In spite of what millions of preachers and Sunday school teachers have been telling us for generations, the Christian life is not just about morality—being good and doing good.  Morality is certainly part of the picture, but it is not the central theme. The central theme in the Christian life is building and enjoying a close, everyday relationship with God. Making morality the central issue trivializes the Christian walk and robs us of the great adventure with the Spirit of the Creator that is freely available to everyone.

Christianity was never intended to be a moral philosophy, and the Bible was never intended to be a simple guidebook for proper conduct.  The central theme of the Bible is not the Ten Commandments. The central theme of the Bible is not being good so you can go to Heaven (and, consequently, escape the eternal torment of Hell).  The central theme of the Bible is God and His desire to build a deep, personal, and healthy relationship with every living human being—past, present, and future.  All other issues, including the best-known moral issues, are subservient. Some of this other stuff is necessary, but it is not the point of the journey, itself.  

Consider taking a casual drive in the country on a quiet, sunny afternoon. Is the purpose of this little excursion to operate the gas pedal and brake? To work the steering wheel and adjust the seat belts?  Of course not. The purpose is to enjoy the surroundings and perhaps find a few moments of peace and joy.  Operating the car should be second nature to us, almost subconscious and reflexive.  To fix our full attention upon the details of operating car makes it impossible to fulfill the real purpose of the journey.

The natural tendency is to put the cart in font of the horse. We tend to think that being moral and good is the means for getting closer to God. No, no, no!! It’s the other way ‘round. Getting closer to God causes us to exhibit moral behavior.  Moral behavior is an effect—not a means.  It is a tragedy of awesome proportions that so many people squander their spiritual journeys and personal relationship with God by throwing all their energy into trying to be good while blinding themselves to God’s real interest in them.

Of course I am in no way suggesting that following the path to true enlightenment and the enjoyment of God’s personal presence gives us license to act immorally.  Heaven forbid!  I am saying that the proper pursuit of truth results in moral behavior. Moral behavior becomes an unconscious act or reflex.  We don’t have to search the Ten Commandments or try to find answers to “what would Jesus do?”   It becomes instinctive. Not perfect, but instinctive and on the right track.  To use a metaphor from the Bible, God writes His laws (moral code) directly upon our hearts.

Hear His call, respond to His call, trust His leading, and learn from Him. His call is an act of love, and our response is instinctive and takes the form of spiritual desire. We cannot fully trust what we do not understand, but we can work back and forth between trust and understanding—each reinforces the other. In Christian terminology, this dynamic interaction between trust and understanding is called faith. Also, God’s teaching resources are vast and readily accessible. We are never hurting for spiritual, emotional, and intellectual input.

Now, how is it possible to have all of these advantages and yet consistently manage to make a mess of it?  I have already mentioned the problem of setting morality ahead of relationship.  In addition, some of us have answered God’s call, but we have a lot of trouble with the trusting thing.   When we fail to trust God, we tend to substitute the religious doctrines and rituals of men or, worse, cook up a batch of our own.   Religious doctrines and rituals can serve proper purposes; however, they are not proper substitutes for a genuine trust in God’s direction for our spiritual lives. 

Finally, there is the matter of self-importance. The deal is this: God calls, we respond. Unfortunately, some people get it backwards--they call, and God responds. At least that’s how they see it.  Then they begin building upon a concept that is backwards from the very beginning. They take charge of their spiritual lives, and use God as a source of power to accomplish whatever spiritual goals they set before themselves.  This approach, carried far enough, can be very powerful, very convincing, and all-encompassing.  But it is all an illusion. It is a heady experience that feeds upon egocentricity and renders humility a simple exercise in playacting.  Because these people are not responding to God, moral behavior does not come naturally—they have to work at it; and work at it they do, constantly striving to beat the ‘sin’ out of themselves and each other. In any event, it is terribly difficult to backtrack from the deadly illusion that we are in charge, and them begin anew with the matter turned around right. 

He calls, we respond. He leads, we trust. He teaches, we learn. Build a relationship with God this way, and our morality will take care of itself.  Jesus Christ, God incarnate, shows us the way.