THE DRAMA OF DOING WHAT CAN BE DONE ... HOPING IT OUGHT TO BE DONE

I do what I can, hoping it is what ought to be done – therein lies the drama. This is what I posted as my FACEBOOK status on May 15, 2010. It sparked a number of comments from others.

I said in reply to a friend who asked about “the comedy” that the comedy can be seen in the folly of my ridiculous acts of self-righteousness. He responded, “hey – me too!”

A student then posted the following: “Who decides what ought to be done?” I found this to be an interesting question. My reply: If something OUGHT to be done, is such ought-ness defined prior to the deed or at the moment of the deed?

Priority implies order - toward what end is the deed to be done ordered? Christian moral philosophy contends that all moral action must be ordered to God. So one who would do what ought to be done will have decided to act in accordance with God's will. However, given one is a free moral agent, the one who decides what ought to be done is the one who wisely does the rightly-ordered deed or unwisely does otherwise. The actual deed will then be judged accordingly.

One's conscience comes into play as one considers what is just about to be done, what one is now doing, and what one has done already. Ideally, conscientious consideration will be critically consistent with the ultimate judgment to come to pass on the Last Day after all is said and done.

My son, Vincent, wrote, “I agree with you metaphysically, but my poor human brain doesn't think like that on a daily basis. ‘Ought’ is really more mundane. It seems that it's based on relationships. If we're honest with ourselves, we can see what the best thing to do is. And we know that if it isn't, then there is grace and we are ready to talk it out. Our conscience is wiser than we give it credit. Also, I find that it's important to be ready to admit that we, too immature, might not be able to decide and seek help in decisions. I mean, I only feel at peace when I feel my decisions are centered on Christ."

My immediate reply: “Exactly, Cenzo.” I think he have expressed it very well.
What we ought to do is indeed based on relationship.

The basic relationship to being human is, of course, one's relationship to God. Basic as well, however, is one's relationship to others; as I have often said before, there is always way to have a right relationship with anyone. What ought to be done depends on what is right for one's relationship with another.

Our conscience is wiser when well-formed. Relationships with others form who we become. One's conscience strives to conform one's actions to one's being. As one relates rightly with others, one will discover one's conscience is more consistently wise. Making wise decisions makes one more mature, more able to do what one ought to be done.

The student wrote that he agreed “nearly completely.” He wondered, however, whether we can “interpret His will without bias?” Going on, the student asked, “How can we know what He wills as the flawed beings that we are?” Then a qualified question, “can we assume to know the will of God?” The qualification, “barring divine intervention,” provoked this response from the first friend who responded to my original post, “Good thing barring divine intervention is unnecessary.” He continued, “You can't barr it or except it. Having a fallen human nature, knowledge of the will of God comes only through divine revelation – often through the mechanism of his Word and always through the intervention of the Holy Spirit.”

I answered that we can, by means of each one's conscience, always know our own will. Will we or will we not want to follow God's will? Being willing to do God's will puts us in the right mind to know God's will. We then trust God to help us discover what His will might be for us who are so willing. (Scripture speaks of this in a variety of ways - cf. John 3:21; 7:17; 8:43; also Daniel 12:10; Psalm 25:9; Hosea 14:9.)

One way to discern God's will is to seek the wise counsel of others. This helps counter whatever bias one may have in the effort to interpret what is right. God's grace keeps us alive despite the deadly folly towards which we are prone – that is sufficient intervention, don't you think? Expecting divine intervention to be the means of prevention is irresponsible. Flawed as we may be, we are still responsible for each thing we freely choose to do.

The student clarified his question by writing, “how can we do God’s will in the times when there is no obvious intervention?” Then he went on to write, “Seeking wise consul and being true to oneself, while also being true to the scripture ... this is the best route through which we flawed beings can attempt to do His will?”

To which I stated that God's will be done. That is a given without exception.

We have the opportunity to participate in doing God's will. That is grace. Without the intervention of the Holy Spirit, our participation is impossible. Sin sets the bar before us, blinding us from seeing the way we ought to go; the crucial part Christ plays is essential to breaking through that sinful barrier so that we can play with Him before the throne of God. This is what the Word of God reveals and what we need to know so that we can live.