BROWNWOOD—People become like the deity they worship, a Wayland Baptist University professor said, echoing a principle he learned from Nat Tracy, longtime professor at Howard Payne University.

“When our concept of God is limited, that very concept limits what we will become,” Gary Manning told participants at Howard Payne University’s Currie/Strickland Distinguished Lecture Series on Christian Ethics.

“In reality, our concept of God will not change God; he is who he is. Our concept of God changes us.”

Gary Manning

Manning edited and published A Search for Authentic Christianity, a previously unpublished textbook on spiritual formations written by Tracy, who served on the Howard Payne Bible faculty from 1950 to 1975.

Tracy taught an Old Testament passage—Exodus 35:6-7—presents three perfectly balanced aspects of God’s moral character—love, truth and righteousness, Manning said.

God’s love not only “prevents God from backhanding us across the universe,” but also “blesses us unconditionally,” he said.

“This graciousness does not come because of anything in us. It comes because of what is in God,” Manning said.

God’s love does not simply excuse wrongdoing or look the other way, he stressed.

“What we see here is that God is out to cure us, not simply grant us amnesty,” Manning said. “Dr. Tracy showed us that God’s forgiveness is for the purpose of reestablishing a formerly broken relationship so that the power of the reestablished relationship will cure the person of that which caused the breakdown of the relationship in the first place.”

Truth, faithfulness and fidelity also characterize God, he noted.

“It has to do with the fact that God has divinely limited himself to being faithful to his character,” he explained. “He is this way, and he will not move from it.”

God not only is unconditionally loving and eternally faithful to his moral character, but also is holy and righteous, Manning observed.

“God forgives, but the results of selfish or stupid action on our part are not completely removed. In fact, sometimes God’s righteous reaction toward sin is to allow the consequences of irresponsible behavior to wake up a person to the depths of their rebellion,” he said. Those results even can extend to innocents who bear the consequences of other’s actions.

“Vicarious suffering is the most powerful force on earth to awaken someone to the devastation of irresponsible, self-centered and reckless behavior. When innocent children suffer from the neglect, or abuse, or self-absorbed living of the parents, the guilty can really see, if they will, the depth of sin and its far-reaching costs. … This principle of vicarious suffering is, of course, displayed perfectly in the cross, where the innocent one suffering for the sins of us all—the guilty.”

Manning highlighted a series of implications for Christian ethics based on God’s moral character and drawn from Tracy’s teachings:

• “The whole of reality is moral in nature and is interlaced with values. Morality is to be of the same quality as that which is in God.”

• “Ethics cannot be restricted to negative goodness but must be redemptive in nature.”

• “Violations of God’s values corrupt the inner life. The keeping of God’s values fulfills life.”

• “Ethics are not relative but arise from authority. The authority is the character of God. Ethics that are self-willed and self-assertive cannot be final. The penalty of no restraint lies in the futility of license.”

• “Love is the life-blood of all of life. Servanthood is the heartbeat of life. Self-giving is so essential that giving and receiving freely brings joy and exuberance in living.”

• “Authenticity, openness, and honesty are necessities. Forgiveness and vicarious suffering become a reality whenever the occasion arises. The formation of character makes morality to be ceaseless and enduring. Relentless self-discipline rather than external pressure becomes the guideline for ethics.”

• “When one speaks of Christian ethics we are not speaking of moral perfection. Moral perfection would isolate the Christian pilgrim from the sinful world and thus a different language would be spoken that the sinful world could not understand.

• “Christian ethics is not simply an adequate standard of moral and personal behavior. It is rather to be determined by how redemptive it is to the whole of God’s order. Christian ethics arise out of the quality of life which is its source and creative center.”

• “Morality is not the ultimate end. The possession of life comes first, and then morality becomes the cloak which life wears. Real ethics arise out of the life and character and are not something imposed on personality.

• If indeed, the healthy personal life comes first and morality is a result of a vital quality life, the way to morality is the gradual possession of a righteous life and not vice-versa. In other words, Christ came to transform us from the inside out.”

• “The Christian ethicist, therefore, has a distinct advantage because the personal and spiritual life is the priority, and morality, ethical knowledge, and practice follows. When ethics start with standards without prior spiritual and personal life, the ethics end up being weak and ineffectual.”

Robert Williams, founding director of The Encouragers ministry, and Bill Fowler, assistant professor of Christian studies at Howard Payne University, both stressed servanthood as central to Christian ethics.

“Servanthood is at the heart of the church patterned after the ethical mission of Christ,” said Williams, who is writing a biography of Tracy.

Christians are called to servanthood individually and collectively, said Williams, a former student of Tracy’s.

“Maybe the problem of servanthood isn’t that it doesn’t work. Maybe the problem is we just haven’t given it a chance,” he said.

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Comments (10)

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written by flip, April 21, 2010

Dear Dr. Manning, does your view of God accept the eternal decrees of God, the anger and wrath of God, and the sovereign electing and reprobating choice of God? I ask because I am trying build my ethics upon what the Bible teaches. Thanks!

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written by gmanning, April 22, 2010

Dear Flip, thanks for your comment and question. Remember that all of reality must be consistent with God's moral character. Even the more harsh statements in the scriptures must be considered in light of that. There must also be considerable research and examination of the historical and cultural environment of the particular passage. Even though there are consequences to our irresponsible or outright rebellious behavior, God still loves us unconditionally. God's wrath is more like a principle that is at work all the time. His anger is more often directed toward His children who are missing out on the wonder of partnership with Him in realizing and using their potential in service to the world. God's election is a very complicated and historical verbal battle that has been waged for centuries. Remember too, that ethics is a cloak that is worn by the person who has His Life being inwoven into one's character. The ingrained beatitudes prepare persons to enter life situations and make choices as to what is best in this instance. What is best is what is best for the entire enterprise of God.

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written by feathers, April 22, 2010

Congratulations to Dr. Manning on a wonderful series of lectures. However, I wonder how he can talk about Biblical/Christian ethics without mentioning any concept of OBLIGATION. The Bible presents basically a deontological basis for ethics and moral action. I have challenged many a speaker or teacher to sell me on any value as something that I must add to my life unless they manage to make it obligatory. None have so far. Dr. Manning builds a strong case for deontological ethics but then abandons it in favor of popular/culturally correct empahsis on values. Perhaps I am wrong, but I do not think so. Cy Fletcher, BAytown

Thank You
written by flip, April 23, 2010

Thank you, Dr. Manning for your response. It is helpful! Blessings!

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written by feathers, April 23, 2010

Flip, I can see you are having a hard time explaining ethics and yet sticking to the irresistable grace teachings of Calvin. You will always fall short because to be truly ethical/moral an action/decision must be based on freedom. Forced love, dictated faith/belief, and compelled loyalty are simply impossible. The element of irresistably simply cuts the heart out of them all. And on the other side of the coin the same thing clears us from all culpability for our actions. God is big enough to create real free will or He is simply not big enough to be God. Cy Fletcher, Baytown

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written by wbu12345, April 26, 2010

I was wondering if the Exodus 35:6-7 reference in the 5th paragraph is correct? If so, I am confused as to the basis of his hermeneutic?

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written by gmanning, April 26, 2010

You are very correct. The passage is Exodus 34:6-7.

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written by gmanning, April 26, 2010

Feathers, I think I understand what you mean by "deontological basis for ethics," but I am not sure. Please explain what you mean.

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written by wbu12345, April 26, 2010

Thank you for clarifying.

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written by feathers, April 27, 2010

Dr. Manning, Since the days of Plato and Aristotle the debate in ethics/morals has been about which is more primary: judgements of vallue or judgements of obligation. Teleological ethics says that values are primary; it is the good that actions leads to that determines what is moral and ethical. Deontological [de: out of or from; and ontos: being or essense; some more basic actions and decisions are what we OWE, what we OUGHT TO DO, they are simply doing what is right. Biblical ethics starts with who God is and our obligation to Him. Turning God into a value, even the supreme value depersonallizes Him. Values have their place, but our obligation to God is primary. Faith, love, loyalty, forgiveness, duty, integrity, etc. are not valuess primarily; they are obligations we owe God, one another, and ourselves. Thanks for asking. Cy Fletcher, Baytown

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