In Search of a Moral Compass

Many people see morality as whether your actions are right or wrong, whether you are good or evil. But looking more critically, it is more dynamic. There are three sides to the concept of morality: one is our morality in relation to the society, the peace and harmony between people; the second is our inner morality, the purity of mind and soul—our heart; and the third is in relation to God, that is, the reason for our being—our purpose and direction. 

You’ll notice most people refer to only the first part when talking about moral standards. We think we can do whatever we like so long as it is not affecting anybody else. We say things like, “How can it be wrong if it doesn’t harm anyone?” We obey the rules given by the culture or government as good citizens that we are and do things the way they ought to be done, but ultimately, the law cannot make us right. Same way the Mosaic law couldn’t make its followers right (if anything, it showed them how terrible they were). A person who is disciplined when in a structured system may not be disciplined outside of it. The system won’t correct their whims, only they can do that. So, obeying social rules and etiquette within a system is not the standard that makes us moral. We may be considered moral by societal standards but God’s standards are higher because He sees more than just our actions.

Which brings us to the second side of morality, our inner being. Our moral standards are not only based on human interactions; they are also based on our individual inner interactions. We are told not to judge people because actions do not always depict intentions, neither do they inform us of where other people are on their journey with God. The Pharisees would usually neglect taking care of their parents saying they’ve given their money to God, Jesus called them hypocrites. It is not a question of right and wrong because whether you give to God or your parents, both actions are right and they hurt no one. He called them hypocrites because their heart was in the wrong place. Same way some people choose not to give to the poor because they pay tithe, while some do not pay tithe but give to the poor. Another example of a heart check is a man who loves wristwatches. He loves them so much they have become an idol. The word idol in this context simply means something you have placed an unhealthy value upon. The moment the watches are placed in too high a position for it to become an idol, the heart is in the wrong place. As the Bible says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Certainly, there is nothing wrong with having a lot of wristwatches, also buying wristwatches isn’t hurting or harming anyone; but with God that sees the heart, only He can tell if you have placed your watch on a pedestal. This deals with our inner morality. Just as your record with people is clean, your inner mind should also be clean and rid of impurities. You may be the most well-behaved man on the planet with a squeaky clean record of offences who just happens to wear nice watches, but God sees your heart and He knows if you have made that thing your idol. Anything could be an idol; it could be a job, a spouse, cars, sports. This speaks directly to one of the seven virtues called Temperance. Now suppose this man has his inner self all cleaned up and intact, and his heart is right, does this mean he is always morally correct? You could say so, but wouldn’t it make a difference if he was living, at any given moment, in the will of the One who made him?

This is where our relationship with God comes in. He sees our heart. The One who sees the heart also knows what He intends for the being He gave the heart. There is a purpose for every human, and a purpose for every hour, minute and second that passes. God is interested in the little details of our lives which should make you want to be in line with His plan and purpose. This is God’s standard; our actions, intentions, thoughts, feelings, character, should be in line with His purpose and plan and we should be actively living to be holy and perfect. Though no one can attain that level, and many have given up because of that very reason, it is essential that we keep our eyes on that perfection and walk towards it. For instance, a guy who sleeps around may decide to repent. In the aftermath of his repentance, he retrains himself and sleeps around less often. To the pious, that guy is still immoral since he hasn’t changed much; but to God who sees his heart and his effort, he is actually going in the right direction (this is assuming that he is genuinely repentant when he falls and truly wants to change). So even though the people around still see him as that guy, his moral compass is actually in the right direction. God will continue to work in him to attain that level of holiness he seeks. The higher the level of holiness a man attains, the less the clutter he has in him, and the more in tune he is to the will of the Creator. He is like a mirror that is dust free. Just as reflections are more visible in a clear mirror, the heart of this kind of man receives from God more easily. The difference between this kind of man and one that only has good morals and good intention is that he might have deviated from the path meant for him. The world sees he is good, and he has good intentions, but is he obedient to his calling? This is where courage comes in. Courage, another of the seven virtues is not just doing what everyone is afraid to do, but doing what God has called you to do despite the uncertainties.

As a society, we cannot stop at mere morality. What separates regular morality and God’s standard of morality is that the Godly standard takes into consideration God first, myself and then the society. If I don’t get myself right first, the fa?ade won’t last long and the society will suffer as a result, evidently. Also, someone who seems perfect and morally correct might not be, and someone who seems far gone and morally inept might actually be heading in the right direction. We cannot tell which is which. What we can do, however, is think the best of people. That is our mandate as believers who live by God’s standard—to love people the way God loves us—Who, knowing our faults, trusts we can get better and chooses to see the best in us. This is His grace that has been made available.

You would agree with me that living by the highest standard makes the other two a lot easier. Nigeria would be a better place with more people living by this standard. The world would be a better place with more people living by this standard. You would also agree with me that this standard—the Christian standard—of morality is very high, bordering on ridiculous and impossible. But God factored in that difficulty, he made provision for it by giving us the desire and power to please Him. That’s the whole point of Christianity, we cannot obey all of God’s mandates and instructions without His help. The question is; are you willing to accept that help?