When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (11:24–28)

In recent decades there has been increasing distress among Christians about the rampant moral corruption in society. Concern for the influence of this tolerance and advocacy of sin on present and subsequent generations, has led to efforts by the church to effect moral change through political activism, media exposure, and social pressure groups. Many evangelicals view promoting Judeo-Christian values, teaching morality to schoolchildren, and politicking the nation back to moral living as a priority for believers. Since such societal morality is also on the agenda of apostate Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Mormonism, and even some atheists, the church becomes trapped in compromising and ungodly alliances that undermine the clarity of the gospel.

True Christians rightly decried the abandonment of the saving gospel for the social gospel by the liberal mainline denominations in the previous century. Yet the emphasis among current professing believers on restoring public morality amounts to nothing more than a form of neo-liberalism. Once again the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is being set aside in favor of a different, non-saving message. Albert Mohler defines moralism as “the belief that the Gospel can be reduced to improvements in behavior” (“Why Moralism Is Not the Gospel—And Why So Many Christians Think It Is” [http://www.albertmohler.com/2009/09/03/why-moralism-is-not-the-gospel-and-why-so-many-christians-think-it-is/; accessed 26 Apr 2011]). It is a false gospel and hence under the condemnation of God (Gal. 1:8–9). Dr. Mohler goes on to note that

He then concludes by noting the sharp contrast between the saving gospel and moralism: “Moralism produces sinners who are (potentially) better behaved. The Gospel of Christ transforms sinners into the adopted sons and daughters of God” (ibid.).

For the church of Jesus Christ to promote moralism is to obscure its true calling. As I wrote in my book Why Government Can’t Save You,

The church’s mandate is clear. It has been entrusted with the saving message of reconciliation, and commanded to proclaim the truth that sinners can be restored to union with God through Christ:

Moralism was never the message of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Old Testament prophets, or the New Testament apostles. On the contrary, Jesus reserved His most scathing denunciations for the outwardly moral scribes and Pharisees, characterizing them as hypocrites, destined for eternal punishment in hell (Matt. 23; Luke 11:37–54). He pronounced judgment and damnation on the most outwardly moral society in the world (Matt. 23:33; Luke 20:45–21:6). Jesus further declared that He had come to call sinners, not the self-righteous, to repentance (Luke 5:32). The prophets likened the righteousness produced by moralism to “a filthy garment” (Isa. 64:6) and challenged people not to change their outward behavior but to be transformed on the inside (Joel 2:12–13) and repent of their sins (Jer. 36:3; Ezek. 18:30–32). The apostle Paul cautioned that “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight” (Rom. 3:20) and reminded those who would pursue moralism that “if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly” (Gal. 2:21; cf. 3:21–22).

Improving a nation’s morality, like bodily discipline, does have the limited temporal value of making life safer and more peaceful. But making a society more moral will not and cannot bring God’s blessing, which comes only from true godliness (1 Tim. 4:8). A more outwardly moral society will not escape the same divine judgment that falls on perverted killers, any more than Pharisaic Judaism in Jesus’ time escaped the devastating judgment of God in A.D. 70 and the eternal hell that followed. There is only one reality that God blesses—penitent saving faith in and love for His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is not to say, of course, that Christians should not at all times hate evil and in all places oppose wickedness in every form. The issue is whether we are to carry out that effort by pursuing societal moralism through human effort, or by preaching personal salvation through the power of God.

The church’s ill-conceived efforts to promote cultural morality are fraught with numerous dangers, some of which may be briefly summarized.

First, as already noted, the pursuit of cultural morality is outside the church’s divine commission, which is to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). By focusing its efforts on moralism, the church depletes its resources and diminishes its power.

Second, by doing so it wastes immense amounts of time, money, and resources trying to make people become what they cannot be apart from salvation (cf. Jer. 13:23). That violates the principle Paul laid down in Ephesians 5:16 when he commanded his readers to be continually “making the most of [their] time, because the days are evil.”

Third, the pursuit of cultural morality is doomed to inevitable failure. No one can be truly righteous and moral before God apart from the transforming work of the Holy Spirit through the gospel (cf. Rom. 3:10–12). Since “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9 NKJV), failing to change it will merely redirect sin. If some sins become illegal, people will pursue other sins, or do the ones they want to do secretly.

Fourth, the pursuit of cultural morality misunderstands the nature of the kingdom of God, which Jesus said in John 18:36 “is not of this world.” There is no connection between a national entity and the kingdom of God, and nothing that fallen men can do to alter societies’ behavior has any impact on God’s purposes in redemption.

Fifth, the pursuit of cultural morality attempts to bring about moral change apart from the gospel. But that is impossible, because those who are accustomed to doing evil cannot do good (Jer. 13:23).

Sixth, the pursuit of cultural morality divorces morality from theology. Many involved in that pursuit demonstrate an ignorance of essential theological truths about God, His Word, and His holy law. Their efforts to bring about morality thus lack the highest motive, which is to honor and glorify God from a transformed heart (1 Cor. 10:31).

Seventh, the pursuit of cultural morality fails to understand correctly the references to salt and light in Matthew 5:13–14. The Lord’s imagery does not refer to moral influence, but rather to gospel influence by word spoken and the power of holy living. Believers are light when they proclaim the truth of the gospel both with their words and their lives. They are salt in the sense that their virtuous and godly lives are a preservative against evil.

Eighth, the pursuit of cultural morality has no New Testament model to pattern itself after except that of the Pharisees. But as noted above, Jesus reserved His strongest rebuke for them because their outward morality merely masked their dominating inward corruption (cf. Matt. 23:25; Luke 11:39).

Ninth, the pursuit of cultural morality creates unholy unions with unbelievers and enemies of the gospel, which the Bible forbids (2 Cor. 6:14). Further, it leads to inclusivism, stretching the boundaries of the kingdom of God to embrace people who are not in Christ.

Tenth, those pursuing cultural morality are selective as to the sins they oppose. They attack sins such as homosexuality, pedophilia, abortion, and pornography, while largely ignoring other sins such as divorce, adultery, materialism, and pride. Most important, the emphasis on morality ignores the severest sin of all—failing to obey “the great and foremost commandment” (Matt. 22:38), which is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (v. 37). Love the Lord Christ, Paul said, or be damned (1 Cor. 16:22).

Eleventh, the pursuit of cultural morality fails to understand the true nature of spiritual warfare. To attempt to change laws through political action is not spiritual warfare, which Paul defined as “destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and … taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5) by smashing the fortresses of human ideologies with the truth of God (v. 4). Those who think wrongly about God, Christ, and themselves must be confronted with the truth of the gospel, which alone is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16). True spiritual warfare is not political or social activism. It is a battle for the minds and eternal souls of lost sinners, seeking to see them turn from error to gospel truth.

Twelfth, pursuing cultural morality cultivates hostility toward those whom the church is commanded to reach with the gospel of love. They become enemies instead of the mission field. Unbelievers are not the enemy, but captives of the ultimate enemy, Satan (2 Tim. 2:26).

Thirteenth, pursuing cultural morality brings persecution and hatred of Christians for the wrong reasons. People calling themselves Christians are vilified by the world not for the name of Christ (cf. 1 Peter 4:14), but for their political views and disdain toward wicked unbelievers.

Fourteenth, the pursuit of cultural morality reverses the divine order by making morality the power for salvation. But morality does not produce salvation; salvation produces genuine morality.

Finally, the pursuit of cultural morality fails to understand the wrath of God, which Romans 1:18–32 discloses “is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (v. 18). As a result God judged them by giving them over to sexual immorality (v. 24), including homosexuality (vv. 26–27), and to a twisted, reprobate, useless mind (v. 28). The rampant sin evident in the world is evidence of the wrath of God, which cannot be overturned by political or social activism. When this judgment from heaven comes, no one can stop it or change it.

Moralism, however, is not merely a disaster for the church, but also results in eternal tragedy for individuals:

In this passage the Lord Jesus Christ told a parable (virtually identical to one He had told several months earlier in Galilee [Matt. 12:43–45]) that vividly illustrates the grave danger of moral reformation without regeneration. Jesus had closed His defense against the false, blasphemous accusations of the Jewish religious leaders in the previous section by warning, “He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters” (11:23). In this next section He addressed the question of what it means to be with Him by contrasting reformation with transformation.

REFORMATION

When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.” (11:24–26)

On the surface, this was a very religious man, one who had outwardly cleaned up his life. His former wretched conduct had made him a comfortable haven for an unclean spirit (a common New Testament term for demons stressing their evil, impure natures; cf. Matt. 10:1; 12:43; Mark 1:23, 26, 27; 3:11, 30; 5:2, 8, 13; 7:25; 9:25; Luke 4:36; 6:18; Acts 5:16; 8:7). It may be that the demon went out of this man because his reformed moral behavior made him no longer a suitable host for the demon’s purposes. It may also have departed temporarily to validate the phony exorcisms of the Jewish exorcists (cf. 11:19).

Having left the man, the demon passed through waterless places seeking rest. Since they are spirit beings, demons do not wander in deserts in need of water; the Lord’s language metaphorically depicts the demon existing aimlessly in the spirit realm. Demons do their diabolical work in this world through people, and not to have a person to work through is the equivalent for a demon of being in a barren situation.

After wandering for a time but not finding any other person to indwell, the demon decided, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ The description of the man as the demon’s house indicates that this demon lived in him, not merely that the man was under its influence. The man’s legalistic effort at self-reformation, however, was no lasting protection. When the demon returned, it found the man’s heart swept, put in order, and unoccupied (cf. Matt. 12:44). Therein lies the fatal weakness of moralistic, legalistic efforts at self-reformation. The problem with the moral person’s heart is that while it may be superficially cleaned up and put in order, it is a void. It is devoid of the true spiritual power of righteousness that comes only to the redeemed through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

Mere external, superficial efforts at self-reformation only leave people in a more dangerous position, since those efforts foster the damning delusion that they are on a secure footing, protected from calamity and pleasing to God. That perspective was evident in this man’s life. The spiritual vacuum in his heart created by his moralistic effort to clean up his life left him vulnerable to even more severe demonic oppression than before. Not only did the original demon return, but it also brought with it seven other spirits more evil than itself. They, too, were able to enter the man’s empty heart and live there (katoikeō, which suggests a permanent indwelling). The end result of his moralism was that the last state of that man became worse than the first. He was like those of whom Peter wrote, “If, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first” (2 Peter 2:20). He was even more infested with the agents of hell after his attempt to reform himself morally than before that effort. Morality and religion are seductive and deadly. Although they lack any power to change the heart, they produce the soul-numbing deception that all is well with God. But those who believe in their own righteousness are not redeemable, are havens for demons, and receive no lasting benefit from their pursuit of reformation apart from regeneration.

TRANSFORMATION

While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (11:27–28)

This brief incident illustrates the true spiritual transformation that marks those who are with Christ (11:23). As the Lord was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” That proverbial saying was the ultimate commendation, “since a mother was valued in the accomplishments of her son” (Darrell L. Bock, Luke 9:51–24:53, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996], 1094). It suggests that she was open to believing that Jesus was the Messiah.

Her statement was correct, but not complete. The Lord’s polite response challenged her to go beyond merely commending Him. “On the contrary, He told her, “blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” This statement is reminiscent of the one Jesus made in Luke 8:21: “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” It is not enough merely to attempt to be moral. One must be regenerated so as to be a true follower of Christ who is first and foremost obedient to divine revelation; to be a doer, not merely a hearer, of the word of God (James 1:22); to not only hear Christ’s words, but act on them (Matt. 7:24); to demonstrate one’s love for Jesus by obeying Him (John 14:15, 21, 23; 15:10). First John 3:23–24 expresses the essence of what it means to be a true follower of the Lord Jesus Christ: “This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him.”

The pursuit of moralism is doomed to failure, since “those who are in the flesh cannot please God” (Rom. 8:8; cf. Gal. 5:17). It is only through the transforming power of regeneration that sinners can become new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17) and be characterized by loving obedience that pleases God (2 Cor. 5:9; Eph. 5:10; Col. 1:10; 1 John 3:22). For the church to ignore that reality is to hide the light of gospel truth God has called it to shine forth in this sin-darkened world (Matt. 5:14; Phil. 2:15) and abandon its mission to turn sinners from the darkness of sin to the light of salvation (Acts 26:18).