Ethics and Consequences

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (Isaiah 5:20)

How fair are your ethics?

Our consciences are implanted by God in our hearts at birth, and every human being has one, even though thy do not function perfectly. We read in scripture:

For whenever the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things required by the law, these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend them… (Rom. 2:14–15)

Our consciences defend us in that we have one, but they accuse us in that (a) they are imperfect and (b) we do not always follow them.

Consciences are an inherent part of being a human being, yet they are developed as we grow through our experiences and decisions — hence their imperfection. If, for example, we are raised in an environment which is strict and unforgiving, even if it was a Christian environment where the gospel of grace was espoused and proclaimed, we may be rather unforgiving ourselves, our own consciences having been “seared as with a hot iron” (1 Tim. 4:2).

To trace all of the comments and theories espoused by theologians, religions, scientists, psychologists, and philosophers through the centuries is exhausting. Yet there are some consistent factors that come into view: fear of punishment, fear of rejection, individual benefit versus the benefit of the group, compassion for the victim, safety for our family, self-identity and community, and the knowledge of God’s will. Do I feel “guilty” because I go against my friends, my ethnic group, and what seems to be in the best interest of me and my family? Or, do I feel “guilty” only because I have taken a stance on the divine revelation of God’s Word?

The recent American election shows how imperfect Christian consciences are, with Christians voting on all sides claiming that their conscience led them to this position. Whatever knowledge we gain from this, we should understand that there is a difference between our consciences, even a Christian’s conscience, and the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.

The Christian must seek to know the mind of Christ in all matters. We should preach the truth in love. Our message and our methods should be of the same character as the gospel of God’s grace through Christ.

Some of those things that I believe we Christians are apt to miss in terms of right and wrong include:

• Humble admission of our own weaknesses
• Compassionate love for the “stranger,” the one who is not like us
• Sincere efforts to promote social justice — the poor should not have less rights than the wealthy
• Genuine compassion for the victims of violent crime
• Responsible living
• Help to the weakest

There is a regrettable naivete in the world today, that, while calling for sincere hospitality for the stranger in need, cannot seem to find the means to identify the enemy disguised as needy innocent. We go, too often, from one extreme to another, rather than keeping to the middle position that balance compassion and care. Compassion is always risky, and we are wise to diminish the risk, but we can never erase it entirely.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said conscience came from a “depth which lies beyond a man’s own will and his own reason and it makes itself heard as the call of human existence to unity with itself.”* In that sense conscience will always fight a lonely battle against what is wrong — often even lonely within our own hearts, as it must or should reject the sinful nature and the baser human instincts. The Christian who seeks to do and say what is right out of his love of God, must, by definition of the act, turn away from the attitudes and opinions of others. We may be wise, encouraging, and kind, and even cajoling, and he may find himself in considerable company, but if it is the company of the committed, they are all there by their conscience and by the witness of the Spirit within them.

It is easier to rally people around fear than around courage. It is easier to find others who will hate what seems to endanger them, than to love their enemies. It is easier to unite to blame others than to unite to search our own hearts and confess our own faults.

I do not have a clever ending to these thoughts today, except to say that we each should pray for the wisdom to know what is right, the courage to do it, and the grace to deal graciously with others as we do it. One of the greatest needs in today’s world is the peacemakers who will give a witness to mercy, love, and grace in this world.

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*Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Ethics. (Eberhard Bethge (ed) Neville Horton Smith (translator) Collins. London 1963) p. 242.