How to Deal with Today's Moral Issues

Even though the Christian world tries hard to stand on doctrines, biblical truth, some emotionalism, or, in some rare cases, even deception, the struggle to define what a Christian ought to be is today’s moral issue. In other words, no matter how much we try to move the identity narratives of Christianity to the sublime aspect of our traditions, what seems to matter is how we respond, in reality, to questions like, what should I do regarding what is right or wrong on human behavior. No matter how much we know the Bible or how much time and effort we put into our church’s calendar, we are judged, loved, or hated for what we do and what stands we take on practical questions of our social and personal practices. Things like modern and liberal stands on gender, abortion, child education, perspectives on history, government credibility, and citizens’ responses are for Christian,  non-Christian, and others, a definitive statement on defining what a Christian should be. The challenge seems to be that, given the new approach to truth and reality, there are as many responses to these issues as people. So, our moral standards seem to be the deal­breaker factor in our Christian projection to others. So, the question is, how do we deal with today’s ethical and moral issues so we can reflect Christ and be faithful to the undeserved privilege of being called Christians?

The answer to the last question is simple for Lutherans: it is impossible to please God or be a moral subject without grace and the Holy Spirit actively working in us. According to the Bible, we are all sinners. We all have fallen short of God’s glory (Rom. 3:23). Furthermore, we are all condemned because sin and death came to humans after the fall in the Garden of Eden and before the Law. It is just through Christ’s sacrifice that we achieved salvation (Rom. 5:12-19), but it is essential to remember that salvation is not obtained by human desire or effort but depends solely on God’s mercy (Rom 9:16).

In the same way that salvation is not ours to obtain, but it is a gift from God (Eph. 2:8-9), being moral beings and acting ethically (because of our sinful nature -Rom. 5:8 ), it is not a matter of willingness or conscience but empowerment of God’s Spirit working on us (Rom. 1-17). We are, then, surrendering our will to God; it is vital to be morally correct in our social stands and practical choices.

So, what else can we do to be morally righteous because of our sinful nature? What kind of responsibility do we have for our behavior? Dr. Martin Luther was not a systematic theologian. Therefore, he never developed a systematic ethical approach other than exposing believers to make moral choices in freedom. It does not take much for those who the Spirit leads to know that love is a moral imperative for Christians. Love for others: the lesser ones, the marginalized, those who do not look like us. Our moral choices and actions should always be aligned with Jesus Christ’s teaching according to God’s love and empathy.

last, we should be able to align our moral being through the guidance of the Spirit to our moral doings. In other words, our practices could not be limited to public consumption but to our private lives. Good or bad, we are what we do primarily in confidential settings. May the good Lord help us all practice what we preach and be confident that we preach what we practice. After all, the moral stand of our nation and the world may depend on it.

 God Bless You All,

Pastor Eric M. Miletti