This blog post was inspired by a video in which a few recognized experts sat down and discussed what their opinion was on how moral law came to be and an article that talks about the Christian belief that moral law comes from God. In my Coun 507 class, we had a similar discussion about civil, religious, and moral law. In the video the experts debate on whether the origin of moral law comes from God or a higher being, or if it developed over a period of time as humans evolved. The article defends the position that God created moral law and instilled it in each one of us. In class we discussed how that the civil and religious laws of the Old Testament don't apply to us today because they were put into place by God for a specific time and place in history whereas moral law transcends time and culture. We also took the stance that God gave us moral law and that it is an absolute truth. It is innate in all each one of us and therefore, holds us all accountable to it.
Why is This Important for Counseling?
This could be effective in counseling because understanding moral law and what God expects of us can revolutionize the way we live. First, if a counselor can help a client pick out moral law from civil and religious law in the Bible, the client could potentially be freed from unnecessary burden caused by trying to follow and take everything from the Bible literally. Second, by helping a client understand what God expects of them, the counselor can help to strengthen the client's faith by understanding what they believe and why they believe it. This can keep the client from being influenced by false teaching.
Personal Response
I think that the video and article helped me to recognize the importance and weight moral law has on our society. If it were not for moral law our lives would be chaotic and unruly. It is also important to understand that people have different views on where moral law comes from. Some people think (as do I and most Christians) that God gave us our moral law and instilled it in us from birth. Others believe that moral law has developed over time as people learned to live together. This is important to note because where we believe moral law comes from makes all the difference in our society. If our moral law stems from past societies it can be shifted and changed to match the opinion of the times, but if our moral law comes from God and is seen as an absolute truth then it cannot be changed and can always be a guide and reference as to how we are to live our lives.
Just like in class, I am still on th fence. While reading this article, I first thought about Bernie Madoff, then I thought about Jim Baker and the PTL Group scandal. Moral vs. Natural, it makes me think.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post but I would like to point out that societal based law is not always a bad thing or against God's word.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this article it made me think of how Christians are held to two standards: 1) God's Standards 2) Society's Standards. In Romans 13, Paul makes it very clear that we are to follow God's Word and obey His commands but Paul also makes it clear that we are to respect and obey the society and government where we live.
Yes, societal law runs the risk of changing over time into something that goes against God's moral law but I do not think that is a good enough excuse to ignore it or go against it.
In fact, I believe as Christians it would be best for us to try our hardest to obey civil law so that we will be an example to others on how we are different. Ultimately, following societal law obeys what God has command us to do and it might draw others closer to God.
As a Christian counselor, we must also realize that we have even more laws and guidelines besides God's moral law and societal law that we are expected to follow in the APA, ACA, and AACC Code of Ethics.
I agree with Rusty's response on this one. We are held to higher standards as Christians and we are commanded to be examples to fellow non-believers. Going against or ignoring man's law will not allow for us to do that. Jerry Falwell used to always say, "if it's Christian, it ought to be better" and I am constantly convicted by that statement. He means that if we are claiming to be Christian or if we are a part of a Christian church or job, etc., we ought to stand out; we ought to be the better examples; we ought to be set-apart. That does not mean going against man's laws, it means learning how to follow them while still striving to be Holy.
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