Moral Relativism

One of the popular ideas of mankind is this idea that morals are relative.  That what is considered acceptable moral behavior is determined by the dominant culture. This idea that what is considered morally acceptable is determined by culture and society is called Moral Relativism or just Relativism. 

The arguments often point to standards such as the Ten Commandments as antiquated and not relevant to modern society. They will call the moral standards of past generations "old fashioned". They argue that society has evolved and that the moral standards must change in our changing world. 

Now here is the fundamental problem with this view. First off, part of the reason this mode of thinking has become popular is because everyone is trying to be politically correct. No one wants to offend anyone. Those that do not meet the moral standards of one society do not want to feel inferior. They want to feel better about themselves regardless of their conduct. 

Secondly, they want to justify how different cultures view the world without coming to a conclusion that some cultures are better than others in a moral sense. So by making morality a flexible matter of opinion, they can justify all kinds of things by simply stating that it is acceptable in that culture. 

The problem with this view is that right and wrong are in fact quite concrete. There are hard fast laws of the universe, and if these laws are either kept or broken certain consequences result. Our point of  view does not alter the end results. While it is true that some forbearance is due, ultimately the eternal truths are always true, and either we find ourselves in compliance with those truths or we do not. 

One example is found in today's society.  The culturally accepted rules for dating, dress standards, language standards, etc. have changed dramatically from what they were say one hundred years ago. The relativist will state that because society has changed, then the new standards are not morally inferior to the previous standards. But the hard facts have not changed, and these lowered social standards have played a major part in the decay of our society. The natural consequences of these changes is an absolute. As the moral standards of the society degrade relative to the moral truth, the result is: indulgence, increased selfishness, debt, weaker relationships, increased abuse, corruption, promiscuity, reduced scholastic achievement, laziness, a sense of entitlement, etc. No matter what the society considers acceptable, the breaking of eternal laws produces certain natural consequences. Likewise, if society increases its moral standards, various blessings naturally result. 

My point is that morality needs to be based upon the truth, not culturally relative ideas. The bible contains and teaches these truths. It happens that a loving God 

What Do We Need To Repent Of?

With these things in mind, the next important question is what do we need to repent of. If we do not get a clear idea of what we need to repent of, then we can waste a lot of effort repenting of things that may not have been a major issue and not repenting of things that are. Or worse yet, we get overwhelmed with all our weaknesses and loose hope that we can repent. 

In order to more fully understand this, you need to realize that many different faiths and cultures put priority on different things. In one culture certain behaviors might be considered wrong that might not have anything to do with our characters. And in other cultures practices that might be considered perfectly acceptable are not in accordance with the laws of God. 

So there does need to be a standard by which we judge whether our behavior is right or wrong. In the next articles, we can examine some popular theories regarding these matters so that we can get to the truth. 

Complete Repentance

When we take all 5 steps I listed and complete them all, then we have fulfilled the requirements of repentance. 

Again, the steps are first to recognize that we have sinned. Second to feel genuine sorrow that we have done wrong. Third, resolve to do better. Fourth, make it right with those affected. Fifth to change so completely that we come to abhor the sin.  The exact order of these things is not so important as that all the steps are taken. 

Now the Lord does not require us to be perfect in order for the atonement to apply on our behalf. What he does require is that we are earnestly striving to progress. Faking and kidding ourselves is not real repentance and will not produce the results. 

When we truly repent, then Christ will atone for our sins and we will gradually become clean and blameless. This is not a sudden or overnight process. It takes years for us to repent. That's why this idea of a deathbed repentance is nonesense. If you lack the determination to repent in life, you are not going to do it in death. 

For the aid of the reader, I will repeat the 5 Rs of Repentance

1. Recognition of sin
2. Remorse or Regret for wrongdoing
3. Resolve to change
4. Reconcile with yourself, others, and God
5. Reform completely to become a new person

Reform Completely

When someone has truly repented, their character is changed. They become a new person. 

For example, a person who lied, but repents of that sin must repent such that they become an honest man known for his honesty and integrity. He becomes the sort of person that does not lie. If he still falters back and lies when things get tough, he has not yet repented.

The same holds true of other sins. A thief must become the sort of man who would rather lay down his life than to steal. A coveteous man must give away all he has willingly.  An adulterer must become someone who strives to protect virtue and chastity. We must fight against sin. We must learn to abhor it. If we do not, then we have not repented. 

Reconcile With Others

When we sin, we don't just hurt ourselves. Sin always hurts and affects others too. We hurt those directly involved, and we hurt God. 

In order for us to repent we need to repair the damage. We need to make it right. So if we stole, we need to restore not only what we stole, but must also restore the damaged relationship and lost trust. If we lie or spread rumors, we must restore the damaged reputations. Same with all other sins. 

Christ's atonement does not change this fact. Christ instructed us by His word that we must repent and come unto Him.  Reconciliation is a crucial part of repentance. In order to make the atonement apply to us, we have to apply repentance. This reconciliation constitutes several parts. 

We must humble ourselves and confess our sin to those we hurt and to God. Then we must accept whatever justice or payment or service is required in order to obtain forgiveness and to repay the debt as must as we are able. We must repair the damage. If we are too proud to do this, then we have not repented. 

Resolve to Change

Once we have acknowledged that we have done wrong and we feel strongly enough amount it to desire to do something, we need to resolve to change. We need to formulate a plan in our lives about what we need to do to overcome that sin, how to go about repairing the damage, and reach a point of true repentance. 

If we don't resolve to change, we will tend to fall back into the same weakness. Like a smoker who desires to quit his habit, if we don't make a firm resolution, nothing will ever happen. One cannot simply say that someday they will do things differently. You have to make a firm determination about what you are going to do and then do it.  

Usually these changes don't consist of large scale grand plans but rather smaller yet determined steps. If we try to tackle the whole issue at once it can seem daunting and discouraging. But if we take things just one day at a time with a firm goal in our heart and mind, we can improve and grow. 

Regret Your Actions

Just because we recognize that we have sinned does not mean that we feel truly sorry. In order to repent we must actually feel remorse. If we know we did wrong, but we don't regret it or feel that is not a serious matter, then we won't work towards a change. 

The world tells us we should feel sorry for what we've done. It tells us that what's past is past, what's done is done, that we shouldn't worry about it and can't change it and that we should move on. But if we don't learn to regret our wrongdoings, we will repeat them. The world teaches differently than God does. It is true we can't change the past, but we can change ourselves, and we can start down a path that can repair the damage. But that will not happen unless we accept that. 

Recognize the Sin

The first step in repentance is to recognize sin. If we do not see and acknowledge that our action was sinful, why would we ever consider changing?  If we choose to remain in denial, we will continue to get the same results and we will not progress. 

Sin is a condition of the heart. If we do something wrong, we need to acknowledge it. If we are hurting ourselves or someone else, or getting gain in some questionable way, that is sin. If we do something we know is not right, no matter how trivial it may seem to others, it is sin. The better we know, the more serious it is. We know when we do right or wrong.

We need to learn to look at our actions honestly and recognize that what we do has an effect both on ourselves and upon others.  This part may seem harsh, but we must apply this approach to ourselves in honesty, otherwise we will not begin the repentance process and we will become a slave to that sin. 

Repentance

Before continuing into many more concepts, I feel it is of the utmost importance that we understand the meaning of repentance. Many people have a false idea of repentance that leads them to believe that they have repented or that others have repented when they have not. 

As a consequence they do not get the results of real repentance. They continue to feel guilty, they tend to slide back into the same mistakes, people mistrust them, etc. 

Every one of us has made mistakes, so it is important that we understand repentance correctly so that we can do it, and so that we don't get caught in these "feel good" traps that sell us short of the real thing. 

God's Forgiveness

There seems to be this perception that God has this power in which He can simply pardon us of our sins. This idea that Christ came to the Earth and shed His blood on the cross so that our sins could be washed away and that we are saved because of His sacrifice. 

The atonement of Christ does not remove our sins. Repentance is the only thing that cleans us. Christ's atonement makes this possible. It provides a way in which we can do all we can and He can help us. Without His atonement we would be condemned without hope. But we still have to repent and turn to Him. This idea that we can simply call on His name and be forgiven is a false doctrine that is one of the very things that will prevent us from repenting. We have to take upon us His name, which means we have to become like Him. 

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." Matthew 7:21-23

God is a very loving God. He cares very deeply about us and wants to help us. His love is deeper than what we really understand, and His existence is completely committed to our growth and success. He wants us to have what he has. 

That being said, in order to have what he has we must learn to overcome our fallen nature. We must give up our egos, our pride, our selfishness. We have to learn to love as He does. God is ready and willing to forgive us and He always loves us, but that does not change our characters or remove the consequences of our actions. 

Christ came to Earth to show us how to be loving and forgiving. He came to show us how to walk in righteousness so that we can overcome our natural tendencies. By following His examples and teaching we can become like Him and share in His glory.  That is what He desires for us. 

The idea of universal, unconditional forgiveness is false. In order to become a glorified being you must overcome the things that hold you back. God will not force us to be righteous. He will not force us to be loving. If we want to take part in what He has to offer, we must follow the path that leads to it. God is waiting with open arms for us to choose Him. 

Fulfilling The Law

Now that I have covered then Ten Commandments and expounded upon their meaning, I wish to place emphasis on the fact that all of these commandments are fulfilled when our hearts become changed. When we give up our selfish prideful desires we start to become the saints of God. We don't become his people by living the law outwardly. If we behave rightly, but in our hearts we desire to be wicked, then we are wicked. 

In my blog, I am not trying to promote any particular faith other than faith in a True and Living God. No one religion holds a monopoly on God. All the different denominations can claim all they like about being God's church, but churches are not saved collectively, but rather individual members are saved. In like fashion, a church is a school, but only the students who study and do their assignments will learn the lessons and graduate. We each individually must learn and apply the teachings God has given us in order to obtain the qualities we need to be with Him. 

This is the truth. If it hurts your feelings, I can't help it. It doesn't matter if you are Christian, Jewish, Mormon, or some other denomination. Your church does not have power to save you. No ordinance or ritual will save you. Obedience to the commandments is a good start. If you do not apply the commandments to your hearts and be changed, then no amount of forgiveness will change you into a heavenly being. When you die and leave this mortality, your character is not going to be magically transformed into that of a peaceable, loving, selfless person. God pardoning your sin is not going to change who you are. 

Ego

The three examples I have just given all have something in common. That common element is that man has a tendency to worship himself. Mankind has an inherent ego, a pride in what mankind is and does.

Let's think about it. Money, the first topic I covered is created by man to place some kind of value upon man's efforts. The second item

I discussed was power and influence, man seeks to be honored by other men. Thirdly, we take great pride in what we have created or accomplished in our own eyes. 

Why do they do this?  Because they seek to validate themselves. They want a justification that what they doing is right. They believe in what they call progress. In their pride, they believe that their generations accomplishments are the the greatest that have yet been. They don't want to be told that they need to improve or change themselves. And they by nature desire to gratify their own immediate wants and neglect the wants and needs of others. 

This pride is in direct conflict with becoming like God. It is the great sin, the sin that causes all other sins. In our pride we do not desire to change our characters. We do not desire to change our hearts.  We do not desire to be put through the fire. If we are humble we will take a good look at our own position and standing and see who we really are. And we will see that we are not yet where we need to be. But in pride we refuse to see the truth, and as such become rebels against God. It is impossible to have no other Gods and still have this pride. 

The visions of Daniel demonstrate that the empires that man builds of his own strength will crumble and fall. They may temporarily thrive, but invariably all things made by man are subject to decay. If we put our focus and trust in God and His truth, those things are eternal. In order for us to transcend this world, we must stop worshipping the things of this world. In order for us to gain entrance into Heaven, we must leave this world and its gods behind. That includes ego. 

Celebrities and Idols

In the scriptures it tells that men would make idols of wood and stone, and worship them. To us modern people, this concept seems strange. It seems laughable that people would worship what they had created themselves. But that there is the key I'm hitting at. 

Very often today man worships what they have created. One needs only look around at our proud monuments, our technology, our skyscrapers, our houses, our cities, our cars, etc. These things can better our lives, but it is a fine line. Many people are proud of what we have accomplished as a nation, as a culture, as a society. 

And a culture of worship has arise among these things.  And know where is it more aparent that our worship of culture. We idolize our movies and the actors who play in them, we idolize our singers, we idolize sports and the athletes, and we idolize companies and the products they make. 

These things are very unlike God and serve to distract us, corrupt us, and lead us away from developing the character and attributes we should be pursuing. They encourage selfishness, greed, and vanity. People divide themselves by rank, according to their worldly riches. Those who wear brand name and designer clothes are esteemed by society. People spend outrageous sums of money and time on movies and music, and following what their favorites actors and singers do. 

One can judge what we worship by what we spend our time and energy pursuing.  The idols today are no different than the idols of former generations. We must learn to place God in his proper role, and serve the cause of truth. 

Power and Influence

Another area where people forget God is in seeking power and influence. Money is one way in which it can be obtained or it can be obtained through connections, position in society, deception, favors, etc. 

A truth which the scriptures tell us is that God is no respector of persons. This means that our position in society means nothing to Him. What God does respect is our righteous desires. If we conform our characters to fulfill His commandments and laws then we also serve and honor Him. But when we seek to gain glory to ourselves, we have to commit acts that draw us away from God.  We have to commit our hearts to self exaltation and self worship.  It is impossible to seek the honors of men and serve God at the same time.

I will extend this beyond our own efforts to pursue power to include our honoring of others and the position and power they claim to hold among men. We fear to offend men, when we ought to fear to offend God. We fear being unpopular or rejected. We are willing to be more concerned about what men might think than about our eternal standing. How can we claim to be God's people and honor Him if we fear men more than God?  When we place men's opinions before God, we are very literally worshipping men. 

Money

One of the common gods that people literally worship without fully realizing it is money. Now let's take a moment and really think about it. When we worship someone or something we put our efforts towards that thing and we make sacrifices for it. 

Now money in itself is not the problem. What becomes a problem is that God has asked that we forsake the world and seek after the truth. Now it is a reality that we do need to work to obtain a living and that money is the means of exchange that we typically use. That is part of our reality. 

But the problem is that many people put emphasis on what money can do and what money represents. In our society those that have more money can not only buy more and buy more freely, but they also possess a certain amount of respect and prestige among the world. Money represents a power. Those that have money can control and govern over others. But perhaps I can clarify the problem by asking some questions. Does a person who happens to possess more money also possess character traits like God?  Does he possess love, faith, hope, gratitude, patience?  Is he noble and honorable?  Is he honest and trustworthy?  Wealth is something the world values and respects. But it is not something that God respects and it is not something that makes us better people. 

Many will argue that you need to be successful financially to better serve God. But the reality is that the pursuit of money always takes us away from God. God has commanded that we have no other Gods before Him. If our focus is drawn away to the acquisition of wealth, we are placing wealth before God. And that love of wealth and what it can do for us is the problem I am getting at here. Serve God first, and stop pursuing money.