Picture this. College freshman goes to class every day, studies hard for the test, and gets an 84. Whatever, it’s still a B, right? But then she finds out that her friend, who never goes to class, got a 100 on the test because he cheated. She is beyond frustrated. She asks him why he cheated and he said, “Well ethics are different for every person right?” Wrong. There is no way that a worldview of moral relativity can be lived out while still maintaining a functioning society. I do not possess a set of ethics unique to myself, just as you do not dictate morals for your own life. This philosophy would lead to murder or rape being okay if you think that’s right for you. Clearly, we have laws in place that dictate a higher moral code for society. But, even with laws, some things are left up to us to decide what is right or wrong. Is it right to have pre-marital sex if you love each other? Is it wrong to get drunk? Is it okay to lie in order to help someone? I don’t know.
On my own, I have no idea what is morally right. And that leads to an even greater question: Why do I even desire to live a moral life? Is it because I have a conscience? Is it because society has told me that love and honesty are good while hatred and lying is bad? I would argue that society has only impressed these views on me because God has impressed His morals onto it. Our society has usurped God’s reign as King in order to create a set of morals that are more comfortable. In fact, I often usurp God’s reign for the sake of my own comfort, control, and certainty. I often deem myself Keeper of the Moral Compass and slowly but surely begin to take the title away from God. But God is not dethroned whenever I try to become ruler of my own life, instead he sits atop the heavenly throne, waiting. Waiting for me to come back to him when I realize that the moral compass is simply too heavy for my feeble hands to hold. Waiting for me to recognize my place as a steward of his righteousness and morality instead of the creator. Waiting for me to bow down before him in humble obedience and adoration.
As Christians, we are often deemed as judgmental or “holier-than-thou” because we label some actions as sins. Then, we are deemed as hypocrites whenever we fall into the temptation of the very sins we say are wrong. But, we never claim to be perfect. We will be the first ones to admit that we aren’t perfect, and that’s why we need a Savior. We value God’s morals so much because we know from experience that disobeying his laws only leads to pain and suffering. It might not seem like that immediately, but disobedience has eternal consequences.
I’ll admit, being a Christian is HARD. But God never said it would be easy. As Christians, we recognize where morality comes from and thus are tasked with living according to God’s standard, even if it means we’ll lose our popularity, friends, job, or even life. But our sacrifices for the sake of the kingdom are so worth it. So stop trying to usurp God’s reign as King, and instead live a life that proclaims His sovereignty.
