Posts
Ted Manby
Does
a Christian face moral dilemmas in the world in which he lives? Based upon my
understanding of Scripture, reason, and experience, I must conclude that moral
dilemmas definitely do exist. What then
is the operating procedure for a conservative, evangelical Christian when he
finds himself in a moral dilemma? There
are actually several options that conservative Christians use and solid
evangelical authors defend.
Nevertheless, when a Christian finds himself in a situation in
which there is a conflict between several Scriptural commands that are absolutes,
the best position to take is that of Ideal Absolutism.
The world in which we live is clearly a
fallen world with pervasively depraved humans inhabiting it (Gen. 2-3; Rom.
1:18-32; 3:9-23; Eph. 2:1-3).
One
feature of the witness of Scripture that bears directly upon the biblical ethic
is its teaching on the depravity of human nature. ‘There is none righteous, no, not one . .
. There is none that doeth good, no, not
even one’ (Romans 3:10, 12). According
to the Bible human depravity is such that the fulfillment of the demands of the
biblical ethic is an impossibility. The
mind of the flesh, the mind of the natural man, ‘is not subject to the law of
God, neither indeed can it be’ (Romans 8:7).[1]
When sinners sin, their choices produce
consequences that affect their own futures and that of others. When dealing with people influenced by the
evil one, the world system, and their own sin natures, the Christian must be
“as wise as a serpent, yet as gentle as a dove” (Matt. 10:16).
Likewise,
when one is converted after making many sinful choices, he often finds himself
in situations where a number of God’s absolutes and commands come into apparent
conflict. This conflict is very real on
the human level, but not on the divine.
Likewise, in the world to come, where sin’s presence is removed, these
situations will not arise. Nevertheless,
in the fallen and cursed world in which we live, these dilemmas are very real
and equally difficult for us to determine the proper response.
Even though men I highly respect embrace
Non-Conflicting Absolutism (NCA), I cannot adopt it because of my understanding
of Scripture and my experiences as a pastor.
I see true moral conflicts in the Bible itself (i.e., Gen. 22:11-19; 1
Sam. 21:11-15; Acts 4:13-21) and in life experiences. Therefore, this position is not an option for
me to adopt.
What should a Christian do when facing a
moral dilemma? Being committed to a
modified form of Ideal Absolutism, I would first evaluate the Scriptural
commands that seem to apply to the situation.
At this point, my thinking is similar to the Hierarchicalist because of
my understanding of Scripture. Norman
Geisler makes this point by writing:
Not all moral
laws are of equal weight. Jesus spoke of
the “weightier” matters of the law (Matt. 23:33) and of the “least” (Matt.
5:19) and the “greatest” commandment (Matt. 22:36). He told Pilate that Judas had committed the
“greater sin” (John 19:11). Despite a
rather widespread evangelical distaste for a hierarchy of sins (and virtues),
the Bible does speak of the “greatest” virtue (1 Cor. 13:13) and even of
“greater” acts of a given virtue (John 15:13).[2]
In
order to find the path that would most glorify God and to choose the highest
possible good, I would seek to understand which commands had the greatest
weight.
Following the
course of action that is well pleasing to God may not always be easy in a
sinful and fallen world, but such obedient and even heroic options can, by the
grace of God, be found and followed even in the most extreme conditions. Such unswerving commitment to discerning and
obeying the will of God—including a willingness to pay the “cost of
discipleship”—is much needed in the twentieth-century American church, where believers
are all too often tempted by the comforts and compromises of the surrounding
culture.[3]
I
would also first seek a path that would allow me to obey all the commands or to
not violate any of them. “Normally there
is a third alternative when we face a moral dilemma. Scripture promises that God will provide a
way of escape (1 Cor. 10:13). Often,
this is the way of faith.”[4]
However, sometimes a third option cannot
be found. If I could not find another
way out after Bible study, prayer, and sanctified reasoning, I would choose to
obey the greatest command in order to glorify God the most in this
situation. Dr. McQuilkin writes about
cases like this.
If one feels he must make a
choice and do what the Bible describes as breaking a law, he should (1) make
the choice in line with biblical precedent and (2) confess the sin as a sin.[5]
Thus,
contrary to the Graded Absolutist or Hierarchicalist, I would repent of the
violations of the commands I had clearly broken. The blood of Christ must be applied to that
sin even if it appears to be the lesser of two evils. I have found no Biblical precedent that
redefines God’s absolutes when they conflict with others.[6] Likewise, I may have discerned wrongly and
chosen the path that least glorifies God.
To maintain fellowship with God, such sins should be confessed (1 John
1:9) if they are discerned to be clear violations of God’s moral law.
In spite of my respect for those who
hold to the NCA position, I cannot embrace it.
While serving as a pastor, I have found situations where three or more
commands appeared to be in conflict due to the sinful past choices of a new
believer who after conversion wanted to obey God. There were no easy answers.
For a number of years now, I have seen
that there are degrees to which a command can be broken and there are weightier
and lighter laws given in Scripture. In
this, I agree with the Graded Absolutist.
However, I use their exegesis of these texts in an Ideal Absolutist framework. Absolute commands of God that are broken for
any reason are still sin (1 John 3:4).
Therefore, grief, confession, and deep repentance is called for anytime
we violate a command of God, even if it is to obey a weightier command of
God. This is why I am an Ideal
Absolutist when it comes to handling moral dilemmas.
WORKS
CITED
Davis,
John Jefferson. Evangelical Ethics:
Issues Facing the Church Today.
Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian and Reformed, 1985.
Geisler, Norman L.
“Graded Absolutism.” In
Readings in Christian Ethics. Vol. 1,
Theory and Method, ed. David K. Clark and Robert V. Rakestraw. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994.
McQuilkin, Robertson. Principles of the Christian Life: An
Introduction to Biblical, Personal, and Social Ethics. Columbia, S.C.: by the author, 1983.
Murray,
John. Principles of Conduct. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1957.
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