Our culture is increasingly speeding toward a view of neutral morality. On the surface, this may not seem like such a bad thing. The rationale for this worldview is framed within concepts of tolerance and love. Buzzwords like "inclusion" and "acceptance" are utilized. But at its core, this philosophical position can simply be summarized as "anything and everything goes." Or, in more modern vernacular: "you just do you, boo."
Ultimately, we have exchanged a moral compass to guide us as a society for the pursuit of whatever we personally desire. When our personal desires are driven by fleshly pursuits, we are left with sin. Yet, our society would never call this sin. They would suggest it is just “being true to yourself.”
Old Testament Scholar J. Alex Motyer says, “Sin is no longer sin, it is the new morality. Thus it is that societies collapse.”1
A morally ambiguous society is prone to making compromising ethical decisions, which is the beginning of societal collapse. If everyone is "right," then no one can be "wrong." Therefore, each individual becomes the authoritative decision-maker on what is right and wrong, what is evil and good, and what is acceptable and unacceptable. The appeal of this is personal pleasure and the promise of peace. But the reality is internal and external chaos. This is why we need boundaries. Boundaries are good for us as they establish necessary limits for the sake of safety and security.
Take into consideration the creation account in Genesis. In the beginning, the world was "formless and empty." The original Hebrew has "tohu wa bohu" and carries connotations of "wasteland and wilderness," expressing chaos and disorder. In contrast to the disorder of creation, we have the presence of the Spirit of God "hovering" over the waters. The very next actions of God are to create order out of the disorder through a series of "separations" or "boundaries." God separates the sky and land, dry land and sea, land animals and sea animals. Each of these boundaries served a purpose — peace. Central to all of this is the Spirit of God (Psalm 33:6; Job 34:14-15). The Spirit of God not only sustains creation but leads humanity into truth and godliness.
"When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come." (John 16:13, CSB)
Therefore, for Christians, the Biblical worldview presents peace and order within the context of truth (grounded in Scripture), which leads us to our convictions. This flies in stark contrast to the cultural tide of moral ambiguity pushing us towards a “neutral” worldview. Therefore, it shouldn't surprise us when Christians hold fast to Biblical convictions rooted in the truth of Scripture that the world perceives as hatred, disunity, and intolerance.
Jesus reminds us of this very truth when he said:
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you."
Even in the midst of hatred, misunderstanding, and misrepresentation, the way of Jesus is the way of love. It's a kind of love that is holistic and anchored in the person of Christ. It is both grace and truth, mercy and justice, empathetic and convictional, and ordered by our allegiance to King Jesus and none other.
Compromising on our convictions and truth will create more confusion. There is a way to live in the world where we are morally upright and able to show kindness and compassion when possible. We just need to be careful we don't compromise our morality for the sake of compassion and empathy. We also can't abstain from compassion and empathy in pursuit of self-righteousness.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who lived this tension under the Nazi regime, understood this when he wrote, "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act." Yet he also recognized that our conviction must be accompanied by love.
It's a tension to be managed, and the only way to do so is through the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Paul in Galatians 5:16-26 gives us four spatial directions in connection to the Spirit of God:
Walk by the Spirit (Galatians 5:16)
Be led by the Spirit (Galatians 5:17)
Live by the Spirit (Galatians 5:25)
Keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25)
In other words, stay as close as possible to the Spirit. Where the Spirit moves, we move. Where the Spirit pauses, we pause. When the Spirit slows down, we slow down. When the Spirit speeds up, we pick up the pace. No matter what, we stay near the Spirit. Paul leads the list with the idea of "walking" with the Spirit.
The word "walk" (περιπατεῖτε) denotes the need to submit to the Spirit day by day. There is a tension in the verse between divine enablement and human choice. On the one hand, believers must choose to live by the Spirit, while on the other hand, the Spirit empowers believers to live a life pleasing to God. There is an echo of the daily bread/manna that God gave the Israelites in the wilderness to remind the people of their dependence on God and reject the temptation to be self-dependent.
We have the daily presence and power of the Spirit to lead us fresh and new with power and authority. Yet, you and I need to choose to partake in this Spirit-empowered life that leads to reflecting and embodying the righteousness of Christ. We cannot live out the righteousness of Christ and also succumb to the cultural tide of moral ambiguity. These two things cannot live in tension. One will rule the other. The question for the believer is: Which one will rule us?
The Christian response to moral ambiguity is quite simple: submission to the Holy Spirit's leading. The Spirit of God will lead us to a life of righteousness, convict us of sin, prompt us to compassion, and encourage us to have Gospel conviction. We can trust the Spirit of God.
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There are inescapable aspects of life we are all marked by. We have less control than we want, more anxiety than we're comfortable with, and just enough insecurity to continually remind us of our shortcomings. To experience these things is to be human. We aren't superheroes, and invincibility isn't an option.
But humility is.
Weakness is not your enemy. Planted in the soil of humility, weakness becomes a means to gaining more strength and more peace.
To learn more about the ancient virtue of humility, check out Dr. Joel’s book, Hidden Peace:Finding True Security, Strength, and Confidence Through Humility.