Morality and God

It is often difficult for me to remember to disconnect morality and God. That may sound strange but the truth is that we have a tendency to equate God and morality, when in fact the connection between God and morality is tangential. I know that sounds strange also. Some might even read that sentence and completely disagree with me. But I need to explain. Let me explain. I have to explain.

The connection between God and his disciple is the relationship between Creator and created. The connection is not a relationship between Judge and accused or between a prisoner and his jailor. The connection is the relationship between a Father and his child.

The first part of this connection is the relationship. There is an inevitable kinship between the Creator and the created. Because we are his created, there is a relationship. Now the relationship may be a bad one. As there are family relationships which are troubled, so the relationship between God and man may be strained or even lost. The history of man and God as presented in the Bible is troubled and strained. But that doesn't mean that the relationship doesn't exist. In fact, as Kirkegaard posited this connection, the relationship between the Creator and the created is the most important facet of this connection.

The second part of this connection is the fact that we are His created. As we are His created, this position requires actions on our part based on that connection. Just as we have an obligation to our father and mother based on their position as our parents, so we have obligations to God as the one who gave us life and sustains that life.

Now I will admit that often our relationships with our parents become strained, or even broken, due to actions on the part of those same parents, and not neccessarily because of our own actions. Sometimes these relationships break apart because of other factors outside our parents' responsibility.

When the relationship between God and man breaks it is due to our failure to keep the relationship. When that relationship breaks, God's response is different. God doesn't respond like even the best parents. The response of God to this brokenness involves the sacrifice of His son to effectuate a reunion between Creator and created.

Even when you can remember that the whole point of the relationship between God and man is to keep that relationship strong and forge our dependence on God, you still have a tendency to equate that connection with morality.

We have a tendency to look at our faith as something that brings us to obedience.
When we think about being a Christian, we think it means that we work toward obeying God and his commandments. But the pure truth of being a Christian means acknowledging our relationship with God and God's place in that relationship.

God is the Creator of us all and all our world. He sustains us throughout our lives and provides for us in every way. Even in our weakness, brokenness and complete inability to sustain that relationship with Him, nevertheless, God forges a relationship between us through the sacrifice of His son.

Morality is an offshoot of that relationship. I would even say an essential result of that relationship. But the truth of the matter is that we are not Christians to bring us to obediance. We are Christians because He is our Father, because he deserves our worship, and because he has caused us to return to Him as His children.