DEVELOPING MORALS AND VALUES CONSISTENT WITH SCRIPTURE

Each of us is motivated to move our lives in certain directions. That motivation is determined by the values we subscribe to. Our values are thus the formations and ideations of thought, the distinct formulations of understanding that express what we perceive to be important truths about life. These ideals are then reinforced by our emotions and feelings, which turn those mental perception into a vital passion that we hope to realize in our lives. Whether we actually make the effort to implement them is another matter.

Without values or beliefs, we would be mechanical-like beings, driven here and there by the vicissitudes of life. Without values, we would be creature-like, compelled to action solely by our urges and passions. In this inhuman existence, there would be little consideration for truths we hold dear, let alone implement them to ennoble and enrich our lives. In this reality devoid of values, we would live unconscious lives, without meaning or purpose. On the other hand, when we take to values, we live a purposeful and dynamic existence -- i.e. we become truly human.

This being the case, what are the truths of life, i.e. the personal values that you believe in? What are the cherished ideals and beliefs that have shaped your life; that are motivating and driving your life today? Values are, in fact powerful drivers of how we think and behave.

For the most part values can be defined as Beliefs of a person or social group in which they have an emotional investment (either for or against something); those values are then manifested in people’s actions. If you have been raised to respect your elders that would be described as a moral value. If you believe that it is important to respect women no matter who they are, that is also a moral value. It is no secret that the traditional or moral values which people had 30 years ago has changed. Some of the things that you see on television you would not have seen 15, 20, even 30 years ago.

Many of the public schools which our children are attending today have become a cesspool for sin because the values that the kids have today are inline with what they see on television. In many cases teachers have lost the authority to discipline these kids and so many of the children have absolutely no restraint. It is not farfetched to say that in many of our anti-social school establishments, meaning public schools, they have taken out prayer, the bible and they have injected homosexuality and other behavior which the Bible describes as sin. In essence they have taught our children to look at immoral behavior and to consider it the new morality, the new way of life. If you don’t agree with me on this, consider the fact that most people in the US who are around 30 years of age, now believe that homosexuality is an acceptable behavior. This didn’t happen overnight and I assure you that the public schools had a large part in establishing this value in these people. That is why today we now have several states, anywhere from 5 to 6 that have adopted same sex marriage as an acceptable institution within the family structure.

Well these kinds of things come as no surprise for the believers because after all it this was   prophesied a long time ago. The world is going to get worse, That is a fact! But what about us how can we make sure that our values, beliefs and morals are consistent with the Scriptures?

Well for one thing, we must make sure that we understand the morality that Scriptures teach, we must teach it to our children and most importantly we must live in it.

The Torah that is the word of our heavenly Father, which comes to us through his commandments, precepts, statuettes and judgments are still relevant today and we can use it to guide our lives and to teach our children.

Everyone alive has to make a choice, do we follow the world and succumb to all its temporary pleasures or do we follow Yahweh and walk on that narrow road? That road that requires us to give our lives over to him, that requires us to walk different than the world, to talk different than the world?

The Torah is an instruction manual for life, it is a guide of how to have good relationships with others and to be moral and kind people. The Torah's commandments are the means through which we can apply these values to our lives and thereby create a strong and faithful society dedicated to serving our Heavenly Father Yahweh and Yahshua the Messiah.

One of the commandments that we have regarding the Torah is that we are to put in our hearts, minds, and that we are to act upon it by placing it on our hand. With regard to children, we are commanded to teach it to our children at all times and under any situation.

That means brethren that we are also to teach our children and to understand danger, to discern problems and to overcome any obstacles. We are to teach them to make good decisions when faced with immoral pleasures. This even includes in teaching them how to have a respectful and successful argument over what they believe. We must teach them about vision, limits and risk taking. Most importantly they must understand that they were created in the image of the most holy and therefore they are to seek to be a in a set-apart state every day of their lives. When they are older we want them to have Shalom Bayit (peace in the house) and we must teach them not to engage in Lashon Hara (the evil tongue or gossip). The danger of the spoken word is so appreciated that in Hebrew, "word" is the same as "deed." To speak an untruth, or even true information that is potentially hurtful, is considered as if you had physically done something destructive. The rabbis are so concerned with gossip that it is considered as dangerous to hear it as it is to repeat it.

Needless to say, teaching values to our children is a daunting task. It requires of us open communication, our own continuing education, and leading or teaching by example. Scriptural values are neither static nor proscribed. They are the values of the Israelite or Hebrew history and text, contextualized and made relevant by our own lives and the choices we make. And while the task is daunting, we have the spirit and the sacrifice of our Messiah to encourage us.

Judaism has created a three-pointed foundation for the teaching of values, that we might benefit from in understanding and learning. The points are Torah study, spiritual community, and ritual practice. They believe that by engaging, at some level, with all three, a person has the strongest foundation for teaching those values to the next generation. Each of these points is intended to inform a parent's choices and understandings about her or his own life, and therein sets the stage for the dialog with the children.

Let us review 10 of the values or principles which we can use as springboard for our moral and ethical thought.


1. Worship only Yahweh

One day, a religious leader asked Yahshua which of the commandments was most important:

"The most important one," answered Yahshua, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our Elohim, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' (NIV, Mark 12:28-30)

The Hebrews of Old Testament times tended to lapse into worship of pagan deities and statues of animals or other objects, but anything that takes the place of our devotion to Elohim becomes an idol or false Elohim, and that is forbidden by the first of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-6). Yahshua particularly singled out love of wealth as a false Elohim (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:13), and other Bible passages mention greed, covetousness, arrogance, gluttony and pride as being equivalent to idolatry.

In today's world, many things compete against Elohim for our devotion. These are some of the things that can become modern-day idolatry if we let them become too important to us:


2. Respect all people
After saying "Love the Lord your Elohim" is the most important of the commandments, Yahshua continued,

The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (NIV, Mark 12:31)

The English word "love" has many different meanings, but the Greek word, agape, used in the New Testament, is commonly known as "true love." It means respect, affection, benevolence, good-will and concern for the welfare of the one loved.

In His Parable of the Good Samaritan, Yahshua made the point that we should extend our love to all people of the world, regardless of race, religion, nationality or any other artificial distinction. We must practice that love even toward our enemies! (Matthew 5:43-48)

Yahshua' Golden Rule is, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." We should not say or do anything unless we can answer "Yes" to the question, "Would I want that said or done to me?" Neither should we fail to do the good things we would expect of others.


3. Be humble
Humility or being humble is a quality of being courteously respectful of others. It is the opposite of aggressiveness, arrogance, boastfulness, and vanity. Acting with humility does not in any way deny our own self worth. Rather, it affirms the inherent worth of all persons. Humility is exactly what is needed to live in peace and harmony with all persons. It dissipates anger and heals old wounds. It allows us to see the dignity and worth of all Elohim's people. Humility distinguishes the wise leader from the arrogant power-seeker (Proverbs 17:7, Matthew 20:20-28).


4. Be honest
Honesty and integrity are held as very important values throughout the Bible, and any deception to gain an advantage or harm another is prohibited by the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16) and other Bible passages. Deception may be by false statements, half-truths, innuendo, or failing to tell the whole truth. It is all too common in advertising, business dealings, politics and everyday life. We must strongly resist the temptation to engage in any form of theft, cheating, deception, innuendo, slander or gossip.

Rationalization is a form of self-deception by which we convince ourselves that sinful actions are justified in order to achieve a good result, but this is really just another form of dishonesty (Galatians 6:7-8, James 1:26, 1 John 1:8). Holiness is in living by the commandments, not in achieving an end result (Matthew 4:8-10, 16:26). In Biblical teaching, the ends do not justify the means!

5. Live a moral life

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from Elohim? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor Elohim with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Yahshua gave a list of actions that constitute immoral uses of the body: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, arrogance and foolishness. The apostle Paul gave similar lists.

We often think of morality in terms of sexual sins, but according to Yahshua, sins such as slander, greed, deceit, and arrogance are equally immoral.


6. Be generous with time and money
The Bible tells us to share generously with those in need, and good things will come to us in turn. Each of us has something to offer to someone in need. We can give our money and our time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer work or choose a service-oriented occupation. We may give unselfishly of our time to our spouse, children or parents.

Bible references: Leviticus 19:9-10, 25:35-38, Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Proverbs 14:21, 28:27, Isaiah 58:10-11, Matthew 5:42, 6:1-2, 25:31-46, Luke 6:38, 12:33, 21:1-4, Acts 20:35, Romans 12:6-8, 2 Corinthians 9:5-7, Hebrews 13:1-3, 13:15-16, 1 Timothy 6:17-19, 1 John 3:17,

7. Practice what you preach; don't be a hypocrite
If there was any one group of people that Yahshua couldn't stand, it was hypocrites! The Pharisees of Yahshua' time were a religious and political party that insisted on very strict observance of Biblical laws on tithing, ritual purity and other matters. At the same time, many of the Pharisees forgot the true spirit and intent of the law and became self-indulgent, self-righteous, snobbish, and greedy. That led Yahshua to remarks such as,

Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (Matthew 23:27-28)

Just as important as what we say, what we do is critical; (Matthew 7:15-20). If we claim to be Yahshua’s disciples but do not let Yahshua' teachings guide our lives, we are nothing but hypocrites.

Bible references: Psalms 50:16-17, Isaiah 29:13-15, Jeremiah 7:1-11, Micah 3:11-12, Matthew 6:1-7, 7:1-5, 7:21-23, 15:7-9, 23:1-33, Luke 20:46-47, Romans 2:21-24, James 1:22-27, 2:14-24, 1 John 1:5-7, 2:3-6, 2:9, 4:19-21

8. Don't be self-righteous
No one is perfect; we are all sinners in one way or another (Romans 3:23). Living a moral life means taking responsibility for controlling our own behavior. If we say or even think we are better than people we consider to be "sinners," we are guilty of the sin of self-righteousness. It is not our right to look down on, criticize, judge, condemn, or try to control other people. Judgment is to be left to Elohim. Yahshua said,

Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye. (NRSV, Matthew 7:1-5)

This does not deny the right of governments to maintain law and order and collect taxes. Yahshua and other New Testament leaders supported the authority of civil governments (Matthew 22:15-22, Romans 13:1-7).

Bible references: Proverbs 26:12, Isaiah 5:21, Matthew 7:1-5, 9:10-13, 18:10, Luke 6:32-42, 7:36-50, 18:9-14, John 8:1-8, Romans 2:1-4, 3:23, 14:1, 14:10-12, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 13:1-7, 16:14, Galatians 6:1-3, James 2:12-13, 4:11-12, 1 John 1:8

9. Don't hold a grudge
Yahshua said there is no place for hatred, holding a grudge, revenge, retaliation or getting even in the life of a Believer:

You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. (NIV, Matthew 5:38-40)

You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (NIV, Matthew 5:43-45)

Bearing a grudge and seeking revenge are never appropriate responses to a perceived wrong. A grudge destroys the grudge-holder with bitterness, and revenge only escalates hostilities. Yahshua told us we must reconcile with our adversaries, forgive their transgressions, and let go of the anger that may tempt us to commit an act of revenge.

Bible references: Leviticus 19:18, Psalms 37:8-9, Proverbs 10:12, 12:16, 15:1, 15:7, 19:11, 20:22, 24:29, Matthew 5:21-26, 5:43-48, Romans 12:17-21, 1 Corinthians 6:7-8, Ephesians 4:26, 4:31-32, Colossians 3:7-8, James 1:19-20, 1 Thessalonians 5:15, 1 Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:9-11, 4:19-21


10. Forgive others

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. (NLT, Matthew 6:14-15)

Elohim is merciful and forgives our sins and failings. In the same way, we must be merciful and forgive other people who sin against us or do us harm.

Bible references: Matthew 5:7, 18:21-35, Mark 11:25, Luke 17:3-4, Colossians 3:12-14, Ephesians 4:32

Finally, if you want to become the best teacher of Scriptura values and moral thought, first become your own best student.