The Importance of Christian Morals

Morals are a vital part of the fabric of everyday life. Unfortunately for us living in the beginning of the third millennium, it seems that morals are becoming passed. Everywhere we turn we see immorality and amorality being taught and practiced. What has happened to the days when good Christian morals were seen as one of the most important traits in a man?
Living in a world where it seems the immoral and the amoral are the most likely to succeed, where everyday we see the so-called benefits of immoral lifestyles touted on television and in movies it can be very difficult for the Christian who wants to live a life grounded in good Christian morals. Christians are no stranger to difficulty and adversity, though, and the current immorality of the world is nothing new.

Throughout the history of humankind men have been almost eager to shed any and all morals. Mankind lives in a state of perpetual sin, and while some men seek to preserve that which is good and right, even the best of men will suffer from a lapse of morals from time to time. But still if we are to follow Christ's example then we must do our best to live a life of morals.

If we turn our trust to God, who is our Rock, and not to the world, it becomes much easier for us to live a life of morals. After all it is not glory of the world which we seek; it is the glory of God. God is the Creator of all things, and if we wish to live with Him in Heaven then it is upon Him whom we must set our eyes and not upon the things of this world.

This is not to try to say that we can achieve the wonders of life in Heaven upon death through a life of good morals. It is a fact of our existence that we on our own are sinning creatures. All fall short of the glory of God, save one. That man is Christ Jesus. It was Jesus and only Jesus who has lived a perfect and blameless life and it is through Christ that we ourselves are saved. Only by accepting his sacrifice upon the cross for us can we ever hope to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Does this mean that we can live a life of immorality and still be able to get into heaven through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross? Can we live with no morals whatsoever and still be given an eternity of peaceful bliss in Heaven? No. For if we have truly accepted Christ into our hearts as our Lord and Savior then it will be in our nature to wish to act according to good and decent morals.

Many have often pondered the question, where do morals come from? The metaphysics of morals is a question that has long been debated by philosophers and theologians. One of the most important treatises on the subject was written by the famed philosopher Kant: The Grounding of the Metaphysics of Morals.

Kant states that it is from reason where our sense of morals comes. Morality is completely rational in the mind of Kant, and the development of morals always has a reasonable origin. After all, if we all lived according to strong Christian morals, this would be a much happier place to live in. It is reasonable that we should attempt to live by these sorts of moral laws.

Many philosophers have criticized the work of Kant on the Metaphysics of Morals. Others have their own interpretations. Many Christian writers, among them CS Lewis, see morals and our ingrown sense of morality as a gift from God. To Lewis morals are hardwired into us because this is the manner in which God wishes us to live. Because all men, whatever their race, sex, creed or color, have morals (and generally morals fall along very simple, basic lines), this is evidence that we in fact have been designed by a Creator who programmed these morals into us.
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