For Christians, God’s Word is our guide and our moral compass. Philosophies attempting to describe what is moral without acknowledging God can be traced back many centuries. When we consider just the past 95 years we find that prior to the 1920s young men would ask parents’ permission to court their daughter, and there was often a chaperone if they went on a date.
The “New Morality” of the 1920s brought about significant change. An emphasis on personal freedom resulted in social conventions being ignored. Women’s clothing became more revealing, and young men and women became more sexually active. In 1930, President Hoover’s White House Conference on Child Health Protection prepared a report emphasizing “social hygiene” as opposed to moral conduct, with the report encouraging youth to have a “healthy sexual lifestyle” (Sex, Youth, and Sex Education: A Reference Handbook, David Campos, p.73). The moral decline continued in the 1940s and 50s with the advancement of the idea that sexual impulses were not to be ignored as long as two individuals consented.
In 2008 The Barna Group, which does research regarding religious faith and culture in America, conducted a survey about moral issues. Founder George Barna, concluded: “The consistent deterioration of the Bible as the source of moral truth has led to a nation where people have become independent judges of right and wrong, basing their choices on feelings and circumstances.”
Moral relativism, also known as situational ethics, promotes the belief that what might be the morally right thing for you may not be the right thing for someone else, and there are no absolute moral truths. The Bible, however, warns, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12), and in Romans we read about the consequences of a debased mind (Romans 1:28-32).
The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth addressed the results of unrighteous, unjust, immoral conduct, listing those that “will not inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Bible prophecies have also predicted the devastating consequences of decadent immorality in the end time. “For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money… without self-control… lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:2-4).
The Seventh Commandment, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14) is focused on protecting marriage. This is the umbrella command for the many biblical laws that forbid illicit sex. The Bible candidly tells of the penalties suffered by Samson, King David, King Solomon and many others when they ignored this commandment.
Jesus Christ, in His prayer to the Father just before His death, clearly stated: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17), and Deuteronomy 30:15-18 tells us God’s instructions are for our good. But although mankind does not have the authority to define right and wrong, God does allow us to choose. Today more than ever it is crucial that parents instill a solid moral compass into the hearts of their children (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). Fathers are specifically instructed to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).
For those who have committed sexual sins, it’s vital to understand God’s grace, and that He will forgive sin upon sincere repentance (Acts 3:19-21). We can echo the prayer of King David who prayed: “Have mercy upon me, O God… blot out my transgressions… Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:1,10).
