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The will of God will never make sense unless in the context of a larger life, one Christ refers to as the Kingdom of God. This life can be called by other names, but it must be one within which our lives fit and not one we fit into our lives, or we will never be able to live a truly moral life. This moral life is nothing other than being a person in which our naturalness and godliness are wedded in joyful and loving harmony. No longer are we estranged from ourselves, for we are one with God.
Pastor, said a church member, “I try but fail to be the moral person I would like to be.” “Then,” replied the Pastor, “likely you are trying too much to act like a moral person rather than being a moral person. Be moral, and you will act morally.”
I do not focus as much on dogma and morality, explicitly, as many of my friends in the Christian faith. Why? I discovered, in my own experience and as a man well-schooled and disciplined in dogma and morality, that I still was unable to avoid spiritual bankruptcy. My over-focus on morality led me to a nauseous self-righteousness that shut me off from persons unlike me. My intellectualized dogma evidenced as an intolerable pride to all, except those whom I validated through validating their own pride and ignorance. Though the “good child” of the family and church family and a zealous defender of “the faith” from early age, I was haunted with that background sense, like a faint voice whispering always, “There is more, so much more than this.” No matter how I was recognized as a man with knowledge of theology and, likewise, of outstanding character by many, I was lonely and cut off from intimacy with Christ and other persons.
My story is much like, then, the testimony of St. Paul. Writing to the Philippians, St. Paul says:
5For I was circumcised when I was eight days old, having been born into a pure-blooded Jewish family that is a branch of the tribe of Benjamin. So I am a real Jew if there ever was one! What's more, I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6And zealous? Yes, in fact, I harshly persecuted the church. And I obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that I was never accused of any fault. (Philippians 3.5-6, NLT)
St. Paul had a resume that would have made most of his family, friends, and members of the synagogue say, “That Paul is a wonderful servant of God. I’d like to be like him.” Paul is allowed to see himself apart from his credentials of holiness, however.
7I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. (Philippians 3.7, NLT)
Something happened between verses 5-6 and verse 7. Paul has, literally, had a change, or conversion of heart, moving from external credentials of piety to an internal rebirthing of the self.
C. S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, observes that there are three aspects to morality. First, morality concerns human persons living in harmony. Second, morality pertains to “tidying up or harmonizing the things inside each individual.” Third, being moral means living out of a sense of loving duty to the Creating One. I call these three social, personal, and religious.
The aspects of morality work together. Lewis compares this to a fleet of ships. The fleet must know how to sail together, or there will be chaos and ship will crash into ship. No ship can say, “Well, what I do is my own business. As long as I am not hurting anyone else, I am okay.” No, to ignore the social aspect of morality will inevitably lead to hurting other persons. Every thought, word, and deed of Brian echoes outward into all the relationships he shares, each touch on the web resonates through the whole web. So, even at times we might surrender our right to say or do something, not because it is wrong in itself, but because it might bring hurt to other persons. Possibly, the greatest obedience is that not required.
Then, there is an inward and personal aspect to each ship in the fleet. If a ship is not taken care of and becomes unable to properly sail, it might veer into another ship or be unable to sail with the fleet. The ship must be seaworthy and have her engines in good order. Just having steering gears malfunctioning can bring a major collision. Morality relies on persons engaging in devotion and acts that transform themselves inwardly and maintain life-worthiness. No one can say, “Oh, I don’t have time for prayer and meditation, how I treat my neighbor is all that matters.” No. We treat other persons as we are. Being precedes action, action confirms being. Focusing on external law or rules will never, in itself, lead to positive and harmonious social attitudes and practices. Again, notice what St. Paul says:
22For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? (Romans 7, ESV)
Third, the religious aspect of morality pertains to knowing that we derive from the Creating One. The fleet is not simply trying to stay in formation, nor is each one meant only to be seaworthy. Why is the fleet on the sea? Who sent it? To whom is it responsible? Where is it going? How shall it get there? The only source to answer these questions of meaning and responsibility is the great wisdom traditions. I have found it amazing how the Law of the Creator manifests, though based on different beliefs and cultural factors, in amazingly similar and like ways within different religious faiths. This only confirms natural revelation and the consistency in universal principles of morality. If we learn these traditions, we see that, while they differ on some important points, they provide, consistently, a pointer to a Mind, or Being, or Creator … to Whom we each and all are responsible. This One has left enough hints and clear affirmations in nature, Scriptures, and the human spirit to clarify the universal moral principles that are applicable in all cultures, all faiths, and all peoples. These principles transcend rules, for rules arise out of the principles. Rules change, principles are stable. What if the fleet is to go to China? If it sails in the opposite direction, then, the fleet is failing to fulfill its responsibility, regardless of how well it sails in formation and each is seaworthy.
One of the weaknesses of moral teaching has been its focus on the social, with focus on especially the inward transformation sorely lacking. As a Christian Pastor, I am amazed at how long-time “Christians” can act consistently in ways that do harm to other persons, harbor prejudices, and hold grudges even against immediate family. See, you can talk about not slandering, but a slanderous person will slander. You can talk about respecting, but a disrespectful person will disrespect. Likewise, a loving person will love. A kind person will not be slanderous or malicious. A person being transformed into the likeness of Christ will not nurture consciously and in willfulness prejudices. A humble man or woman will not stubbornly resist all challenges to his or her version of truth. A humble person will be open to unlearning and relearning, all along the way, for he or she loves the Truth more than agreement, past tradition, or personal tastes.
Reflection
How do you see the social, personal, and religious aspects of morality in your life? How has your morality changed over time? What do you see as the difference between morality based on universal principles and morality based on rules or customs?
Prayer
Spirit of Christ, draw me so close to you that I become like you, more and more. Draw me close to you that I might be among others as you. Draw me close to you, so that I might worship my Creator through every word, thought, and act. I love you. I need you. Help me be what I cannot be without your help. Amen.
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