Amorality Isn’t

The claim that a thing is amoral is a claim that it is neutral. Amoral means neither moral nor immoral – the absence of morality. Amoral indicates that a thing is neither good nor evil, neither virtuous nor vicious, neither lawful nor lawless, neither right nor wrong. Thus, amorality means neutrality.

We have been told that God filled the world with amoral or neutral things — flowers, bugs, dogs, cats, sounds, smells, tastes, sights, and so on. Certainly it is true that none of these things can be sinful in and of themselves. As the catechism tells us, sin is want of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of God. A smell cannot transgress God’s law. A taste cannot transgress God’s law. A flower cannot transgress God’s law. Only creatures can transgress God’s law.

But the above analogy falls woefully short of a thorough thinking through of the issue of amorality. Certainly sounds and smells and tastes and scenery cannot sin. But men can. Men can sin by smelling, by tasting, by handling, by looking. Nude bodies, though hardly neutral or amoral, are not inherently sinful. God gave one to each of us, to the praise of His glory. And, God has given a context for righteous nudity. The determining factor is not the fact of the nude body, but rather the use of said body.

But we still haven’t gone far enough in our thinking. The claim that a smell or a taste or a sound is amoral, or neutral, is deceitful and vain. The claim that there is anything – any square inch on the face of this earth that is neutral – is a claim that there are things or places where the Sovereignty of God does not govern. Such claims are in fact immoral.

Amorality is not a neutral claim. Not at all. Amorality claims independence from the rule of God. Amorality claims that not all things were made by God and for God. Amorality claims that the earth is not the Lord’s, not the fullness thereof. Amorality claims that there exists, somewhere in the world God created, a place where Christ is not Lord, and where middle ground can be found between truth and falsity. “Amorality” is not an amoral claim.

Music is not amoral. Music, despite claims to the contrary, always takes a side. Either music gives glory to God, who is worthy to receive it, or it does not. But to make this proposition clear, we need to look fundamentally at the foundations of music.

Man neither invented nor created music. When God created the world, Job tells us that the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy. Some say that when God created the world, he literally sang it into existence. When God created Lucifer, he created in him the ability to produce the most beautiful of music. God created music. Music was created by Him and for Him.

But we should go further. Music fundamentally is a combination or succession of sounds. Consider sound. God made the earth in such a way that a dish can fall to the ground and shatter, and the shattering of the dish will make a sound wave that vibrates two bones in my ear, enabling me to discern what just happened. The sound of a breaking dish can hardly be termed “neutral.” Miraculous, perhaps, but not neutral. God made it, and it gives us cause to glorify him. The same can be said for the sound of a baby’s cry, for the sound of a plucked string, for the sound of a snore, for the sound of a Harley.

God, in His infinite wisdom, has enabled man to distinguish between sounds, to the extent that man has developed complex systems of arrangement and identification. Consider the alphabet. What is it really, but a means of symbolizing the sounds used in language? The letter “D” means nothing without the sound that it symbolizes. Is “D” neutral? God created a world in which the letter “D” would symbolize a particular sound, and that particular sound would mean something.

At this juncture, the “amoralists” will no doubt jump in to argue, “yes, but the letter ‘D’ can be used for good or for evil, lawfully or lawlessly.” And they certainly would be correct. Anything that God has created can be used as an instrument for rebellion against God. But to do so is to misuse, to pervert the correct use of that item. God made it for His own glory. It is not neutral.

The letters of the alphabet symbolize the sounds used for speech. Numerals symbolize numbers. The notes on the scale symbolize the sounds used in music. Middle C cannot be inherently sinful. God created Middle C and man discovered it. God created it for His glory, to be used in His service both in worship and in bringing delight, as man thinks on whatsoever things are true, and honest, and just, and pure, and lovely, and of good report, and virtuous, and praiseworthy.

Middle C is moral. Middle C is good. Middle C is right. But Middle C can be misused. It can be perverted. Evil men can worship and serve the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. These evil men use Middle C in their rebellion against the Lord God, who gave them a tongue to sing and ears to hear and fingers to pluck. Man does not create music.  That has already been done.  Rather, man imitates the Creator in creating musical arrangements. Man, being creative, combines sounds into melody and harmony. Yet man rebels against the Lord in creating rebellious music. ‘Tis not the vibrations that rebel against God. ‘Tis man who misuses the vibrations to create a rebellious sound. A sound of war. Of war against God.

Need we go further? How about the scales? Without reservation, we can say that the scales are good, not neutral or amoral. The power of God gave the scales a sound, a melody, and with those scales, men are able to create beautiful music, virtuous music, praiseworthy music. The scales take sides. They are to the praise of the glory of His grace.

If David said, I will set no wicked thing before mine eye, then there must be wicked things that might be set before eyes. If God said to think on the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy, then there must be things that aren’t. If God calls for skilled music (Ps 33:3; I Chr 15:22; 25:7; 2 Chr 34:12), then there must be unskilled music. If we speak to ourselves in spiritual songs, then there must be songs that are not spiritual. Music, like every other sight, smell, taste, or sound, is never neutral. All things were made by Him and for Him.