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Gerard de VosCreated by Gerard de Vos
on 11-02-2009
Category: Bible related
Where does morality come from?

There is a big debate between unbelievers and Christians about the origin of morality. According to Christians, God is the origin. Unbelievers deny it. The question is, can men devise a universal moral code?

God’s plan is an eternal relationship: The Father (God), the Bridegroom (Jesus) and the Bride (the church). For this Family to live eternally in harmony, it is important that there will be no friction or problems. God revealed His plan when He instituted the perfect marriage in the garden of Eden. Marriage is a very close knit relationship. The husband and wife become one, and they do not brook any interference from outsiders. (We have all heard of love triangles and family tragedies because of infidelity. People were killed in revenge.)

Behavior that must be absent to make the heavenly marriage successful for thousands of years is: Hate, jealousy, murder, theft, immorality, complaining, disagreeing, lording it over the other, evil thoughts and comparison with the other. Behavior that must be present is: Love, submission to each other, serving one another, looking after the other’s affairs, loyalty, fidelity and working together for the good of the family. It is easy to go through a list of things that God finds repulsive, and to see that they are all things that will cause a marriage to fail. These traits disturb the peace and good relationships in the family. Take for example Colossians 3:12: ‘Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievance you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.’

So we can summarize that moral behavior is the absence of everything that will prevent perfect harmony between the people who live in heaven for eternity. It is doing and living a life that will be acceptable to God in His everlasting kingdom. Who is therefore the originator of morality? God is. He is the only One who is wise enough to know what is necessary for harmony and love in relationships. His laws are preparing us to live in peace for eternity as part of the bride of Christ. Moral laws cannot be designed by man, as each person has his own idea and will defend some particular view. The saying is: so many heads, so many opinions. People have different cultures, countries, and histories. They cannot devise a universal standard of conduct. Only God knows what is best for man, and His rules of conduct apply for all times and for all peoples.

Why do people then object to the fact that only God can be the designer of a moral code? They want to write God out of the equation, not only to sooth their consciences, but also to influence others to follow them in rejecting God. The devil has many able advocates, and he uses them to the full.
