Commandment 6: Pursue What Is Right BEFORE What Works
This commandment simply recognizes that saying something is “right” means something real, and something more than saying that it “works”. It is the contrast between what is called “moral realism” and either “moral nihilism” or utilitarianism. Two Proverbs make the point that people choose to do things because they are right, even though the result of those things makes it obvious they were not. “There is a way which seems right to a man, but the end of it is the way of death.” Moral judgments become basically meaningless when the definition of what is right becomes malleable. (For those paying close attention, I should point out that “the way of death” is not the same as “death” itself, and so these Proverbs are not utilitarian. For everyone else this parenthetical note probably should have been skipped. :O)
Paul also expressed this point to Timothy: “if a man is trying to achieve something, he will not receive his prize unless he strives for it according to what is right.” (2 Timothy 2:5)
When Christians make moral judgments based on what will work BEFORE they have discovered whether the act itself is right or whether a character capable of doing such an act is virtuous, then they are not following Jesus. It is crystal clear (from the crucifixion itself, to the command that to follow Jesus means to deny self and take up the cross) that the result is not the responsibility of a follower; obedience is.
At its base, this commandment is inescapable for those wishing to have a Christian worldview. There is an absolute and universal truth in Christ which includes what is right and what is wrong. The expression of right and wrong may take a different form in every culture. But it will still be either right or wrong, and the difference between the two will not change. To hug an old friend may be right in America and wrong in India. But it is right in both places to care about others and be respectful of them as persons.
Acknowledging different expressions (called the context sensitivity thesis) does not compromise moral reality. Determining that something is right (like helping someone in need) and then choosing which act to do based on what will work best (like pushing rather than pulling their car) does not compromise moral reality. But determining that something is right just because it brings about desired results absolutely does compromise any commitment to moral reality. So don’t do that!
