The Moral Order and The Responsible Servant

There are a couple of things in today's NT reading that spoke to me.

I have always considered things, when I am confused about them, by going to extremes. What is the extreme example of faith? It is the "is/is not" question of life. Regardless of whether one is raised Hindu, Sikh, Christian, or any religion, there is a fundamental question about all spirituality and faith. Is there a "God?" Or rather, is there a fundamental moral order to the universe?

If a "moral" God, who is the creator of the universe, exists, then by dint of His omniscience and omnipotence, in the expression of His creativity of the physical nature of the universe, then one has to ask whether He created a moral order to the universe. When we are confused in issues of faith, and we are parsing Christian theological doctrine internally in a denominationalistic approach, or externally, validating "Christianity" against other faith practices, we have to ask ourselves, as we stick to what we think is "right," whether there is some overarching moral principle or north/south moral pole to the universe against which all actions in the universe can be judged?

That is, if something is right in my perspective, and it is fundamentally wrong in someone else's perspective, and we feel equally correct in our assessment, is there a external moral framework in the universe that this point of contention can be assessed against to figure out which of us is "right" or at least, more "right" relative to that moral order?

The underlying question is not whether something is more or less right, it is whether true right and wrong actually exists. It is whether there is a true moral order in the universe outside of the construct of the human mind. If humanity is wiped out next year by a meteor impact, does every "right/wrong" principle we are seeking to understand as humans lose validity because there are no humans around to assess these distinctions. Does "morality" exist outside of us, by the presence a true moral order, or is "morality" merely a human construct, to be lost to the universe if the earth is destroyed by a meteor?

In the NT reading today, Christ answers that question.

"Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will remain forever."

Morality, from the deity Christ, exists distinct from humanity. The moral order to the universe truly exists. The distinction for Christians is that it is "my words" (Christ's words) that serve as the fundamental reflection of that moral order, given to us in ways our human minds can understand. So, the question I always pose, when issues of theological doctrine or the rightness or wrongness of any action is raised, is actually answered very succinctly in this section.

The other part that spoke to me had to do with the description of the faithful and sensible servant being rewarded by his master, when he takes care of that to which the master entrusts him.

To what are we entrusted? We are entrusted first to ourselves. The only control we have is self-control, so the major treasure we have to which we are entrusted is ourselves. What does this mean?

Do we "sin?" When we sin, we do things that harm the gift that we have been given. If we practice immorality, we feed a part of our mind that perpetuates further violation of the care of ourselves. If we drink to excess, we lose the faculty to take care of the gift we were given. If we overeat, we lose control of our pancreas, suffer diabetes, and take away our ability to fix ourselves possibly. If we commit violence, we will suffer the consequences of that violence against ourselves. In other words, by performing any act that negates the health of the gift of our lives, we are an irresponsible servant.

To what else are we entrusted, besides ourselves? We are entrusted with social responsibility, the requirement to care for each other. The people around us are gifts to themselves the way we are a gift to ourselves, and it is our requirement to help each other, and ourselves, to be the responsible servant. This mandates that we care for the other gifts we see God giving, the gifts, the lives, that come into our sphere.

Sometimes the requirement of doing that can cause a self-harm, and that is why I believe Christ suggested methods by which we avoid martyrdom, since we are not supposed to be irresponsible with the gift of ourselves that God has given us. But regardless, it is not only ourselves to whom we are responsible in Christ, but to others who have that same gift and may require any added help we have available to impart to them.

I fail in the second part far too much for my liking, and the older I get, and the more resources I have, the more I see myself failing. But, rather than despair which is an irresponsible luxury, work toward betterment needs to be my goal.

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In one final aside, I enjoyed the OT reading as well. Particularly when Moses heard all the instructions of God, and the first thing he did was build an altar.

People can "worship the altar" or "worship at the altar." I was reminded of the difference in those two phrases when I read the account and saw that Moses' first act of faith was to build the altar. I wondered what future generations would do. Would they "worship the altar," or "worship at the altar?" Which one did Moses intend, when he built the altar, and which one is it that we do today? It seems there is a lot to think about, regarding deconstruction and legalism, in that question.