Ethics 201: Implementation

Jason is a good tennis player, but not great. He reads tennis magazines to learn the latest techniques, takes lessons regularly, has top-flight equipment, and plays in a league. Nevertheless, he cannot hit a backhand shot consistently well. He can describe a good backhand, walk his way through it in slow motion, but in competitive play, he simply slams the ball into the net. Just like Jason’s problems on the tennis court, we may have a well-developed set of ethics and know them perfectly, but we cannot implement them.

You may say, “That doesn’t apply to me.” Oh? How many of us have made New Year’s resolutions to lose weight, to curse less, to be kinder, to exercise more, etc., only to realize we’ve not kept our resolutions—even after a few weeks. Our failure was not a lack of knowledge or conviction but the want of the ability to live out our commitments.

It’s the same for living an ethical life. The Bible provides us with an ethical basis for living in this world, yet to live by that standard requires one to know what’s in the text, interpret it properly, and apply it appropriately. To accomplish this we need knowledge, agreement, the will to obey, and the power to act suitably.

Think about this list of requirements. What could go wrong in practice? Knowledge can be incomplete, neglected, or misunderstood; agreement may be lukewarm or partial; the will to obey might be weak, selective, or colored by personal flaws; and the power to act suitably could be limited by weakly developed self-discipline. Is it any wonder that it is rare to find someone who is described as being extraordinarily ethical?

Compound this with the infinite capacity of the human heart to rationalize sinfulness and call it “good.” If you doubt this truth, listen to how Al Capone—the infamous criminal, murderer, gangster, and thief—describe his life: “I have spent the best years of my life giving people the lighter pleasures, helping them to have a good time, and all I get is abuse, the existence of a hunted man.”

King Saul did the same thing when Samuel confronted him with his disobedience. You and I have this same capacity to rationalize, which the Bible calls our depraved condition.

This is why, apart from Christ, no can live an ethical life. The Apostle Paul makes this argument speaking to the Roman Church. He says that even those who establish their own standards of right and wrong cannot live up to those standards. No one can. If we are honest we must admit this to be true.

Ethical standards must come from Christ. The desire to know them originates in Him, agreement is governed by a will superintended by Christ, and the power to implement can only arise supernaturally in the Spirit of Christ, living and reigning.

Let’s pray this would be true of all of us.