THE QUESTION
Over my 25 years in parish ministry, I’ve met with countless people and listened to their personal stories. You know, a lot of people think that pastors live a rather cloistered existence, cut off from the issues that real people face. I can assure you that isn’t true. I have sat with hundreds of people, and listened as they discussed every crisis, every sorrow, every struggle imaginable.
Repeatedly, I heard the question: "Pastor, what do I do? What do I do?" Yes, the tough stuff of life involves more than just coming up with some intellectual answers. At the end of the day, after we’ve cried, struggled, and prayed—we’ve got decisions to make. Do I stay in a marriage that is falling apart and try one more time to make things work? Do I take the chemo—treatment or is there so little hope for healing that it’s OK if I decline treatment? Do I exercise tough love with my grown daughter? Is it OK to live with my boyfriend? The people who traipse through my office are seekers of practical truth——they are looking for ethical and moral wisdom. They want to know how to live their lives!
How about yourself? How do you make decisions about how to live? Maybe you’re facing some tough decisions too. Where do you turn for help? Two thousand years ago, a Roman judge named Pilate was a principle player in one of the most famous trials in history. Jesus of Nazareth stood before him, accused of treason by Jewish authorities. The dilemma of doing the right thing in spite of all costs drove Pilate into such a miserable corner that he finally blurted out the three words he’s still known for: "What is truth?" It was a tougher question than he knew. Twenty centuries later, we’re still wrestling with an answer. What is moral truth? How do we figure out right from wrong? What standards exist to guide us through life?
THE MORAL CRISIS OF OUR TIME
The need for such answers is obvious. Gallup pollsters have looked at ethical issues and determined that we are ‘in a moral and ethical crisis of the first dimension.’ But you didn’t really need pollsters to tell you that. Massive tax evasion, shoplifting which runs into the billions of dollars yearly, extra—martial affairs which the Gallup organization identified as occurring in ‘epidemic proportion’ (their words, not mine)—all this underscores the moral messiness of our time.
Our world is in moral disarray. And some people want us to believe that this moral mess is something new. But it isn’t. Historians tell us that we’ve been making a moral hash of society for as long as we’ve been writing down our history. For example, can you identify this quote? ". . . children now love luxury; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. . . . They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, and tyrannize their teachers." What is that—a quote from a recent child—rearing textbook? No. The quote is from Socrates—who lived in the fifth century B.C.
Yes, the Bible teaches that the world has been in a moral crisis since our first parents decided to strike off in their own ethical direction, and ended at odds with God. Sin is as old as recorded history.
But while sin isn’t new, something else is. It’s the way we’re waffling on whether there exists a morality bigger than our own private selves. People have been dabbling in evil and messing up their lives for centuries. But at least they agreed there was a yardstick to measure right and wrong. Today, we’re not so sure. Today I hear voices that sound a great deal like the voices that spoke in ancient Israel during a period that’s associated with the Judges. If you read the book of Judges, you’ll find it concludes with some of the most horrific events recorded on the pages of Scripture—stories of mass murder and moral perversion. The author of Judges gives the explanation of this moral quagmire: "Everyone did what was right in their own eyes." And today, that is precisely what’s happening in our world too.
We’ve been studying the New Age Movement this past month on The Back to God Hour. The New Age movement doesn’t just lay down esoteric teachings about the realm of the spirit. New Age tends to be very practical when it comes to moral decision—making. In fact New Age claims to have THE perspective on morality that makes sense for our times. That perspective is summed up in the word "tolerance." New Agers will tell you that a lot of our problems will be solved if we were to practice tolerance.
Now, at one level, they are right. Intolerant, bigoted people have created havoc in society—and still do. Our world is growing increasingly flat. It’s becoming much easier to connect with people around the world. Here at The Back to God Hour, it wasn’t that many years ago when we would need to post letters to outlying centers of ministry and send them out through what we today call ‘snail mail.’ Getting an answer back from the field might take weeks. Now, we hit the send key and our e—mail arrives even at the most distant third—world ministry center in a matter of seconds. It wasn’t that many years ago when our staff would visit our field ministries and be virtually cut off from contact with home for days at a time. Now, their cell phones keep them in contact with loved ones almost anywhere on the planet. As it’s been said, the world is increasingly a global village. Yet I find it horrific that even as the world pulls together, people split apart. In so many parts of the world there is a growing emphasis on tribe and ethnicity. Darfur, the Balkans, east Africa—in these places and more, bigotry and prejudice fuel the fires of civil war, even ethnic cleansing. Yes, the world is in need of a healthy dose of tolerance, isn’t it?
But tolerance as used in a New Age talk, generally means more than just a healthy acceptance of personal difference. New Agers will tell you that the problem isn’t merely with some rabble—rousing bigot who is throwing a stone through a neighbor’s window because she isn’t of the same ethnic background. The problem, they will say, is with the whole idea of morality itself. You see, Christians argue that there is a common morality for everyone. It’s a morality that roots in our shared identity as the children of God. It’s a morality that has its foundation in divine teaching.
But New Agers object. They will tell you that as Christians go down this road, they become narrow—minded. "Christians want to impose their morality on everyone," they complain. The problem with Christians is that they think their morality is for more people than just themselves!
If you are a Christian, you have probably already felt this pressure upon your moral convictions. I find it comes to expression today especially in issues that touch on the matter of sexuality. Christians believe that sexual behavior is a matter of morality. Christians look to the Bible and discover that cheating on a spouse, sex before marriage, homosexual practice, abortion—all such issues are moral issues that are addressed by God in his Word. But secular society increasingly states that these kinds of matters aren’t matters of morality at all. They’re personal matters. Perhaps they relate to some private values you hold. But the idea that these are moral issues that are addressed in a divine moral code that holds for everyone? That many people today will not believe.
Yes, if you are a Christian, you may well be feeling pressure to compromise on matters of morality. After all, it’s tough living with a sign hung around your neck that reads "Beware of the Bigot." Maybe you’re even wondering whether New Age isn’t a more gracious option by which to live life. But is it? Does New Age offer an ethic that can give you solid guidance for life?
THE NEW AGE PROBLEM
Well, to answer that question, think about the kind of god who is at the heart of the New Age movement. The Christian author, G.K. Chesterton, once wrote, "If you want to know whether you’ve found yourself a good landlord from whom to rent an apartment, ask him for his definition of God."
What Chesterton was saying is that your ideas about religion have moral consequences! If you know what kind of god a person believes in, you will have a pretty good idea of what kind of life that person wants to lead.
Now, if you’ve been listening the past few weeks, you know by this time that the common view of God in New Age circles is pantheistic. That is, the New Age movement typically sees everything as partaking of the divine essence. God is all! Now, how would such an idea about god play itself out when it comes to morality? Well, if you want to be consistent, you’d have to conclude this: If the divine is everything, then the divine is equally in what is good and what is evil. Pushed to its logical limit, you’d have to say that good and evil really don’t exist. What we think are issues of good and evil are just matters of personal choice.
Of course, not all New Agers would conclude such things. But some do. Think of a symbol that is often displayed in New Age circles—the Chinese symbol of yin and yang. It’s a circle with a curved line through the center, one side white, the other black. The meaning? That opposites are part of the same circle. Opposites all participate in the same reality. Good and evil—they are all part of the same whole.
But no difference between good and evil? Can you really say that? Well, I quote from the Enlightenment Journal "Addicted to the dark side—addicted to the light side—what’s the difference?"
But in Isaiah 5:20, the prophet Isaiah declares, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."
In that cry, the prophet is addressing a culture where the standards of life are inverted. Where there are no ethical absolutes to guide the way forward. He says—such a culture is on its way to disaster. Imagine standing in a dark night and commenting on how bright it is outside. Imagine drinking a glass of vinegar and commenting on its sweetness. That is the foolishness of a culture that throws away its moral absolutes. In such a culture, all that’s left are private decisions about matters of good and evil—a ‘construct your own morality’ project.
That’s what New Age leaves us with. Of course, it really has to. If we are gods and goddesses as New Age teaches, then we have the right to determine good and evil for ourselves! A temptation first suggested by the Devil in Eden’s garden.
MEETING THE MORAL GOD
But if not New Age morality, then what? What’s the alternative? Well, in one sense, New Agers are on the right track. They have figured out, along with Chesterton, that your view of God has a lot to do with your ethical system. Scripture agrees. In fact, Jesus teaches in Matthew 5:48 that we are called ‘to be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Perfection, of course, is going to elude us on this side of eternity. But Jesus invites us to develop a moral character that reflects the present perfection of our heavenly Father. So what kind of moral character does God have? Well, he certainly isn’t wishy—washy about matters of good and evil! No, our heavenly Father knows exactly where he stands.
If you want a glimpse into the ethical heart of God, you might spend a little time this week reading the Old Testament prophets. Read the prophet Amos. It wouldn’t take that long. In my Bible it’s only seven pages long! But if you do, you’ll learn a great deal about the character of God. You discover a God who has a burning commitment to fairness and honesty—who hates dishonest scales and any form of extortion or blackmail. You discover a God who has a special care for immigrants, for those who are foreigners in society, for refugees. You discover a God who is resolute that mercy be shown to those who are at the bottom rungs of the economic ladder. You’ll discover a God who is adamant about living purely and honoring marriage commitments. Read the book of Amos. You’ll discover a lot about the nature of God on those pages. You’ll also discover a lot about the kind of person you’re called to be.
Now, there is one word that gathers up all the moral commands you find in Scripture. There is one word that defines God’s moral character. It’s the word, ‘love.’ In fact, when you read Scripture you discover that above all, God is love. Love is the essential moral trait that defines God’s essence. God is love—love that gives, that stretches, that reaches out beyond itself.
And now, those who are children of this God must be like him. In fact, says Jesus in Matthew 5, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." There it is. Morality isn’t up—for—grabs after all. Those, who are truly God’s children, practice a morality that is found first of all in their heavenly Father.
NOW, A PROBLEM—AND A SOLUTION
But just knowing that doesn’t move us to morality, does it? Just knowing God’s character, just knowing the moral demands that flow from his character, doesn’t seem to be enough. What’s missing?
The answer came home to me when I was reading a recent book by A.J. Jacobs, entitled The Year of Living Biblically. In that book, Jacobs records a remarkable undertaking. Jacobs seeks to obey the Bible as literally as possible, for an entire year. I have never met anyone this serious about taking the Bible at face value. Jacobs goes through and catalogs Biblical commands. He comes up with over 700 of them—45 that deal with idolatry alone. Jacobs makes a commitment to try to live them out. He lives by rules that most of us pay no attention to. He will not trim his beard—much to the chagrin of his wife. He will not wear clothes of certain mixed fibers. He will not eat fruit from trees less than three years old. He obeys what most today consider rules that have no bearing at all on moral society. But Jacobs also commits himself to what we might think of as the ‘big rules.’ He will not covet. He will not steal. Jacobs discovers that especially the command "You shall not bear false witness" is an incredibly difficult rule to live by.
Jacobs carries out his experiment for an entire year. And at the end of that year, he shaves his beard. The Bible that got him started on his trek, he ships back to its rightful owner. He goes back to real life. His experiment is over. He will be a different person for the effort, he says. Still, at the end of the day, he says, a cafeteria approach to religion is the only way to go. ‘Pick and choose’ is the only way to survive when there are over 700 items on the ethical table!
Jacobs’ book is a great read. It’s insightful. It’s funny. But it’s a book that also made me sad. Because at the end of a year, Jacobs, had failed to discover the heart of Biblical morality. You see, there was one commandment which Jacobs found he could not heed. It was the invitation of the Apostle Paul: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved."
Jacobs spent a year with hundreds of commandments. But he missed the one that is at the core of ethical living. He missed meeting the person who displayed in his own life what it really means to be perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect. He missed the one who is able by his Spirit to empower a truly moral life. He missed the one who can empower you to live a life that increasingly takes its shape from the character of God’s love, mercy, and justice. He missed Jesus.
I pray today that you do not miss him. Jacobs admits that keeping 700 laws simply made his head spin. Not surprising. In fact, if you reduce your religion to just keeping laws, you will find yourself under a yoke to heavy to carry. No wonder Jacobs was willing to keep his experiment going only for 12 months!
But there is someone if known as Savior and Friend who will make all the difference in the world. You see, Jesus not only lived God’s way—he offered his own life to open the door for you to enter into a relationship with your heavenly Father. And he sends his Spirit to those who trust in him so that a moral life—a life of love—might increasingly become a possibility.
Morality involves more than tacking the Ten Commandments on the door of your refrigerator. Morality God’s way is more than even keeping 700 rules. Moral living is rooted in knowing Christ, and being conformed to his likeness.
Hear his voice.
Open yourself to his Spirit.
Yield to his leading.
Trust his care.
When you do, you’ll discover that the commands of God are not a burden. They are a delight. They are ways we express God’s love. They are the ways we come to look more and more like our Friend, Jesus. They are the ways we resemble more and more our Father, who is in heaven.
Robert Heerspink
Rev. Robert Heerspink is a native of west Michigan. He completed his undergraduate studies at Calvin College and holds the degrees of Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Calvin Theological Seminary. He has also received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Bob was ordained a minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed Church of North America in 1979, and has 26 years of parish experience, having served four churches throughout west Michigan. He was appointed the Director of The Back to God Hour in 2006. Bob has written several resources related to congregational stewardship, including the book, Becoming a Firstfruits Congregation. He is a regular contributor to TODAY, the monthly devotional of The Back to God Hour. Bob is married to Edith (Miedema) and they have three children. His hobbies include reading fictional and historical works, watersports, and occassional golfing.
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