2 Corinthians 3:4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.

Romans 5:2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Vine’s definition of trust is converted in the ESV to confidence. Our trust of God can only be obtained through our faith in Christ. Because grace is defined as unmerited favor we cannot expect to depend on grace without trusting that Christ’s death and resurrection is the only way we can trust God the Father.

There are those that cannot accept anything for free, for them there is always a catch. To satisfy their understanding of faith they attach restrictions. “You must” becomes the language of the legalist.

Anyone who does not worship within the framework of the legalist becomes suspect and cannot be trusted. Suddenly they all have to look alike and act alike and there is no room for anything else.

What does that look like to a lost soul seeking relief from pain? 

A tightly knit group is hard to peirce. “There is no room there for me.”

Let me put it another way.

Mark 15:38 And the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom.

What was the purpose of the veil since the Ark of the Covenant was no longer present?

Maybe it was a sign from God that we can have access because of what happened that day.

Maybe, you tell me. If that tradition was done away, what traditions do men hold that are keeping the lost from entering?

That is not for me to judge of anyone else. That is a matter of trust. Who do you trust?

Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Isaiah 48:17 Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.

Psalm 143:8 Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Which of these passages best reflects a moral compass?

Would it surprise you to hear the word moral is not used in the KJV nor the ESV? Looking in the BlueLetterBible Nave’s Topical usages says to look up Contingencies.

Contingencies is defined as a future event or circumstance which is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty. In considering this it would appear that morality is a human construct.

Judges 17:6 In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

This word appears to support the idea of morality being a social construct.

Getting back to my original question, it is my opinion that Isaiah 48:17 best describes a moral compass for one and only one reason. Man tends to define what is profitable in the absence of a clearly defined goal.

Psalm 32:8 is the way of faith, following instructions without a goal in mind.

Psalm 143:8 seeks love, communion and inclusion in God’s plan, trust is essential.

Society teaches us what others will tolerate. Some places are very intolerant and others are too permissive. That is a comparison, not a direction.

Even when using a moral compass of our own design, we have to decide where we stand and where we want to go. The needle may point at magnetic north but our destination may be towards what is right, but to know that, we need to know where we stand. Also we should have a goal in mind.

If our goal is eternal salvation and nothing else matters, then faith alone is required. We believe that placing our faith in the work of the cross is sufficient to that goal. Others do not.

If our goal is to be a child of God then the Father determines what is expected of the child.

This is your moral compass, you are free to choose how to use it. Or not!