The Mechanism of Comprehension

HOW DO HUMAN BEINGS KNOW THE MORAL

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG?

An Excerpt from a course on Natural Law, the Noahide, and the Torah

As stated previously, it is universally accepted among Christians and Jews that human beings are uniquely created in the "image of God."  As it relates to human life this is the most fundamental premise of the Bible as established in the first chapter of the first Book.  

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'  God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:26).

It is also universally understood by Christians and Jews that the image of God in mankind is not physical, but spiritual.  As Jesus (the Incarnation) Himself affirmed, "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).

God is a spirit, and a Person.  We speak of the "Persons" of the Godhead, and accept that as Persons the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have a personality.  The word personality  is a noun meaning  "The complex of characteristics that distinguishes an individual; especially:  the totality of an individual's behavioral and emotional characteristics;  a set of distinctive traits and characteristics." 1

"Behavioral and emotional characteristics" can only be known by action, and action that is by choice.  Action promoted other than by choice carries no real personality - true personality is only possible for a person. 

What makes us most like the image of God is not that we have a spirit, but that we have a moral spirit.  That is, a spirit capable of moral choice.  Not just choice as in which color of socks to wear or to wear no socks, but moral choices or immoral choices.

The word "choose" is found in 71 verses in the Bible, the best known of which is probably Joshua's final appeal to Israel "choose for yourselves today whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15).  

The word "chose" is found in another 58 verses.  In both a positive and negative way the word is employed to express man's freedom of will, even when man makes a choice to act against the very Creator who gave him freedom of will.  For example, God speaking to Judah through the prophet Isaiah said "Instead they did what was evil in my sight and chose what did not please Me" (Isaiah 66:4).

The mechanism of the comprehension of morality while innate is also willful.  Genesis chapter three demonstrates this in the account of the fall.  In that account the man and woman are capable of knowing right from wrong, and also capable of making a freewill choice based upon that knowledge.

The innate capacity to know moral truth, and then to willfully act upon it is the most defining characteristic of our person.  One might also argue that it is the thing about us which is most like God.  While we are physical creatures to be sure, and the body is sacred - so much so that it will be resurrected either for eternal life or eternal death (the second death, Revelation 21:8) it is not the body that make moral choices - it is the spirit or as it is so often define - the heart.

The mechanism of moral comprehension is the spiritual image of God within us - an image that is infinitely inferior, but sufficiently endowed so that we are in fact incapable of not knowing moral truth (however we may choose to act upon it).  That is, of course, unless we are by some cause in the sight of God incapable. 

Next, we will answer the question, "What is the Age of Comprehension?"

For a deeper study, you are encouraged to consider enrolling in our 3 credit-hour academic course "THE LAW OF UNIVERSAL RIGHTEOUSNESS: Natural Law, the Noahide, and the Torah." You can check out all of our regular academic programs by clicking this link: PROGRAMS.

Thank you for sharing time with me. I hope this brief post will encourage you to want to learn more about the laws of universal righteousness, and the manner in which God has implanted the awareness of right and wrong within your own heart and mind.

 Dennis D. Frey, Th.D.,

1.  https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personality