The Danger of Moralism
“…After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”
Humanity’s first and prevailing response to the reality and conviction of sin is to cover it up and hide from God.
This is what we call “moralism.” The temptation of Moralism is one of the two responses to the divine pangs of conscience. This is something you’ve probably experienced if you’ve grown up in the church or you’ve been a Christian for several years. We are called by God to be holy like he is holy. To be set apart. To be pure and blameless. So what do we do? We work on ourselves, we improve our character, and we try and follow all the commands Jesus sets down in his Word.
However, as we so often do, we sin against God. Sometimes it is “small” and sometimes it is “big” but sin is always still sin. What we do after we sin is something God is very concerned about.
When your response as a follower of Jesus, upon realizing you’ve sinned, is to say to yourself, “I should do better, I will do better.” Then you will know you struggle as a moralist. The ultimate hiders and the ultimate coverers are supremely gifted Moralists who cannot cope with shame and guilt.
I recall when I first heard the term Moralism and was able to identify the areas in my walk where I had been a moralist. Even now after years of being a Christian, I find myself walking in the Spirit and yet still being tempted by the illusion of “becoming righteous” through my effort.
I discover something of my character which causes me shame. How do I respond? Do I respond in anger and fear or rather do I respond in running to the Cross, knowing full well that I cannot do it on my own?
Moralism is the deception that you and I, having been redeemed by Jesus, can finish our redemption through our works and good deeds. How often do my good works reflect not what Christ is doing in me, but rather what I attempt to do for myself? This is the crux of Moralism, humanity’s ultimate autonomous (and ineffective) answer to the problem of shame and guilt.
No human can fully deal with shame and guilt. What about you? Are you still hiding from God’s grace for you? Are you still trying to cover it all up behind a thin veneer of good works?
Nothing you and I can do will deal with the problem of shame and guilt as a result of sin. As Dallas Willard puts it,
“The Christian life is what you do when you finally realize you can do nothing.” - Dallas Willard
I find even as I write this the temptation to be righteous, to be pastoral, to be good, to be well-respected. The Spirit must work in me, not by my strength but by his. For I can only be honest and fly to the cross.
“There is a vast difference between the outward clothing of the Spirit’s power and the inward filling of the Spirit’s life. In the first, despite the power, the hidden man of the heart may remain unchanged. In the latter, that monster is dealt with.” - Gene Edwards
