Is this your attitude? For many Christians I believe this to be the case, and it is not that I think this is blameworthy. I do however find it out of context. Christianity has certainly always held to a Biblical devotion, and it has always been a book by which we are to frame our lives in, but modern Christianity exists in a context that was unthinkable in the first century. The Bible for the most part has tangled itself in the democratic spirit. Every man has a right to his own Biblical interpretation. This is further compounded with the complimentary belief that the Bible can speak for itself. These beliefs, which are common, empower the individual believer to accept that the way we read the Bible is the way it has always been, but this is not the case. Inventions like the Printing Press and a democratic government simply did not exist, nor could they even be thought of.
The ancient world existed through close tribal and familial bonds. In the Jewish world, which Christianity thrived in, this meant that spirituality centered on the synagogue rather then on an individualistic Biblical interpretation. The Bible was a book that united and deepened the bonds of brotherhood and fellowship. As it effected personal devotion Christians were more interested in a rote spirituality that emphasized repetition and contextual application, rather then blindly following norms and demands. They meditated on Scripture rather then simply reading it and doing it. The Bible wasn't simply a list of commands to follow. It was the structure upon which reality was to be framed. Biblical application was always a personal application. It wasn't until modern times that we began to think of the Bible as having an objective application.
This does not negate the moral norms written in the Bible, but it does show us that we have to begin to think differently if we want to understand what the original readers of the Bible believed and what the original author intended in order to understand how the Bible applies to our lives today. Thus, I think it is irresponsible to think that simply because the Bible says something means that there is a direct and uncritical response that we are obliged to perform. Even the earliest believers digested and contemplated Biblical passages before they it was allowed to work itself into their life. The Bible nurtured their life, it was not an instruction manual.
So let us get to the nitty gritty. Romans 1, 1 Corinthians 6, 7, and 10, Galatians 5, Ephesians 5, and Colossians 3 will be the principle texts I will consider. To be sure, there are many injunctions we can review. And perhaps they are all due equal attention, but however I am limited in space and time. All these passages are principle NT passages that have clear moral directive to avoid sexual immorality,debauchery, fornication, drunkenness, and homosexuality. These are the passages that are referenced most in the NT to look for the Biblical foundations for a moral life. But to look to these passages on how to life morally is to misread and misuse the Bible. We have already argued on how this is a misuse, which begs the question... How is this a misreading?
The answer to this question has already been hinted at. We have already seen the Jerusalem church dealt with the issue of paganism. The early church was more concerned about being associated as pagan more then they were about morality. This was decided at the Jerusalem Council. So we have historical grounds to conclude that the early church believed we are morally autonomous, and in conjunction with this decision Paul gives all his moral directives in his epistles. Every command in the NT directed toward morality has more to do with paganism then it does with how we choose to live our lives. Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:5 directly call these immoralizers idolaters. Galatians 5 relates its moral commands to the sinful nature, but this nature is directly connected to paganism in the previous chapter. It is 1 Corinthians that speaks more about idolatry and paganism then any other book in the NT. It speaks of virginity in 1 Corinthians 7:25 and ironically Paul goes out of his way to mention that he has no command from the Lord concerning this issue, and that is because this issue has nothing to do with idolatry. 1 Corinthians 6 concerns sexual immorality, but this is on par with simply saying sexual immorality is immorality. There is nothing distinct or special this directive, except Paul makes an argument that when we sin sexually we sin against our bodies, but this is more about self-respect as it concerns sexuality then it is about religion and sex. Romans 1 is monolithic in style and character. But this is also more tied to paganism then any other passage.
The plain and simple truth is that we have more reason to believe from the NT alone that morality and religion are independent realities then from speculation alone. History and the Biblical teaching reveal to us that Christians are morally autonomous that they are to be responsible, honest, and ethical. But as it turns out we have good speculative reasons to believe moral autonomy and religion are compatible, justified, and exemplary AND we have good Biblical reasons to conclude that historically and doctrinally this was the case for the early church.
So what do I attribute to the most common trend to submit our moral autonomy to religious directives? Why is there such a large majority of Christians who lean on the Bible for moral foundations? I conclude with a rather ironic twist. They are the ones indulging in their sinful and pagan nature rather then the reverse. Colossians 2 speaks volumes. It speaks about the world and how we put to death the principles of the world, but the context reveals to us that these principles are the pagan practices of religion and morality being fused together. The writer of Colossians is warning people that when we submit to our morality to religion we are actually living a pagan lifestyle. Galatians makes a similar claim. In chapters 3 and 4 Paul makes an argument concerning Jewish law, but in chapter 4 a shift in thinking happens which is common for Paul where the Jewish Law becomes a symbol for human law in general, or natural law. Paul sees through Jewish eyes and because of this he is able to spiritualize the Jewish Law to see it in cosmic terms. It relates to our human condition and this condition demonstrates a predisposition to be a slave. Paul warns against this and uses the same language used in Colossians about the "basic principles of this world" (4:3). The result is that when we submit morality to religion we are in fact according to the Biblical testimony acting in such a way that we are pagan ourselves. So the fervor to please God by adapting our moral behavior to be "in line" with Scripture is taking us away from the heart of the Bible entirely.
What I propose is that we ask the hard questions about homosexuality, co-habitation, premarital sex, divorce, and other living arrangements outside the context of religion and see what honest and responsible answers we can come up with, because the reality is that times have changed and we have to take that seriously if we want to be a witness to our time and place. This is not only the smart thing to do, it seems to be the Biblical response we ought to have. I agree with the Bible that only in this manner will "reality be found in Christ" (Colossians 2:17).
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