Category: Morality

Morality

I want to start this post off with a true story that explains why I stress and talk about morality so much. Years ago, I volunteered for a California police department. During my time there, I rode in about 20 ride-alongs. One day in the briefing room, the officer I was going to ride with grabbed a dictionary for the word of the day.

They held it while I closed my eyes. I opened it and, still having my eyes closed, put my finger on the page. It landed straight on the word “moral.” Even before that instance, I remember watching “Walker, Texas Ranger” and being inspired to pursue justice, morality, and righteousness by the theme song. 

So why do I talk about it so much? Because I believe I’m called to talk about it. I truly believe the world in this day and age is sorely lacking in and starving for it. I also believe the church corporately and individually is failing miserably in preaching on the subject and living it out. Because of this, America and the world are suffering spiritually.

What Is Morality?

One definition of morality by Merriam-Webster is, “conformity to ideals of right human conduct.” Another definition by The Oxford English Dictionary is, “of or pertaining to the distinction between right and wrong, or good and evil, in relation to the actions, volitions, or character of responsible beings.” The Apostle Paul gives examples of these definitions in 1 Timothy 3.

While those are good definitions, the one I’ve always remembered (and have strived to live by) is The Golden Rule: “Treat others as you want to be treated,” which is also echoed by Jesus in Matthew 7:12: “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…”

What Morality Is Not.

Morality is not legalism. I once attended a Christian church for a few weeks to see what it was like and if I would be a good fit there. I agreed with most of their messages and all of their beliefs until I had one question. I went to the pastor and asked him if the church would ever talk about morality, to which he responded, “No, we will never talk about legalism.” With that, I knew that church wasn’t for me.

While that church did emphasize God’s grace, I can only guess what the pastor defined as morality. But if it’s at all like Merriam-Webster’s definition, they probably thought that “right human conduct” meant abandoning God’s grace for the Law of God only. But I see this as flawed reasoning. God’s grace gives us the power to adhere to His Law when we can’t on our own. He wants us to love Him and obey His commandments without forgetting His Throne of Grace lest we become legalists like the Pharisees.

In chapter four of his book, The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance—Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters, Sinclair B. Ferguson cites Geerhardus Vos, author of The Self-Disclosure of Jesus and The Kingdom and the Church, who says, “Legalism is a peculiar kind of submission to God’s law, something that no longer feels the personal divine touch in the rule it submits to” (page 82). I think that exactly describes the Pharisees’ conduct (John 9:26–28, John 18:19–24), but what Jesus has freed us from!

It is truly a shame that the Church avoids talking about morality and its companion traits (e.g., character, integrity, honesty, etc.) because the key to understanding the Laws of the Old Testament and Messages of the Prophets (and much of the New Testament) is to first understand morality.

How is this the key? Because the latter part of that verse from Matthew above is, “…for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” And most of the laws of the Bible revolve around the morality of relationships (e.g., our relationship with God, husband/wife, family, workers, neighbors (Luke 10:25–37, Exodus 20:16–17), foreigners, etc.) and practicing the aforementioned companion traits.

Why Is Morality So Important?

It helps us understand the ways of God. What do I mean by that? God is moral. He defines in His Word morality, immorality, and their consequences. Moses saw God perform all kinds of miracles in Exodus but still didn’t know God, so He asked to know Him through His ways. Scripture, and thus God’s ways and thus God Himself, is actually easier for me to understand because I’m seeing His Word through the eyes of morality.

Law Enforcement: Favoritism or “Professional Courtesy”?

(This post was inspired by someone I know being pulled over by a cop for speeding and using their badge to get out of a potential ticket.)

The purpose of this post is to explain the rationale behind my belief that the practice of “professional courtesy” (i.e., allowing fellow authority figures to break the law without repercussion) is corrupt, not necessarily to provide solutions.

Before I begin, I want to say I have high respect for law enforcement officers. When I was in middle school, I started watching reruns of Walker, Texas Ranger and for more than a decade afterward, I wanted to be an FBI agent. Then, for two years after graduating from high school and before moving to Texas, I volunteered with a California police department. 

To my knowledge, the police officers I worked with while volunteering never engaged in the practice of extending these professional courtesies to others in their field. In fact, when one of the K9 officers, who was also one of my advisors, said to me, “I’m held to high standards—I’m going to hold you to higher standards,” his words made a strong impression on me.

That being said, I’ve seen this on the news… police officers giving preferential treatment to fellow law enforcement officers. Their superiors may say, “They will be held accountable,” but the perspective and subsequent behavior of a police officer sometimes changes once they find that their suspect has a badge or some position of authority, and this is the point at which the scales of justice are made unequal.

This kind of treatment is hypocritical at best and corrupt at worst. It is a game of Russian roulette wherein the repercussions of this preferential treatment can cause irreversible harm, and the longer this pattern continues, the greater the chances that something tragic could happen.

For example, what about an inebriated off-duty officer who has repeatedly been “let off the hook” by fellow officers for driving drunk? What would they have to say for themselves should he kill someone while driving under the influence? Once this happens, the blood of the victim will be on the hands of every officer who knew about the behavior and did nothing to stop it. 

Therefore, I can’t help but find the practice of officers extending this sort of professional courtesy to be indefensible, unjust, and corrupt. And what does this say about the officers who practice it? Well, according to the 14th Amendment of the Constitution (specifically the “Equal Protection Clause” aka “Equal Justice Under Law”) and founding principles of America, everybody is to be treated equally under the law.

This tenet is also supported by Scripture. Apostle Paul addressed this issue in Romans 2:1, which says, in effect, that although they may see themselves as being less accountable for their unlawful actions because of their position of authority, they are, in fact, more guilty because they should know better! 

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” (NIV) And because God is perfectly true and perfectly just, He “does not show favoritism.”—Romans 2:11

The badge and position of law enforcement is a place of high standards, and any person in authority who is caught breaking the law they are sworn to protect should receive at least the same, if not more harsh, justice according to the law.