In the world today, especially in the United States of America, many have been influenced with a relativism worldview. Many Americans have been deceived in believing there is no absolute truth. Each person is subjected to his own view of what is right and wrong. Yet, we as Christian have a worldview that refutes this false belief. As many Americans do not believe in Christian morals or ethics, we who are born again need to explain what the Bible says about what is right and what is wrong. “Christian ethics is on what God wants us to do and what attitudes he wants us to have.”[1] In other words, God is the standard of morals. I will explain how Christian ethics or morals are based on God’s character by using the Scriptures to reveal how a believer should conduct himself. The paper will address God’s character, His standard, and Christian morals.
Throughout the Bible, it describes God’s characteristics. Some of these characteristics of God are as follows: He is Sovereign (2 Cor 6:18), Righteous (Deut 32:4), and Holy (Ps 99:9, Isa 6:3). These characteristics reveal God is all-powerful, does only what is right, and is totally different, as in being pure or set apart from anyone or sin. Therefore God has the authority to establish what He deems best for His creation. The Tabletalk Magazine captures this idea:
Though God has built the basic standards of right and wrong into creation itself, He has also provided Scripture as a fuller and sufficient revelation of His standards. These standards are based on the Lord’s own holy character ... called the moral law.[2]
In Genesis 1, it states that after God created everything “God saw everything ...and...it was very good” (ESV Gen 1:37). His response to creation was a reflection of Himself. God is perfect and so everything He does is perfect or “good.” Thus, God knows what is good for us and how we are to live according to this goodness (1 Pet 1:16). Consequently, God has clearly given guidelines of how man is to respond to His standard of what is right and wrong (His morals from His Word).
In addition, God’s character reflects His standard. In order for a person to know His standard of living, a person must be born again (Jn 3:3; 4:24). Without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ (regeneration), the person is biblically a non-believer. This person cannot please God (Rom 8:8) nor understand Christian morals revealed in the Scriptures. Only after salvation is established can a person please God in a personal relationship. The person can be sanctified, be conformed into Jesus’ image, to reflect God’s character and His morals. The New Bible Dictionary states, “The ultimate goal of the ethical [or moral] process is conformity to the image of God’s Son”[3] (Rom 8:29).
Furthermore, the Bible calls all Christians to obey God’s commandments. These commandments define what is morally accepted before God. Again, this is His standard that reflects His character. When a Christian is born again, he is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). The Christian has been given a new mind and new affections towards God (Tit 2:11-14). Therefore, the Christian will long to please God by conforming to the image of His Son through obeying His commandments. By doing this, he reveals the Christian’s morals that demonstrate God’s character in the believer. The believer’s obedience is an act of worship (Jn 4:24) with God by his attitude and action.
The Bible clearly shows God’s character is woven into Christian morals. The Christian will have struggles with the flesh, the world, Satan, and sin and fall but he will never stay in a fallen position because he is justified (Gal 2:20). His whole approach will be to continue to live a life of biblical morals (Phil 1:6, 21; 3:12-16). These Christian morals model how a believer is to live. Moreover, they guide the believer to live a right relationship with God.
In closing, the paper has addressed God’s character, His standard, and Christian morals. The Christian morals are important because they reflect God’s character. God has created these Christian morals to help us to define what is right and what is wrong. He sets the standard that governs everyone. Therefore, the Lord’s character (His standard or morals) brings Him glory. Thus, each of us, as Christians, love to honor God in how we live with His Word towards Him, our family, the church, and to non-believers. Our gratitude towards His ways (or morals) will bear fruit in our everyday walk with Him.
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