Where would this world be without morality? In the book, "Why Jesus Matters" by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz, is a chapter on Morality. Here is that chapter.
" There are four classic arguments for God's existence. If a skeptic were to ask you to prove God exists, you could use these arguments as evidence that God is real, even though we can't physically see Him. Here they are:
The God idea argument. - The fact that every person thinks about God points to His existence. If God doesn’t exist, why does everyone - including the atheist - think about Him? People may have different ideas about God, but the bottom line is that all the people think about some kind of God, who placed that thought in their heads in the first place.
The Cause and Effect Argument - Every effect has a cause. Even the universe, as big as it is, didn't "just happen." There had to be some incredibly powerful first cause that began it. You may ask, "But where did that 'first cause' come from?" That's where God comes in. At the beginning of the string of causes must be something which itself had no cause. By definition, that first cause is God.
The Intelligent Design Argument - Order, harmony, purpose, and intelligence fill nature and the world. Such intricate design did not come about by chance but must have been the product of some great Intelligence that planned and created it all.
The Moral Argument - All human beings have a built-in moral code - an innate sense of right and wrong. We may not always act on what we know to be true, but we know when we have gone against our "conscience." How can people across cultures and circumstances all have a conscience? The answer is that God put it there.
Of the four arguments, this last one sometimes gives people the most trouble, because they see all kinds of evil in the world and wonder. How could a loving God let all of these bad things happen? If morality is built into every person, and all of us know the difference between right and wrong, why do so many people insist on doing wrong? Interestingly, the answer points not just to the existence and the love of God, but also to the necessity of Jesus.
God could have created us so that we could do no wrong. He could have made it so that every person would automatically love and obey Him. But that’s not what God wanted. Rather creating a race of robots, He gave us the free will to choose whether or not we wanted God to be part of our lives. Of course, that free will option was a downslide. We can choose to love God, or we can choose to ignore Him.
Because the human race has chosen to disobey God, evil fills the world. And because evil fills the world, there is a God. If no evil existed, there wouldn't be a God who loved us enough to let us make our own choices. We have been created in God's image, but we have been given the freedom to reject the very God who made us.
Furthermore, the very idea that we know we are making the wrong choices shows there is a God. The apostle Paul argued that even people who have nothing to do with God know "in their hearts" the difference between right and wrong. They demonstrate that God's law is written within them, for their own consciences either accuse them or tell them they are doing what is right.
So how does Jesus figure into all of this? Why does He matter when it comes to morality? Jesus matters because we can do nothing on our own to completely satisfy a holy God. To be holy means to be "morally perfect." God is incapable of wrong doing, but we aren't! We may not always do the wrong thing, but we are incapable of always doing the right thing. Consequently, we need help, which is precisely what Jesus offers.
Once Jesus had a conversation with a rich young man who wasn't all that different from most of us. The way he figured it, his ticket to heaven was being good enough. He was, in his mind, a moralist. So he asked Jesus, "Teacher, what good things must I do to have eternal life?"
Jesus answered, "You can receive eternal life if you keep the commandments."
At this point a smug smile probably crossed the young man's face. "Which ones?" he asked. Jesus answered by reciting a few of the Big Ten Commandments - do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, you know the list - and the young man answered proudly, "I've obeyed all these commandments. What else must I do?"
That's when Jesus looked at him and said, "Sell all you have and give the money to the poor. Then come, follow Me." At this the young man's expression changed from one of confidence to sadness. Because he loved his wealth more than God, he walked away from Jesus. His morality went as far as his money.
The disciples, who listened to this conversation, were astounded. If this young moralist, who had everything the world had to offer, couldn't live up to God's perfect standard, then who could possibly have eternal life? The Bible says that Jesus looked at them "intently" and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible."
Do you believe that? Have you come to the point at which you agree that you can do nothing on your own to live up to what God expects of you? Have you run out of options for living a meaningful, satisfying life? If so, you may be ready to consider the claims of Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life so you don’t have to. Jesus satisfied all of God's requirements so you don’t have to. You don’t need to please God on your own. Jesus has already done that. "
By George Konig
10/14/2007
www.georgekonig.org
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