Cracking the Code of Conduct: Why Does Objective Morality Matter?

“There is no God, and I hate him!”

As you navigate theological discussions with nonbelievers, you might run into this self-defeating statement which may cause you to wonder, “Wait...if there’s no God, why do you hate Him?”

Today, we’re delving into the questions revolving around moral objectivity—what is it? Where does it come from? And why does it matter? Because our every day lives are bolted upon the cornerstone of these beliefs, it’s important to understand these concepts to combat the cultural norms of today.

The Black Hole of Moral Relativism

Hidden in the DNA of all of humankind is an unspoken standard of conduct, a code that is either governed by feelings of the immediate cultural environment or by God’s stand-alone truth. In the world, these values presented by this code of conduct are labeled as “ethics” which are often determined by the fluctuating state of what the culture deems as “right” or “wrong.”

For example, one day society may announce that murder is wrong, but the next day, it’s perfectly ok to murder someone on the street if they do not align with the stated values. People who follow this code of conduct often state, “You do you, but this is my truth.”

In Romans 2:14-15 (ESV), Paul calls out this personal law-making, stating that even the unsaved “who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.”

Even though the world’s message enables absolute moral chaos and depravity, people who live by this code still try to define standards of what is “good,” “right,” and “decent,” forming an unstable structure that results in moral relativism.

Apologetic C. S. Lewis brilliantly lays out this circular reasoning in his book Mere Christianity saying,

If we ask: ‘Why ought I to be unselfish?’ and you reply ‘Because it is good for society,’ we may then ask, ‘Why should I care what’s good for society except when it happens to pay me personally?’ and then you will have to say, ‘Because you ought to be unselfish’—which simply brings us back to where we started.

Adequate behavior will never happen if morality is founded upon the very society that perverts and distorts it.

This type of moral kamikaze behavior, or individual moral relativism, runs on mind-boggling selfishness and is in direct opposition to moral objectivity founded in biblical beliefs.

Objectively speaking...what exactly is moral objectivity?

At its core, moral objectivity is the belief that truth can be absolutely, 100%, without a doubt defined as it is grounded in God’s unyielding truth.

Believing in God comes with its own set of biblically founded values that are found outside of our own self-written code of conduct.

As Christians, we can recognize that objective moral values exist because God exists.

Scripture tells us that we are made in God’s image; therefore, we are created to act and behave in a manner worthy of worship to a Being greater than ourselves. A Christian code of conduct is held to higher accountability: to Our Creator.

So, if we were created to reflect the nature of God-ordained morality and law, the “You do you!” mentality must create utter monsters.

Relatively speaking...can you have objective morality without God?

But maybe you’re thinking, “Whoa, whoa! But I know a lot of nonbelievers who live ‘good’ moral lives!”

That well may be, but let’s dig a little deeper into what this type of moral structure nonbelievers really argues for.

Atheism cannot account for where morality originally comes from.

Atheists argue that religion is not necessary to live morally and believe that moral decency is merely a tool to help keep the constantly evolving nature of mankind intact. Where Christianity demands that people’s choices, attitudes, and beliefs should be founded in Christ, atheism argues for a standard that can only be determined by oneself. Yet, these standards can easily conflict with another person’s personal code of conduct.

For example, if I were to take my co-worker’s sandwich without permission, he might respond, “That’s not right!” and might be ready to take up arms in the parking lot. Why isn't it right to take my co-worker’s lunch? How did he come about this idea of fairness and rightness? Taking my coworker’s lunch may align with my own personal code of conduct, so who is he to be the judge?

The world tries to grapple with these inconsistencies by stating that people are born good and naturally maintain a level of decency from an internal moral compass.

After all, renowned atheist Paul Kurtz says that morality couldn’t possibly come from a divine source because it’s naturally imprinted on mankind’s DNA through an “internal moral sense.”

But where did that internal compass come from in the first place?

These belief systems fail to account for what influencing source determines a “decent” sense of conduct and morality. If we came from dust and the earth and this is all that life has to offer, why would we as humans gravitate toward subjecting ourselves to a type of moral structure?

So, yes, you can be “good” without belief in God, yet there can be no such thing as the concept of “good" if God, the source and definer of goodness, does not exist.

As Christians, we are assured that God is the ultimate judge of good and evil and that our natural fallen and sinful nature can be transformed by His saving grace to reflect His goodness.

But why does objective truth matter?

Ok, so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of this—why does objective morality really matter?

Watch what achievements the world goes crazy over.

People on a daily basis hustle for personal fulfillment through gaining more Instagram followers, training at the gym for a social media-worthy physique, subjecting themselves to reckless relationships, or climbing the cut-throat corporate ladder just for an ego-bolstering paycheck.

As humans, we long for transformation. We long for something to identify with that is beyond ourselves that can encapsulate our persona and we will do anything—sometimes extremely reckless things—to fulfill this void. At the end of the day, we want to say, “This is who I am and this is what defines me. This what makes me feel good, important, and worthwhile.”

Within each of us, there lies a sense of something outside of ourselves.

Only God can radically satiate this feeling of lack, this ravenous belief that we need something... or Someone to define us.

When we choose to accept the responsibility of a moral standard found in God, a transformation occurs.

Radical moral transformation is possible with belief in God as His power will enable us to do good, and the Holy Spirit will illuminate proper actions.

If we as Christians, adopt a moral point of view, we do not have to step into life with uncertainty; we can discern what is wholly right and wrong because our values align with Christ’s biblical commands, commands that reflect his just, perfect, holy, and pure nature.

Moral objectivity is beyond a case argument for the existence of God. It is the very cornerstone of our character building in Christ. Objective morality presents a case for the complete creative transformation of our very human nature.

Once again, C.S. Lewis plainly laid out...

People often think of Christian morality as a kind of bargain in which God says, ‘If you keep a lot of rules I’ll reward you, and if you don’t I’ll do the other thing.’ I do not think that is the best way of looking at it. I would much rather say that every time you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what it was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature...Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.

Objective morality matters because it is the lens through which we view our own actions and decisions. Either our decisions and actions are governed by God’s definite standards or they fall in alignment with a reckless and crazed culture.

But whether someone believes in God or not, when objective morality enters the ring of critics, truth still stands.