There has been a Seismic Shift in Culture. Can we be good without God? Is morality possible without God? We asked the question last time: Can there be morality outside of God? with: technically yes, but that is why we are where we are today—counterfeit christianity!
Anyone can adopt the truths of scripture in their life and look holy, but they are merely working the works of the flesh—morally. People ‘act good’ so as to ‘be holy’. Instead the scripture teaches us that being ‘made holy’ by God manifests goodness itself, by Him through us. Moral absolutes can only be determined by scripture and the one who wrote it, the Holy Spirit.
The knowledge of good and evil was given in the garden by partaking of the forbidden fruit. It is known, from that time until now intuitively by all humans. Which is why Romans says all humanity is without excuse. We have a general problem with the concept of morality in Scripture. Us, believers, not just the world. The world or lost people have no respect toward morality anyway, but there has been a seismic shift in the culture of our churches. We have swapped right and wrong, good and bad—for preference. ‘Be yourself’ is the counterfeit to ‘be holy’. Being ‘real’ really means being immoral and everyone should accept it. They are simply publicizing pharisaical comparative morals. As Luke 18 explains the Pharisee thought in himself: ‘I am better than this publican.’ The Pharisees considered themselves good, even as people of high morals. They: 1) Built their houses together so as to not fraternize with the ‘common dirty immoral people’. 2) Were zealously religious. 3) Followed the law to the letter (and some). 4) Outed anyone not moral (according to their opinion).
Think of it this way. People ask the popular question: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Answer: it only happened one time and he volunteered! Jesus is the one and only good person…ever! We who are saved by God’s grace are justified: made or declared righteous. There is no righteousness within me naturally. If morality isn’t possible without God, then explain why does it seem that so many unsaved people act with high morality and ‘moral absolutes’ tucked into their DNA? One, I would again refer to the unsaved Pharisees. It’s called self righteousness. This has been man’s focus since the garden of Eden. They seek God their own way. They work for it. They seem to think they can ‘be good enough’ somehow. It is an act of pride. Today, where I live in the “heartland” of the United States, we have to consider two other reasons along with the prideful self righteous answer: 1) Raising. Some are raised to ‘act’ good. 2) Society: It’s the law of the land (for now). But those are all collapsing today in America. The good and evil has been shaped oppositely in the public narrative. Isaiah 5.20— “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” We are living in a “woe”. May God help us!
Reality check: every generation in every people group have dealt with the consequences of sin and how it erodes humanity, therefore society; along with their intuitive moral compass. I know a lot of people who don’t know Christ and are really nice people—nicer and more fun to be with, in fact, than a lot of Christians I know. So what do we do with that? Don’t trust morality. It is not a normative gauge for righteousness. Many characters of the Bible prove this to be true. Pillars of the faith have been: liars, thieves, and adulterers. And they have done so after they were saved.
The point is this: the Gospel has been replaced by morality. ‘Good people do not need salvation, they are as good as so and so’. God by His nature is good and we by our nature are not. This is the fundamental issue with all views of social understanding today: psychology, education, policies, and even religion. People being led to be good without God is harming the cause of Christ and neutering the Gospel. People are being led to believe they are in no need of the transforming power of the Gospel. Needed: a supernatural change from God! A genuine new birth; Holy Spirit infection; sanctification by way of the Holy Spirit, supplied by the Word of God. Morality has more to do with the inward workings of the heart and mind than the outward actions. The actions will produce themselves like fruit. But the heart is the core issue at all times of the scripture. The problem with churches today is that we may have cost ourselves a generation of moral people who are not saved.
Here is my exhortation for you: Let God be their God. Let the Holy Spirit do His work. You and I are to preach, teach, lead in, expound, share, and explain—the Word of Truth. We do so to the unbelievers around us and to the believers God has given us. God will bear witness in their hearts and He will make the change. Do not try and make them moral. It’s not only feckless, it’s potentially eternally damaging.
To the culture we are in the midst of: 1) Love them as Christ does. 2) Have mercy for them as Christ does. 3) Give them His good news as He did. It is the only thing that will work!
Romans 1.16— “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
I have great hope because the Gospel still has power. Now let’s tell it.