1 Morality Romans 12 1 5 2 Romans

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Morality Romans 12: 1 -5 2

Romans 12: 1 -5 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. [2] And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. [3] …” 3

Romans 12: 1 -5 “…For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. [4] For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, [5] so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. ” 4

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What Is The Reason? • Sin is not looked upon as sin anymore • There has been a general relaxing of attitudes toward morality. 6

Lutheran church - 1970 "allow Lutherans to look favorably on the development of a sexual relationship between a married person and someone other than his marriage partner. " (Louisville Courier Journal July 3 10, 1970) 7

What Is The Reason? “Every man must decide for himself what is right. " -- "any act -- even lying, premarital sex, abortion, adultery, and murder -- could be right depending on the circumstances. ” • Joseph Fletcher, a professor of Social Ethics 8

What Is The Reason? • Just as Christians do not remain static • So do sinners become worse and worse – 2 Timothy 3: 13 “But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. ” 9

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What is Morality? • How should we determine? • "What is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after. “ – Earnest Hemingway • Is this our standard of morality? 11

What is Morality? • Webster – (a) "of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behavior: Ethical. (b) Expressing or teaching a conception of right behavior. – (c) Conforming to a standard of right behavior. (d) Sanctioned by or operative on one's conscience or ethical judgment. " 12

What is Morality? • How shall we determine? • Should we use these definitions in determining morality? – 2 Samuel 13: 1 -13 13

2 Samuel 13: 1 -13 “Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her. [2] Amnon was so frustrated because of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her. …” 14

2 Samuel 13: 1 -13 “…[3] But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man. [4] He said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me? " Then Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom. " …” 15

2 Samuel 13: 1 -13 “…[5] Jonadab then said to him, "Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill; when your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me some food to eat, and let her prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat from her hand. ' " [6] So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; when the king came to see him, …” 16

2 Samuel 13: 1 -13 “… Amnon said to the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand. " [7] Then David sent to the house for Tamar, saying, "Go now to your brother Amnon's house, and prepare food for him. " …” 17

2 Samuel 13: 1 -13 “…[8] So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was lying down. And she took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. [9] She took the pan and dished them out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, "Have everyone go out from me. " So everyone went out from him. …” 18

2 Samuel 13: 1 -13 “…[10] Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand. " So Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon. [11] When she brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister. " …” 19

2 Samuel 13: 1 -13 “…[12] But she answered him, "No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing! [13] "As for me, where could I get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you. "” 20

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Morality as defined in Scripture: • “for such a thing is not done in Israel” – Leviticus 18: 9 “'The nakedness of your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover. ” 22

Morality as defined in Scripture: • “for such a thing is not done in Israel” – Leviticus 18: 9 – It is against God. – Yes there absolutes. 23

Morality as defined in Scripture: • “As for me, where could I get rid of my reproach? ” – This was against another human being, made in God's image. • Genesis 1: 26, 27 24

Genesis 1: 26, 27 “Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping that creeps on the earth. " 27 God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. ” 25

Matthew 25: 40, 45 “"The King will answer and say to them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me. '” 26

Matthew 25: 40, 45 “Then He will answer them, 'Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. '” 27

1 Corinthians 8: 12 “And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. ” 28

Morality as defined in Scripture: • “as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel” – It was a sin against himself • 1 Corinthians 6: 18 “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. ” 29

Morality • “…concerned with three things. – Fair play and harmony between individuals. – Harmonizing the things inside each individual. – The general purpose of human life as a whole; what man was made for. " 30

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Christian’s Relationship to Morality • The Christian must be a morally good person, but not just by the world's standards. • The Christian must be morally good by God's standards – Turn our attention first and foremost toward heaven. • Matthew 6: 33 32

Matthew 6: 33 “"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. ” 33

Romans 12: 1, 2 “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. ” 34

Isaiah 55: 8, 9 “"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, " declares the Lord. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts. ” 35

Matthew 7: 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, ' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. ” 36

Ecclesiastes 12: 13 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. ” 37

Christian’s Relationship to Morality • “Will it be harmful to others? " – 1 Corinthians 8: 8 -13 38

1 Corinthians 8: 8 -13 “But food will not commend us to God; we are neither the worse if we do not eat, nor the better if we do eat. [9] But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. [10] For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol's temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? …” 39

1 Corinthians 8: 8 -13 “…[11] For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. [12] And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. [13] Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble. ” 40

Philippians 2: 3, 4 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. ” 41

Christian’s Relationship to Morality • “Will it be harmful to others? " • We must keep ourselves "fit" for the Master's use. – 1 John 2: 15 -17 42

1 John 2: 15 -17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. …” 43

1 John 2: 15 -17 “…[17] The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. ” 44

Proverbs 14: 12 “There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. ” 45

Luke 9: 62 “But Jesus said to him, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. "” 46

James 1: 27 “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. ” 47

Christian’s Relationship to Morality • "will it be harmful to others? " • We must keep ourselves "fit" for the Master's use. • All these are included in the 1 st and 2 nd commandments – Matthew 22: 36 -40 48

Matthew 22: 36 -40 “"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law? " [37] And He said to him, " 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ' [38] "This is the great and foremost commandment. [39] "The second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ' [40] "On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets. "” 49

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Matthew 5: 13 -16 “"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. [14] "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; …” 51

Matthew 5: 13 -16 “…[15] nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. [16] "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. ” 52