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Utilitarianism As The Only Moral Law That Matters
What Standard?
As you look around the world in which we live, you may wonder the basis for moral choices. Why rampant abortion? Why pervasive foul language of the worst sort? How are all music types now acceptable? What is the basis for same sex marriage? How could ninety percent of teenagers justify their premarital sex?
Churches function in an all-new manner too based upon different guidelines. What changed? Dress standards have gone by the wayside. Everything is more casual, immodest, and worldly. Church activities and even worship orient more around worldly allure and entertainment. Service times decrease. Members are far less faithful than ever.
Sam Bankman-Fried Case Study
This week in the Washington Post Michael Lewis, who has a future book coming on the same subject, wrote an article entitled, “Sam Bankman-Fried, a personal verdict: A few thoughts on how Americans thought about the crypto trial of the century.” He introduced one portion of the trial testimony transcript with this paragraph:
Caroline explained to the jury how the crypto lenders had asked her for a quick and dirty picture of Alameda Research’s finances. And how, on June 18, on Sam’s instructions, she cooked up eight different balance sheets of varying degrees of dishonesty and presented them to Sam, who selected the least honest of the bunch to show his lenders.
Caroline referred to Caroline Ellison, the CEO of Alameda Research, the trading firm affiliated with Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency exchange FTX. She pleaded guilty to fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy charges for her role in the crimes committed. She said in her testimony:
Q. In the course of working with the defendant, did he talk to you about the ethics of lying and stealing? A. Yeah. He said that he was a utilitarian, and he believed that the ways that people tried to justify rules like don’t lie and don’t steal within utilitarianism didn’t work, and he thought that the only moral rule that mattered was doing whatever would maximize utility — so essentially trying to create the greatest good for the greatest number of people or beings.
Utilitarianism
‘Creating the greatest good for the greatest number of people’ in not the ethic of utilitarianism, so he’s misrepresented it. His view of the world though, I believe, is very common. It might be mainstream. People are going to live for their best life now. And what they mean by that is the historical understanding of utility, which relates more to maximizing happiness and pleasure while minimizing pain and unhappiness.
Utility is not in and of itself goodness. The good thing is not inherently good, but good based on what brings the most immediate pleasure. It corresponds to a rejection of God and moral absolutes. What gives the maximum number of people pleasure and happiness is in accordance with conventional wisdom.
What pleasure did a maximum number derive from Bankman-Fried? He used his swindled money to donate to Democrat causes across the United States. His money helped put Democrats in office. Bankman-Fried himself was the beneficiary short-term of utility and emblematic of what anyone could receive without biblical morality.
A Comparison
Among many similar reasons, people miss church because of a sports league that brings pleasure and happiness. They work on Sundays because the money pays for pleasure and happiness. Children lie to their parents because the truth would freak them out. That would prohibit pleasure and happiness all around. The act of evangelism brings animosity and ridicule. How could those two things bring someone pleasure and happiness?
Five hundred years into Christ’s kingdom or one million years into the eternal state, the recipient will live in utter and indescribable bliss. I would call that pleasure and happiness too. For the short seventy to one hundred year life in this age, sacrifice brings joy, deep-seated fulfillment, or an inner calm of the soul. Paul said the short term suffering is not compared to the eternal weight of glory. This is living by faith. Faith overcomes the delusion of utilitarianism.
God’s Grace As An Attitude Adjuster
James wrote that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). God keeps giving and giving and giving. People do not deserve these good gifts. They deserve the opposite. People getting good things that they don’t deserve is God’s grace.
For a professing believer, what causes a bad attitude? I contend the biggest contributor is his thinking that he deserves what he doesn’t or that he doesn’t deserve what he really does. This is an unmet expectation. He expects what he doesn’t deserve and then he doesn’t get it.
It is difficult to expect what I really do deserve. I want better treatment, better consequences, better circumstances, or even better reactions. Yet, I don’t deserve them.
When I think I got better than I deserve, that affects my attitude. If I change my thinking to this thinking, based on what I know scripture says, it also changes my attitude.
God’s grace can adjust an attitude. The professing believer must think God’s grace. The attitude is the resultant emotion, either a good feeling or a bad one.
A bad attitude is an emotion that can turn to something deeper, like a kind of depression or discouragement. This can become deep settled and change the trajectory of a person’s life. He digs himself or even buries himself into a rut or hole. He doesn’t make his way out.
The grace of God must adjust the attitude. This adjustment occurs through the mind. The professing believer thinks he deserves worse. He keeps thinking he gets better than he deserves. God does give him more than he deserves.
Sometime in Christian history, someone defined grace as “undeserved favor.” Christians overall have agreed with this definition for centuries. God gives us better and more than what we deserve. This is God’s grace. If we allow that thinking to permeate our mind, it will adjust our attitude.
The world makes it difficult to keep a good attitude. This is why right attitudes very often are commanded, like “rejoice evermore” (Philippians 4:4). They are commanded, because we might not have them. His commands also mean we can have them, that we are able to have them. God won’t command what He won’t also enable. He wouldn’t command you if He didn’t also provide the power to keep the command.
When I write that the world system and its father, Satan, make for a tougher environment to have a good attitude, I am saying that it will still be a struggle. When you hit your thumb with a hammer, you say, “Ouch.” This is a kind of point Job mentions when he’s criticized by his friends. When I talk about God’s grace adjusting the attitude of a professing Christian, I speak of the struggle. This will help the believer not to sink into long term or permanent bad attitudes and struggle against short term wrong ones.
God’s grace can and will keep attitude struggles short term or win those struggles. This is God’s will, but it is also important for the thriving and well being of the professing believer. Believers will do better in ministry to and with others with a good attitude. Even if people have a bad attitude themselves, they want you to have a good one when you are with them.
If you say, “God is good,” and then your attitude says, “God hasn’t been good,” it hurts the efforts for God with others. Maybe you don’t even believe God is good. God knows whether you think He is, but your attitude might be saying that you think He is not. All of us should consider this.
What in the world could spur a bad attitude? You know. You are mistreated by several others. The people around you are not grateful for what you do. You work hard without notice or credit. One thing after another breaks. People gossip about you. You don’t have many friends. Friends betray you. You can’t get ahead with your finances. School is a struggle. Others are promoted ahead of you unfairly. People don’t laugh at your jokes, and you think you’re funny.
No one is a victim of a bad attitude. Someone else doesn’t cause it. Your parents didn’t cause it. Neither did your husband or wife. You choose what attitude you will have. Victimization is just an excuse. It’s lying to yourself.
The joy of the Lord is our strength. His grace will fuel that joy. Like Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8, think on this thing.
The Required Rejection of Dismayal
The English, “dismayed,” is found only in the Old Testament, and 31 times in the King James Version. The Hebrew word is hay’tawt (my transliteration), which is found 57 times in the Old Testament, the following the first five usages:
Deuteronomy 1:21, “Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the LORD God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy 31:8, “And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”Joshua 1:9, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”Joshua 8:1, “And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.”Joshua 10:25, “And Joshua said unto them, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage: for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom ye fight.”
The Knowledge which the Saints have of God’s Beauty and Glory in this World, and those holy Affections that arise from it, are of the same Nature and Kind with what the Saints are the Subjects of in Heaven, differing only in Degree and Circumstances. . . . Those Affections that are truly Holy, are primarily founded on the Loveliness of the moral Excellency of divine Things. Or, (to express it otherwise) a Love to divine Things for the Beauty and Sweetness of their moral Excellency, is the first Beginning and Spring of all holy Affections. . . . That Religion which God requires, and will accept, don’t consist in weak, dull and lifeless Wouldings, raising us but a little above a State of Indifference: God, in his Word, greatly insists upon it, that we be in good Earnest, fervent is Spirit, and our Hearts vigorously engaged in Religion.
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