is expressed in the character of God.     

              Theoretically this is great but we want to know how to live and act.  God’s love is reflected in the Hebrew word chesed – it is variously translated as loving-kindness, steadfast-love and constant-love.  God’s love for us is a constant we can rely on.  It never changes, never weakens, never gives up or runs out.  Regardless of the circumstances God loves. What is love, what is holiness?  Jesus combined the two when He stated, “He who loves Me will obey My commands.” (John 14:21)  Biblical love is not focussed on our feelings, it is fundamentally connected to action, to what we do. Have you noticed that we are commanded to love in the Ten Commandments – you shall love the Lord Your God, you shall love your neighbour as yourself … (Lev 19:18, Deut 6:5, Matt 22:37-39).  Love is moved form the emotional state to the active state, from feelings to choices about action.  It’s worth contemplating – we are commanded to love.

            Husbands if you are going to love your wives then you will make time for them, to be with them and cherish them.  You will make time to talk with them - even if all of your word allocation for the day has run out (at least you can actively listen).  Wives if you want to love your husband then you will provide the emotional and physical support and encouragement your husband needs from you to be all that he can be.  If children want to love their parents then they will listen to them and act with good manners and obedience - even when they don’t want to do something.  Parents will speak encouragement and constructive discipline into their children’s lives. Those who are single will make good use of the time they are gifted to be involved with others as encouragers and supporters. Christian workers in the workplace will be both honest and respectful in their work environments even when some are mocking others or leadership seems incompetent. Those out of work will make good use of their time and search diligently to find employment and helping others where they can.    And all of us, together, are to take our place and do our allocated tasks in the church community as God gives us the ability because to love is to actively care for each other.

            You get the picture.  This sort of love is not selfish or rude, it is not self-seeking or manipulative, but really does look for the best of, and in, others and works in supportive loving service.  In essence this love isn’t a feeling at all, rather this type of love is a series of choices and consequential actions that will likely lead to good feelings!

            The Greeks separated eros, philos, and agape love.  Eros or erotic love is self-seeking.  It seeks after pleasure always looking for more, never satisfied, always consuming and rarely giving.  This love in a person’s life, if undisciplined, can take over.  Sometimes the more obvious forms involved in drinking, sexual addictions and drug addictions are obvious.  However, eros love forms are insidious and lead us into lusts for all sorts of desires for things including status, recognition and possessions. The Greeks recognised this was the most basic and undeveloped form of love.  The Greek theatre and the Roman colosseum were classical forms of recognition by the ancient rulers that the population could be controlled through clever manipulation of their primal passions.  It worked then and it still works today in less subtle forms.

            Philos love was more positive and expressed the more natural love that exists, or should exist, within the family.  The Greeks understood this love to include aspects of duty between parents and children and between siblings.  There were duties of care and protection, or nourishment and encouragement, of discipline and correction.  All of these were wrapped in the understanding of family love as the expression and achievement of mature development.  The early Christians acknowledged a clear sense of duty and did their best to live up to what they understood this to mean but philos love was still, at heart, self seeking as it elevated the family above all else and implicitly understood a hierarchy within the family unit.  When Christians, by their actions, elevate family above God they repeat an age old mistake.

            Around 300BCE the Old Testament was translated into Greek for common use (we call this text the Septuagint).  Wisely the translators of the Hebrew recognised the issues and used the Greek agape as the closest translation of the Hebrew chesed.  Agape love was understood by the philosophers to be altruistic, it looked for the good of others without seeking quite so much for personal gain.  It understood a more symbiotic relationship (that is, both parties gain from the relationship).  Most importantly agape love was the type of love that was seen in practical choices and action.  For agape to happen someone had to act for another.  Because another is required such love is therefore inherently relational, anticipates difference and cannot always control the outcome.  It wasn’t without reason that Jesus taught the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and strength and mind, and the second to love your neighbour as yourself. (Luke 10:27).

            The first way then to see if a person is truly walking the Christian walk is to determine if they are increasingly and deliberately taking part in loving Christian action.  This will involve how they speak, how they talk about others, the degree of encouragement or negativity, what they actually do in their home, community and the church.   I want to stress here I am specifically not talking about works.  Works can mask the truth about a person.  I’m talking about the natural heart response of a person who is getting closer to God. The Christian moral ethic will make a person more loving, more caring, and more involved.  What we see is the God-given heart in action.  And a note worth contemplating here: if the mouth and heart are in unison then the person is likely to be working from a Spirit-led base in life.  But if the tongue and the actions are at odds with each other then we can be sure all is not well.

            The second moral aspect, as mentioned previously, is that of holiness.  The epistle to the Romans tells us that the Old Testament Law was all but impossible for us to fulfil.  In the light of the Law man’s moral failure and defilement, compared with God’s holiness, becomes clear (Rom 3:20, 7:7).  The Law makes us aware of our need for help, and as we heard previously, Christ is the way by which God has provided for our salvation. The Law comes as guide as to Godly righteousness but Jesus becomes the ultimate answer. If we want to know what holiness is we need look no further than Jesus.  He interpreted the Old Testament Law correctly.  He put aside that which human wisdom had tried to add to it and reduced it back to the essential faithfulness that God requires of us.  By fulfilling its requirements Jesus put aside for us all of the ceremonial and ritual requirements of the Law and perfectly modelled the will of God.  The Ten Commandments and the moral law of the Old Testament Jesus vigorously reaffirmed time and again.   As Christians, we should be increasingly be led by the Spirit of God.  The Spirit leads us into all truth and righteousness. The Spirit is never at odds with God’s Word and affirms Jesus.  The Holy Spirit also reveals our sin to us so that we can repent of it and make choices that will lead us away from sin in the future.  We see, over and over, in the New Testament lists of things that the Christian will not be involved with: things such as everything from sexual congress outside of marriage, to corrupt business practices, excessive drinking, allowing our bodies (the Temple of the Holy Spirit) to be treated wrongly, through to things such as inappropriate use of the tongue or use of profane language (swearing). None of us are perfect but the New Testament in particular clearly shows what things we will not be doing or saying or be involved with if we are being led by the Spirit. 

            All of this is where the rubber meets the road, to use that old cliché. Our faith is not simply in our hearts or our heads.  It is about choices.  It is about action.  It is about wrestling with the world and its demands in the light of the Good News of the gospel and Jesus Christ.  It is about determining how we are going to work or act in a given situation, what response we will make and what will guide our decision.

            Galatians 5:25 say “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” And the fruit of the Spirit Galatians 5:22-23 defines as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness (better translated as generosity), faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  It is each of these characteristics that reflect Christ-likeness in our lives. In contrast, the traditional categories of sin are a repudiation of faithfulness in our lives:  idolatry, sexual lusts, gluttony and drunkenness, sloth, a lack of self control (esp. anger and irrational arguing), covetousness (an unhealthy ambition or a seeking after things), pride, and giving in to fear or cowardice. 

            As we go through each day we face multiple decisions and ethical dilemma.  Many professions such as teaching and health have to make critical ethical decisions daily.  We need a tool-box from which we can draw out tools that will help us make our decisions in a Godly sense.  Soon we will move on to understanding how to put such a toolbox together ready for practical use.  But today I want to leave you with something of a puzzle.  It’s a story that Joseph Fletcher uses to illustrate the reality of real moral challenges.  It’s is a true story and I’ve give you the real life outcome when I return from leave in a couple of weeks (God willing).  But I want you to think about it and what you would have done – not just that – I also want you to think about why and on what basis you would make your decision.  Here is an abbreviated version of the story:

During the second world war many women were taken from their homes in invaded countries to work in German slave labour camps.  Mrs Bergmeier was a married woman whose husband was away at the front.  She was taken to a labour camp very early in the war.  Being in large labour camp was cruel at best.  When new loads of women came in the older or weaker women were taken out and shot so only the fittest and best were left.  The work was hard and physical and not a lot of food was available.  The only women who were let free were the women who were pregnant or became pregnant by the prison guards. Mrs Bergmeier was relatively good looking but she realised that she was one of the oldest of the women who still lived and hadn’t yet been executed.  She decided that if she made herself available to a prison guard she had a way of escape.  A faithful Christian she prayed about it and then did what she believed was the best.

            Here it is then: what did she do? What would you do and what Biblical basis would you have as a Christian for your answer?  What are the Biblical values, principles and outcomes that you would be wanting to achieve?   We will consider this again in a couple of weeks.

Let us pray:  Loving Father help us to make good choices, proactive choices, that reflect the faith that we have in You.  We know that it is not always easy but help us to be truly wise.  We ask for Your wisdom to be active in our lives.  Help us Lord to love as Jesus loved and to be holy as Jesus was holy.  This is pray in Jesus’ precious Name. Amen.