Worlds Apart: Moralism vs. Christianity

Some people often speak of moralism and Christianity as if they are the same things. Big mistake. The two are worlds apart according to God's Word, even if everybody else wants to say otherwise. Moralism is as different from Christianity as the false is from the true. While this post is by no means an exhaustive study, I will sketch out the four main things which jump out at me whenever I look at Moralism.

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1. Moralism is a "curve-ball from hell". It's teaching comes at you disguised as something good, and has you by the throat if you give it half a chance. The lies with which it is filled will choke your soul - it will falsely convince you that you can be "good" as long as you lead a decent life and don't do anything like murder someone or commit adultery. Many victims of Moralism never even realize their danger until it's too late. Their hearts are deceitful, and they live in a soul-deadening state, because they "have exchanged the truth of God for a lie." (Romans 1:25). Moralism is a soul-killer. Christ, the Son of God, is the only soul-saver (1 John 5:12). With Him, there are no lies or deceit. With Him, you can cut the heart out of Moralism, and expose it for what it is: damnation.

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2. Moralism teaches that man doesn't need God to be good. As I've mentioned before, it will lie and tell you that so long as you don't commit any heinous crime, you're doin' great. Surely, you reason, everything will be fine as long as I live decently. Right? Wrong. Christ teaches that man is a thoroughly sinful, fallen creature unable to do anything good (Romans 3:10-18), and therefore, if he would be saved, he must be washed in the blood of the Spotless Lamb of God (1 John 1:7). Our "good" works are as "filthy rags" to an all righteous God (Isaiah 64:6). Therefore, nothing we do is good, save it be done in the Name of Christ. Any righteousness we have is no righteousnness at all unless it is the Righteousness of Christ imputed to us.

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3. Moralism hands you "good" morals, but doesn't provide you with a truly solid reason for obeying them. If you're a person who doesn't believe there is an All-Knowing God out there taking note of your every deed, what motive would you have for doing anything but what your sinful flesh desires? If there really is no righteous God, no here-after, no judgment, no hell - if there are none of these, why should you not tell that lie, rob that bank, or shoot your neighbor? If there is no great and wise God defining the line between good and evil, then man may live as he pleases. After all, in the absence of an absolute, one man's definition is just as good as another's. Just because my neighbor says that it's wrong to steal doesn't mean I see it that way. My definition of right might be to go out and kill and rob. However... there is an All-Knowing God taking note of your every deed. There is here-after, there is a judgment, there is a hell. There is a final, absolute definition of right and wrong, good and evil, black and white - all of which are found in the Scriptures of the Almighty God (Deuteronomy 4:35; Revelation19:6; Revelation11:18;Job 34:21).

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4. Moralism hands you "good" morals, yet neglects the One who created them. Now how backward is that! If you walked up to me and mentioned "the theory of relativity", and I responded with "Who said?", you would promptly answer, "Albert Einstein!" You couldn't separate the two. You can't separate the created from the Creator. In the same way, you can't isolate the morals of right and wrong from the God who created them!

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May we, as followers of the One True God, never fall into the trap of setting morals and works above our Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, let us pray for those that are ensnared by this false ideology, beseeching God to open their eyes to their own sinfulness and inability to do anything good. Let us pray God to keep our own eyes open and undeceived, lest we too fall prey to Moralism.

Persevero,

Scribe

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P.S. I highly recommend you see the Christian movie Time Changer, which demonstrates the dangers of seperating the teachings of Christ from Christ Himself.