Moralism: A Gospel Counterfeit
Be on guard against the sneaky deception of every "damnable good work"
This week and next, we will explore two problematic alternatives to the Gospel: The first is moralism (or religion) and the second is immoralism (or irreligion). Today we will explore moralism, which is the attempt to be holy, pure, or good in a way that seeks independence from the resources that Jesus provides in the Gospel.
What is Moralism?
When we operate out of moralism, we take pride in having our act together and carry ourselves with a “better than thou” posture. We tend to be proper, dutiful, and rule-keeping. However, we do the right things for the wrong reasons. We don't obey God's commands out of a joyful response to the grace and love given to us in Jesus. Instead, our rule-keeping comes from self-aggrandizing and, ironically, from deeply insecure motivations. Our moralism drives us to duty because we want to feel superior to others and ease our guilty consciences with good deeds. We are under the illusion that performing good deeds will also put God into our debt.
How the Gospel Challenges Our Moralism
No matter how well we keep rules, we fall short of the standard set by our Creator, which is the standard of perfection (James 2:10). We are all more sinful, needy, damaged, and self-centered than we are comfortable admitting. When we operate from moralism, we have a difficult time seeing or admitting our own inherent sinfulness. We become blind to our need for something more solid than a moral résumé to put us in a right relationship with God and others.
Consider the parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. Traditionally, this story is seen as a tale of a "bad" son who leaves home, sows his wild oats, and eventually returns to be forgiven by his father. However, it is also a story about another "bad" son whose evil is exposed by his bitterness when he learns that his father's favor is based on mercy, not merit. His "badness" lies in his assumption that he is superior to his younger brother because of his moral record. He is condemned not because of his evil deeds but because of the evil motives behind his good deeds—or what theologian John Gerstner famously called “damnable good works.”
What Moralism Does to Our Inner Lives
The elder brother feels entitled to his father's possessions but does not love his father. This purely transactional way of relating is likened to visiting an art museum for an ulterior purpose that is not about the art. We might visit the museum in order to use the art for a good grade in art appreciation class, to impress someone, or to appear more cultured than we actually are. Alternatively, from a more pure place we might visit for the sheer beauty and worth of the art.
Put succinctly, when operating out of moralism we "obey" God’s commands not to love or enjoy Him but to use Him—to get something from Him and presumably put Him (and the world) in their debt.
When we operate out of moralism, we derive our sense of personal worth and righteousness from how dutiful we think we have been. We are generally either very self-righteous or very depressed. When we feel we have succeeded at keeping the rules, it fosters a spirit of self-righteousness, smugness, and superiority. We become very critical of others and feel personally cheated by those we believe have not given us our due. On the flip side, if we fail to keep a law that is important to us or our community, the result can be self-loathing and depression, as seen in Judas, who hanged himself after betraying Jesus (Matthew 27:3-5).
The elder brother in Luke 15:11-32 also shows us the restlessness of the bitter saint. He is prone to self-pity and withdrawal when he doesn’t get his way, growing angry and refusing to participate in family life (v. 28). He harbors a critical spirit toward those who aren’t like him and is blind to the favor and love of the father (vv. 30-31). The father graciously invites him to join the celebration, but the elder brother focuses on what he feels is owed to him.
Like Javert in Les Miserables, even at his best he cannot find joy because his soul is consumed and corrupted by a spirit of comparing and competing.
There is an Unhappy Moralist in Us All
When we operate out of moralism, we are all prone to some form of rule-keeping-based identity. Conservatives may feel superior to those who aren’t as religious or conservative, while "tolerant" liberals may feel superior to those they see as intolerant and overly conservative. In both cases, we base our worth on how right we are compared to others. This can be based on anything—intellect, fashion, looks, income, race, neighborhood, or even trivial habits. Constantly measuring ourselves and others against these standards fosters a sense of superiority and a belief that God (and the world) owes us. This often leads to grumpiness and restlessness.
If we base our relationship with God and others on how well we live our lives, we will feel resentful when things don’t go our way. Our moralism leads to an unhappy, dissatisfied, and demanding heart. In the Bible, it is the religious scribes and Pharisees who are the most insecure, self-righteous, and bitter people. They believe they’ve put God and the universe in their debt, missing the fact that God has offered them everything in Jesus.
Henri Nouwen describes the elder brother’s resentment in this way:
“When he was confronted by his father’s joy at the return of his younger brother, a dark power erupts in him that boils to the surface…The lostness of this resentful ‘saint’ is hard to reach precisely because it is so closely wedded to the desire to be good and virtuous…”
The Gospel Leads Us Out of Our Moralism
To paraphrase what the father says to the elder brother:
“My son, you are missing out on reality. All I have is already yours! You do not have to strive and work to earn it. It is already in your possession. Receive it! Come into the feast and dance with me!” (vv. 31-32).
When we operate out of moralism, the message for us today is clear: Jesus has already performed perfectly on our behalf. He lived the perfect life we should have lived and has credited us with His record. He died the death we deserved so that we would never have to. Because of this, the pressure is off. There is no need to establish an identity based on our performance.
We no longer have to compare ourselves with others or secretly rejoice at their failures or successes. In God’s eyes, all the good in Jesus’ life has been credited to us (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is our new identity.
So relax. Come to the party. Dance with the Father. He is calling us in. Through Christ, we are perfect in His eyes, and nothing can change this wondrous fact of life.
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Wonderful encouragement for we who fail, hourly, daily without end.
Just can't hear this enough. Thanks, Scott! 👊