Morality

In the book of Genesis, we find that we were created in the image of God: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). There is no chance or mere happenstance here, but God crowned the work of creation with the creation of man and woman. We each bear that image. When you hold a newborn baby in your arms, we are all struck with wonder to see a child that was not and now is. What a marvelous thing this is! That birth is a reminder of God’s creative power. The same God who created the universe has just created a new human being that is unique from every other one that has been created.

Though we all lost something very valuable in the fall of man when Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden , we still retain that image. The image of God persists in sinful men and women, though marred we all have an eternal soul.

After God had created man and woman in his image, he spoke to them: “God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground” (Gen 1:28).

Not only are we image bearers, but we can also hear God’s word. God spoke to Adam and Eve, and he still speaks to everyone who will listen. We are the only creatures on the planet that can hear God’s words. Most importantly, it means that God has made us to be moral beings. Our morality comes from his word. It comes from God.

When God spoke in the book of Genesis, man heard God’s voice. This means we can hear God and know what he wants from us. God's Word is where our morality originates today. One of the reasons that the world is so messed up is that it has chosen its own morality and rejected God's morality. The world’s morality is an emotional morality—what is right and what is wrong is what I feel. The rules of our society are not anchored to any basis other than what happens to be the popular sentiment of the loudest voices.

For example, when God says “You Shall Not Kill,” he gives a basis for life. From this word, we learn to respect all life. This word becomes our morality concerning life. We see life as belonging to God, so we protect the life of the unborn child, and we protect the elderly from euthanasia.