By the Numbers

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Is Bible Morality Really Moral?

                                                Is Bible Morality Really Moral?
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Let me be honest! Some events of the Bible make God appear unloving, unreasonable, cruel, even heartless.  But, do we understand their cultural historical context? Could we be unfairly imposing our ideals upon an ancient people? Let me first mention some Bible teachings to help us understand events from their biblical perspective. Then I will discuss some individual cases.
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Could there be some essential Bible teachings we're never considered?
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The Bible teaches God is the almighty standard.  God created the heavens and the earth and said everything He made was very good (Gen. 1:1, 31). Creation confers God authority to manage His property His way for His purposes. The Bible God is infinite and perfect in knowledge, wisdom, power, and love. This shows God alone is the absolute standard of truth and goodness (Gen. 1:1, Col. 1:16-17). Our opinions by comparison are limited, selfish, often mistaken, conflicting, and can be destructive (Col. 2:2-3, 8-9). But God's thoughts and ways are above ours; He knows the end from the beginning, so He is always right (Isaiah 46:9-10; 55:7-9). Further, the God who gives life, has the prerogative to take it according to His will and wisdom we may not understand.
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The Bible teaches God's good world is cursed and corrupted by our bad choices. God created us directly in His mental, moral, immortal image so we could fellowship with him and enjoy life together (Gen. 2:7; Matt. 19:4; Ephesians 4:24; James 3:9). Men and women are made in God's image bestowing on both the same dignity and respect (Gen. 2:27; Col. 3:10-11). That God made us for fellowship is shown by His visit, walk, and talk with our first parents (Gen. 3:8). But our first parents choose self over God in eating forbidden fruit that brought a cursed world of death, destruction, and separation from an ethically perfect God (Gen. 3, Rom. 8:20-22).
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The Bible teaches God made us for a love trust relationship with Him, but its our choice. God made us with free will to accept or reject Him and His way. Love cannot be forced which would destroy our freedom and dignity. God, however, preserves our freedom and dignity even to be wicked. Yes, we are influenced by our heredity, environment, God, and the devil, yet we still decide our own actions. And, we are always being tested whether we will choose our own way in our thoughts, desires, imaginings, words, and actions, or obey God instead.
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Now let's look at a few individual cases that might somehow seem unethical.

What about all the unfairness and miseries of life? We can't blame God for the bad world we humans make. We may have a hard life. People won't treat us right. We're denied opportunities. So we can hate life, people, ourselves, and blame God for it all. But God didn't do it, we do.  Our pity and hate doesn't make things better, only makes us bitter.  God promises that when we trust Him that in His time and way He will work things out for our good, and that our present sufferings are nothing to compare with the glory with Him in eternity (Romans 8:18, 28). 
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What about our suffering for the sin of our first parents? We inherit characteristics from our parents and sin somehow corrupted human nature. Their partaking of the tree of knowledge of good and evil was all humanity's choice of a world that is both good and evil motivated by the devil and his demons. A sovereign God knew and allowed it because only then will His true people one day realize there's no other way we can fully know and appreciate the forgiveness, love, mercy, grace, patience, and wisdom of God's glory. When we see Jesus our redeemer, we'll know and understand (1 Cor. 13:12).
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What about God hardening our heart and blinding our minds? Yes, the Bible does speak of God hardening hearts and blinding minds. This refers to the experiences of life God brings upon us to test our obedience. Our inner attitude decides how we will act. In good experiences we may thank, praise and worship God, or feel things being alright we don't need God or fear judgment. In bad times we may think that's God's judgment and repent, or harden our hearts and rebel all the more. In Bible times when God sent prophets and performed miracles people could respond either way depending on whether they wanted self  glory, or God's glory (Isa. 6:9-10; Acts 28:26-27). The sun that melts the wax hardens the clay.
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What about an eternal tormenting Hell? Countries and peoples everywhere put incorrigible persons who want to hurt and destroy away to themselves as punishment. God, being perfect and Heaven being His perfect home, cannot allow evil of any kind to corrupt Heaven ( 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Rev. 21:27). Love is justice in a societal context. God seeks our attention is various ways--intelligent design in nature, our conscience, learn from mistakes, His messengers, and His Holy Spirit (John 16:8-11). Jesus in love gave His life to pay for our sins and we will one day stand before Him to receive reward for service or punishment for rejection. Now is the day of salvation and before the all-knowing God, we have no excuse. For our sins, we all need redemption. Persons in the Old Testament looked forward to the redeemer's coming (Gen. 3:15; Heb. 11),  we after Christ look back to His cross (John 1:1-2, 14; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 1:1-3).
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Perhaps my friend, you have never quite understood Bible teaching and had a hard life without hope. There is hope, but it's found only in the sinless Son of God who died to pay for our sins. We can be forgiven and free of condemnation in trusting commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the Savior of individuals and nations who willingly trust in Him. We can have treasures in Heaven for our earthly service, or torments away alone from everything beautiful and good in life. It's Your choice. I pray U choose Jesus and tell others about Him sharing these articles.
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See other articles below & on the right side.
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