Feature: Morality - Beliefs about what is right and wrong behavior

Special feature written by Lance Corporal Nathan Chan of 10th Kuala Lumpur Company

Bueno. Malo. хорошо. плохой. Every language has at least one word for good and bad each. We all accept the fact that actions can be good or bad. Yet what exactly good and bad should be determined only by the interpretation of the Bible, not by anything else.

We are all created in God's Image. Part of this image is the ability to know and choose between right and wrong. Our morality should come from God's Law, which we obtain in two ways - conscience and revelation.

They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them. (Romans 2:15 NIV). 

Deep down, we all know when something is right or wrong, and feel guilty when we do something wrong. This is simply because we are created in His image. Ever since mankind first sinned, however, the image of God in us has been blurred. Every time we sin, this conscience is slowly numbed. Eventually we are unable to tell right from wrong, unable to feel and guilt. Such is the reason for the need of revelation.

Throughout history, God has revealed his Law many times. He did so with Adam and Eve, giving them but a single command. He did so with Moses, through the Ten Commandments. He did so through multiple prophets. He did so through His Son Jesus, who condensed the entire Law into two commandments.

Each time, God shows us a bit of what he is like, and thus how we should be like. This reflection is seen in the Bible, which then should be our source of moral standards. If a Christian wants to know God’s Will, he turns to the Bible. If he wants to discern right from wrong, He should turn to the Bible.

The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (Matthew 7:25 NIV).

The Bible should be this rock upon which our morality is based. If one chooses to ignore this, one would tend to fall back on what feels right, or the conscience. The thing is that the conscience is only as good as the moral standard that informs it. Without the Bible, we will tend to attempt to inform our conscience by other means.

A society whose morality is based on the Bible is hard to find. Our world today is of many beliefs, many which contradict. As such is the case, many rely on social consensus for morality. As society changes with time and space, however, this is like building a house on sand. When Israel tried this, the people abandoned God, and within two generations they were doing what was evil in the sight of God. The same can happen to us.

In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit. (Judges 17:6 NIV)

Our morality is the basis by which we make decisions everywhere, which in turn shapes the person we are. Only by reading the Bible daily and spending time in Gods presence regularly can we sharpen it. It is to promote such a habit that we have a time slot for devotions during every camp. Developing and maintaining such a standard is hard, but rewarding. For only when our morality is set right can we lead to the fullest in our individual squads, companies, and in the Boys' Brigade as a whole.