Who's right? Who's wrong? Who knows?

A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2023 shows that most Americans say it is not necessary to believe in God to be moral. For believers, this brings up some important questions. If being virtuous has nothing to do with faith, does that make God irrelevant to morality? Or is God the bedrock that all morality is built on?

The Bible makes it crystal clear that the latter is true: There are absolute rights and wrongs because they reflect God’s righteous nature. His commands and rules set the bar we all must measure up to. Cut morality off from this divine anchor, and it loses its clout, blowing around in the wind of whatever cultural fads are popular at the moment.

Why morality needs unchanging roots

If moral standards are going to carry weight, they can’t just come from popular opinion or what’s trendy in culture. If that were the case, “right” and “wrong” would just represent the preferences of whoever happens to be in power or influence at any given time. This is an issue no matter what you believe spiritually. Genuinely moral facts – ethical rules that apply across all times and places – need to be grounded in firm foundations.

What could serve as an unchanging basis for morality? Many have recognized that moral absolutes seem to imply there’s a Moral Lawgiver – a source from which universal rights and wrongs spring. Without this kind of transcendent backing, ideas about morality and justice lose their credibility. They become matters of preference rather than truth.

The Bible pinpoints the wellspring of absolute righteousness – God’s holy character. His flawless nature defines what is good. Scripture lays out aspects of His moral law for humanity, spelling out what living righteously looks like based on Who God is. Unbelievers with no relationship to God inevitably lose their way. They lack an authoritative compass to steer them straight. Even good, respectable, honorable people have no real moral grounding on which to stand, if they lack faith in God. Their good works are only “good” because they feel that they are good.

Morality without divine authority

God is the author of both His Word and the human conscience. When believers align their conscience to the Bible – with humble and prayerful mindsets – they can see consistency as they live out their faith. But for those shrugging off biblical moral authority, inconsistencies and inner turmoil become common.

Once God’s standards are rejected, what’s left to set apart good from evil? Guards meant to protect human dignity become porous and are easily torn down. However well-meaning in their ideals, unbelievers lose the moral resources to discern good from evil. A conscience out of line with the Creator is far more susceptible to just going along with whatever’s trendy culturally or popular publicly.

“The human mind has no more power of inventing a new value,” C.S. Lewis aptly noted, “than of imagining a new primary color, or, indeed, of creating a new sun and a new sky for it to move in.” Yet many still seek moral innovation apart from the Designer. Attempts to ground human dignity in cultural fads or gut “feelings” of right and wrong – rather than the divine Source of personhood – will inevitably fail.

Is biblical wisdom still relevant?

In His Word, God reveals clear-cut moral guidance to equip His people to live uprightly. His Spirit also etches His ethical code onto believers’ hearts. But does this completely prepare Christians to navigate the tricky moral situations of today? Or do contemporary matters require new approaches?

Applying timeless biblical truth to rapidly changing cultural issues calls for thoughtfulness and wisdom. New frontiers and discoveries are constantly emerging, and humans can impact the world in unprecedented ways, for both good and evil. As a result, directly applying specific biblical texts to specific modern issues may seem complicated. For example, the Bible provides no explicit moral guidance about topics like cloning or appropriate social media usage.

Yet by humbly submitting to God’s moral revelation, the Spirit assists believers in discernment. Scripture helps guide God’s people toward moral clarity in every era. Through its lens, righteousness can be accurately identified even in a rapidly changing world.

Eyes fixed on eternity

Jesus promised His followers that one day He would return as a conquering King, even though the timing remains unknown.

Rather than waiting idly for His coming, Christ has already equipped believers to walk in righteous obedience in this present age.

As Paul wrote, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17, ESV).

By putting the Bible’s principles into practice, enlightened by the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, Christians can live uprightly.

When believers walk in cadence with the Spirit, we get a small taste of the peace, justice, and harmony that will prevail at Christ’s return. Obedience to Jesus’ commands allows us to experience the grace and presence of God more fully here and now. Even in a darkening world, the small influences of our individual lives can become living witnesses to the righteousness of God, lighting the way to truth and the hope of eternal life at Christ’s return.

Editor’s note: This commentary originally ran as a blog on February 2, 2024, at afa.net/thestand.