The Christian's Guide to Ethics and Morality

We live in a morally tangled society. This is one where lines between right and wrong have been blurred to gray, and black and white have been replaced in our vocabulary with words like "tolerance" and "equality." Nearly everyday we're confronted with ethical dilemmas. But in the face of a society that's thrown absolute morality out the window, we Christians have a different approach to ethics.

I've already mentioned that Christians are not exempt from ethical confusions. We wonder in our academic, work, and even familial situations, "Is this right? Is this acceptable?" But our morality is rooted firmly in the highest form of ethics codes ever written - the Word of God. This is the book by the author of morality.

We have questions about ethics. The Bible has answers. No, it does not list every modern scenario, nor does it detail the gritty, specific questions you may have. It is not exactly like the code of ethics at your office. But it delineates between what is right and wrong, what is moral and immoral. The Bible gives us black and white, absolute morality, a standard for truth. For we serve the God of justice and truth.

"The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he" (Deut. 32:4).

The Bible talks about justice, poverty, equity, deception, cheating, stealing, gossip, fraud, abuse, honesty. It is not quiet on ethics. Read the book of Proverbs. Or Matthew. Or Deuteronomy. Or, wait; you'd best just read the whole thing.

Yes, we will get in ethical confusions that the Bible does not have a clear answer on. That doesn't mean that the Bible is silent on the issue. At the core of every ethical question is the desire to be morally right. And the Bible details how to do that.

The Christian's guide to ethics and morality is theoretically simple and pragmatically challenging: go to the Book. Read the Bible. Live the Bible. It tells us what is right and wrong in this morally tangled age. And when you get in ethical dilemmas that the Bible does not speak lucidly on, go to someone who knows the Book well and talk to them; search the Scriptures together and pray and find a solution that is biblically and morally right and do it.

We are people of the Book. That means we live by the Book. And that is the Christian's guide to ethics and morality.

"He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8)