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Making moral decisions has to do with confronting day-by-day temptations and behavior options. Everyone operates by some set of “moral standards” that determine his/her behavior, even if they are immoral. Some of the faulty principles men follow are:
- “Is it fun?” or “Will it give me pleasure?” This rule is as old as the human race (Gen. 3:6), was “codified” by the 4th-century BC philosopher, Epicurus, and is mentioned in the New Testament (1 Cor. 15:12, 32). Paul Kurtz stated its modern version: “As secular humanists we believe in the central importance of the value of human happiness here and now.” The is-it-fun rule of life will eventuate in anything but “fun” (Phi. 3:19; Gal. 5:19–21; et al.).
- “Is it profitable?” or “What’s in it for me?” While this dictum involves covetousness, it embraces more than mere money. Pride, prestige, popularity, and power are its frequent fellow travelers. Our continued existence as a nation of free people is seriously threatened by many forces, including many elected officials and/or political appointees who live by this rule. Liquor merchants, drug dealers, pimps, and crooks (white-collar or gangsters) live by this code. This is the creed of shyster TV preachers who live to deceive the gullible with fake “tongues speaking” and phony “healings” so they can live as royalty. The love of money is still the “root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:9–10).
- “Is it lawful?” This basis is more honorable for making moral decisions than the foregoing ones (although pleasure- and money-lovers often ignore the legality/illegality of their conduct). As long as human laws do not contradict Divine law (Acts 5:29), we must obey human laws (Rom. 13:1–7), and our world would be a far better place if all were law-abiding citizens. However, basing moral decisions merely on human laws is seriously flawed; living within the law does not equal moral uprightness. It is almost universally legal to sell and consume alcoholic beverages. Prostitution is legal in many areas of the world, including some places in our nation. Various forms of gambling are not only legal, but are vigorously promoted and encouraged by government. Sodomy, once universally illegal in our nation, is now universally protected behavior. “No-fault” divorce laws allow that which the Lord prohibits, except for fornication (Mat. 19:9).
All of the above are subjective, mutable opinions. The Bible is the only objective standard for our moral decisions.
[Note: I wrote this article for and it was published in the Denton Record-Chronicle, Denton, TX, February 12, 2016.
Attribution: From thescripturecache.com; Dub McClish, owner and administrator.
