Living Intentionally: The Moral Significance of Our Actions

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I can't give a yes or a no answer until I clarify some terms so what is sin what is the moral good what does morally neutral mean this is one of those great illustrations Tony of how simply defining our terms virtually answers the question yeah it's it's a great lesson to learn. [00:00:58]

I find that most arguments people are having go round and round because the terms are undefined with any biblical precision and the reason I say biblical Precision is because if you don't have an authority that you can both agree on then you probably won't even be able to Define your terms. [00:01:32]

There are at least two passages in Paul that I think get at the heart of what sin is one is chapters one to three of Romans Romans 3 23 says that we've all sinned and then it has this we fall short of or literally we lack the glory of God and I connect that statement with Romans 1 23. [00:03:31]

I think what Romans 3 23 means is that all human beings sin in that we prefer created Glory over God's glory we exchange God's glory for something we prefer so we lack or fall short of the glory of God so sin is first this is my definition now drawn from Romans. [00:04:23]

Sin is first the disposition of the human heart to prefer human Glory especially self-glory over God's glory and then secondarily sins plural would be the attitudes and words and actions that stem from that disposition that's my definition of sin from Romans uh three and and one. [00:04:54]

Whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats because the eating is not from faith for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin wow that's pretty sweeping so Paul is willing to Define sin as whatever is not from Faith which I think when you analyze it carefully down to the bottom. [00:05:35]

If the disposition of our heart is not to receive Christ I'm thinking what faith is right now is not to receive Christ to own Christ as our Supreme Savior and guide and treasure then what comes from that heart is sin that heart is the same as the heart that prefers created Glory over God's glory. [00:06:12]

Moral good is the disposition of the heart to prefer God overall or to treasure God in Christ over all so that the attitudes and words and actions that stem from that heart are good morally good now there are two other ways to describe this moral good because they result from acting in faith. [00:06:55]

We're actually on safest ground I think to say that what is morally good has all three of these traits one it comes from Faith two it Accords with God's commands three it aims to glorify God that's morally good that's the morally good so here's the implication about whether there are neutral areas of life. [00:07:48]

If we mean are there actions considered without any reference to humans doing those actions just actions in the abstract the answer is yes yes there there are thousands of such morally neutral in that sense morally neutral actions like walking down the street drinking a glass of water putting on your shoes. [00:08:12]

As soon as someone does them no matter how simple no matter how supposedly neutral they cease to be neutral they become moral because Paul said whatever you do do all put on your shoes walk down the street do all to the glory of God and either we do that or we don't and that Criterion makes them either sin or not. [00:08:58]

If an action or attitude is not forbidden or commanded in the Bible then the question for her and for all of us is am I moved to do this action by faith and by a desire to glorify God if so then she invests that seemingly neutral act with moral goodness you do something from Faith that's not forbidden in the Scriptures. [00:09:57]

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