It was a great night tonight in THP Students as we talked about the origin of moral or rules. To kick off we played a game where I told the students that we a were going on a journey. I told them the following, “I am taking with me carrots but not peas.” They then had to figure out what they could and could not take. As they did I told them yes and no based on their answers. They were tasked with observing the answers and figure out the basic rule I had in place. As they observed they found that a common rule came up.
Over the last several weeks, we’ve talked about evidence of God. First, we discussed the simple fact that, because things exist, they must have a creator. Last week, we discussed how the fine-tuning of existence points to an intelligent, intentional creator. This week, we are going to look at something somewhat more philosophical in nature. It’s what is often called the “Moral Argument” for God.
Question: What are morals?
Webster’s Dictionary defines morals as “moral practices or teachings: modes of conduct.”
Simply put, it’s a code of conduct that defines right and wrong or good and evil.
Some have suggested that there are no subjective morals or absolutes. They say that what you believe is good for you, and what I believe is good for me. What you find, however, is that as soon as something goes against them, they often fold.
Apologist Dr. Norman Geisler tells a story about a student who wrote a massive, perfectly written paper detailing why there are no objective moral values. The professor gave the student an F. When the student asked why, the professor simply said he didn’t like the folder the kid’s paper was in when he turned it in. He doesn’t like blue folders. The kid got mad, saying it’s not fair to grade based on the color of the folder and that he should be graded on his work. The professor’s response, “Wait… I thought you just wrote twenty pages telling them there’s no such thing as fair or right? If morality is just an opinion, then my opinion is that I don’t like blue folders.”
Still, some argue that there can’t be objective morality because cultures have such different moral codes. But is that the actual case? Throughout history, every civilization has had very similar morals; their practice of those morals was simply skewed. CS Lewis presents some interesting comparisons between cultures in his book The Abolition of Man. When you think it through, there are many common ideas, such as caring for others, your parents, or elders. Similar ideas about Justice, honesty, mercy, and nobility.
Scriptures testify to this idea in Romans 2:14-15: For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
Like with our previous lesson, if we observe the world around us, we see some interesting things. Morality isn’t something just made up by mankind. They are more akin to math or gravity. Think about it like this: 2 plus 2 equals 4. We discovered this to be true. Morality is similar. It’s like a hidden rule of the universe that we used our brains to “find” and “understand.” CS Lewis refers to this as the Law of Human Nature or the Law of Good and Evil.
But that leads to a big question: If these rules aren’t just something society made up on its own, where did they come from? Moral Realists who believe in a creator look at it this way: Humans are way too messy and inconsistent to be the ones who invented “perfect” goodness. Think about it, how can we, as humans who break the rules of right and wrong al the time, be the ones who define what is right and wrong in the first place?
Just as the way the universe is designed suggests there is a designer, the existence of a “Law of good and evil” suggests there must be someone outside our world who created it. To these thinkers, you can’t have a moral law without a moral lawgiver.
As Christians, we see this “lawgiver” as God, as seen in Isaiah 33:22 – For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us.
Theologian RC Sproll once gave a lecture on ethics and quoted the Christian philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant also believed you could point to God by examining the concept of morality. This was his thought process:
You can’t truly have Good and Evil if you have no Justice.
What is necessary for justice to be real?
We live in a fallen world where, at times, we don’t see justice; therefore, if there is truly good and evil, there must be an afterlife where justice can be served.
For there to be justice in an afterlife, there must be a judgment that takes place.
That judgment must be perfect.
Perfect judgment and perfect justice must require a perfect judge.
For there to be a perfect judge, they must have all the facts of each case.
That perfect judge must also be righteous, or else they may be bribed to not give perfect judgment and justice.
That perfect Judge must also have the power and authority to issue justice.
At the end of the day, what you see described here is an Omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnibenevolent (all-good) divine being. Which looks and sounds a lot like the God of the Bible. Psalm 96 tells us that God is a judge who judges the world with righteousness and faithfulness. Hebrews tells us that every person is seen by God, meaning he has all the facts in every single case.
So, how do we end today?
As we’ve discussed, the fact that there appears to be a moral law strongly points to a moral lawgiver. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll discuss how that moral law-giver is the God of the Bible.
But knowing that there is a perfect lawgiver is only the first step; the second is knowing where you stand with this being. Knowing there’s a perfect law and perfect morals, we need to be honest with ourselves about having broken them.
What sets Christianity apart from other religions is that we can have a personal relationship with that lawgiver. Not only that, but the lawgiver is a loving and caring individual who made a way for us to be forgiven for breaking the law established. He is Just and Righteous and has to punish those who break the law, but He established something special. Isaiah 33 tells us that God is the lawgiver and will give us a path to salvation. He sent His son to suffer the punishment for our sins. All we have to do is accept that sacrifice and submit ourselves to God, and we can be free from sins and walk in grace.
Adventures in Student Ministry 