"What comes from a human is what defiles him. For bad thinking, sexual immorality, theft, murder, corruption, covetousness, wickedness, deception, sensuality, jealousy, slander, vanity, foolishness come from within, from the heart of man. All these bad things come from inside, and defile a human" (Mark 7:20-23)
When God created the world, He saw that all was good, including human beings who would live forever in communion with Him through virtue, leading to beauty, peace, and everlasting life (Danforth 16). Morality is not what can be seen physically, but rather is rooted in our souls.The choice to engage in immorality has an inward origin in that it comes from our heart. Jesus describes our heart as the source where we can get advice to do what is right in God’s image. From within the heart, moral and immoral actions originate. The first principle of Christian morality is to understand that everyone is made in the image of God. Our creator has given us the dignity of having a free will, which enables us to seek out his holy nature. We are naturally inclined towards doing well. Unfortunately, a powerful dark surge leads us to immorality because of the original sin. Having received the gift of free will, Christians have the capacity to decide what is moral and immoral simply because the law is written in our hearts. The law of God is not to manipulate us but to allow us to choose a life that is in accordance with His plan. With the intelligence and capacity to live in harmony with God’s plans comes about happiness (Danforth 16). Sin makes us slaves and takes away our freedom; sin is the root of immorality. Good acts develop our freedom and the decision to engage in good deeds with the help of the Holy Spirit is what sustains our freedom. Living a moral Christian life brings about true happiness which is openly described on the sermon on the mount where Jesus explained the ideal Christian life and the resulting rewards in the future. Those who suffer while trying to do the right things in Gods eyes and live a moral life experience an unexplainable happiness of the soul. Having life as a gift from God, human beings can live to please their creator by observing a moral life. However, with our sinful nature we often fall short of the glory of God, which is why the natural law exists in our reasoning; most importantly the ten commandments that are a manual of Christian morality. The eternal law, which is the order of divinity, serves to uphold our morality through revelations and teachings. Through the supernatural ways, God uses the revealed law to prescribe ways to help us handle our own inner desires and passions.Sin takes away our rightful nature to be called children of God by promising what we want but instead delivers guilt, pain, and suffering. The bible makes it clear that what comes from our hearts is what brings immorality. (Proverbs 4:23) guides us to guard our hearts above all else for it determines the course of our lives. Jesus further encourages Christians to watch their mouths for out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Luke 6:45). In conclusion, there is still hope for the fallen creation, through the power of virtue and grace. A virtue is a disposition to choose the moral way genuinely and this only comes through the grace of God. His plan for humanity has always been founded on Christian morals (Danforth 16). The image of the trinity is a constant reminder that we are a chosen people who have a new life through the death of Christ, the help of the Holy Spirit and the guidance from God the father. Overall, practicing responsible freedom is a challenge, however, as Christians, we should have in mind that life is sacred because we have the image of God. Works citedMaxwell, John C., ed. NIV, The Maxwell Leadership Bible, eBook. Thomas Nelson Inc, 2014.Danforth, Marion M. Christian Morality: Our Response to God's Love. Winona, MN: Saint Mary's Press, 2012. Print.
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