There is something inside every human heart that knows some things are simply wrong.

When we hear about injustice, abuse, betrayal, racism, murder, or the exploitation of the weak, something in us rises up and says, “That should not be.” Even people who do not believe in God often speak as if good and evil are real. They may not always agree on every moral issue, but almost everyone lives with the assumption that some things are truly right and some things are truly wrong.

That moral awareness is not accidental. Scripture says humanity was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). We are not merely advanced animals trying to survive. We are moral beings created by a moral God. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God has “set eternity in the human heart.” Romans 2:14-15 also teaches that even those without the written law still show that the work of the law is written on their hearts.

That is why the discussion of evolutionary ethics matters so much. Evolutionary ethics attempts to explain morality primarily through survival, adaptation, and reproduction. In other words, certain behaviors developed because they helped human beings survive. Cooperation helped communities. Protecting family preserved genetic lines. Altruism benefited the group. Over time, these behaviors became what we call morality.

There may be some truth in the idea that certain moral instincts benefit human society. Kindness, trust, and cooperation do help communities flourish. Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” A society built on honesty and compassion will usually be healthier than one built on violence and deception.

However, the real question is not whether moral behavior can help people survive. The deeper question is this: Can survival explain why something is truly right or wrong?

I do not believe it can.

The greatest problem with evolutionary ethics is that it struggles to provide an objective foundation for morality. It may describe how certain behaviors developed, but it cannot explain why those behaviors are morally binding. There is a big difference between saying, “This behavior helped people survive,” and saying, “This behavior is good.” There is also a big difference between saying, “This action hurts the group,” and saying, “This action is evil.”

That distinction matters.

If morality is only the result of evolution, then morality becomes dependent on what helps survival. But what happens when cruelty helps one group survive? What happens when oppression benefits the powerful? What happens when lying, violence, or exploitation gives someone an advantage?

History has shown us that entire societies can normalize evil. Isaiah 5:20 warns, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil.” That verse reminds us that culture can become morally confused. Majority opinion does not create morality. Survival advantage does not create righteousness. Power does not determine truth.

This is where I believe McQuilkin and Copan’s critique is strongest. Evolutionary ethics has difficulty moving from what is to what ought to be. It can observe behavior, but it cannot establish obligation. It can study human instincts, but it cannot give those instincts moral authority.

For example, if I say, “People often act selfishly,” that is a description. But if I say, “People ought to act lovingly,” that is a moral claim. Where does the “ought” come from? Why should I love my neighbor? Why should I forgive my enemy? Why should I defend the weak when doing so may cost me something?

Jesus does not ground morality in survival. He grounds it in the character of God. When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus said to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). In the Sermon on the Mount, He went even further and said, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44).

That kind of love cannot be fully explained by survival. It is not merely instinct. It is the reflection of God’s heart.

John 15:13 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” At the cross, Jesus laid down His life not only for friends, but for sinners. Romans 5:8 says, “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” The highest moral act in human history was not self-preservation. It was self-sacrifice.

That is why Christian ethics stands on a stronger foundation than evolutionary ethics. Goodness is not grounded in changing biology, cultural opinion, or social usefulness. Goodness is grounded in the unchanging character of God. Psalm 119:68 says, “You are good, and what you do is good.” James 1:17 says every good and perfect gift comes from the Father, “who does not change like shifting shadows.”

God does not change, so the foundation of morality does not change.

This does not mean McQuilkin and Copan must claim that every problem in evolutionary ethics is inevitable in the same way or to the same degree. Some people who accept evolutionary explanations for moral development still live kind, generous, and compassionate lives. Many do believe in justice and human dignity. In that sense, critics should be careful not to overstate the case by implying that everyone influenced by evolutionary ethics will become immoral.

The problem is not always practical behavior. The problem is philosophical foundation.

A person can act morally without being able to fully explain the source of morality. Because every person bears God’s image, every person has moral awareness. James 3:9 says human beings are “made in God’s likeness.” That means even those who reject God still live in God’s world, breathe God’s air, and often borrow from God’s moral framework.

The issue is whether evolutionary ethics can support the moral weight it tries to carry. I do not believe it can.

If God is removed as the foundation of ethics, morality eventually becomes unstable. It becomes preference, instinct, social contract, or majority vote. But biblical morality is different. Micah 6:8 says the Lord requires us “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Justice, mercy, and humility are not random survival strategies. They are reflections of God’s nature.

This also helps answer whether evolutionary ethics is compatible with belief in God as the foundation for ethics. I believe certain observations about human development may be compatible with belief in God, depending on how one understands creation and providence. Christians may disagree on the details of biological evolution. But evolutionary ethics becomes incompatible with Christianity when it tries to replace God as the source of moral truth.

In other words, evolution may be able to describe certain human tendencies, but it cannot be the foundation of ethics. God alone must hold that place.

Colossians 1:16-17 says all things were created through Christ and for Christ, and “in him all things hold together.” That includes truth. That includes morality. That includes human dignity. Without Him, everything eventually comes apart.

The good news is that God has not left us guessing. He has revealed His moral will through creation, conscience, Scripture, and ultimately through Jesus Christ. Jesus is not only the teacher of morality. He is the perfect embodiment of it. Philippians 2:5-8 tells us that Jesus humbled Himself, took the nature of a servant, and became obedient to death on a cross.

That is the moral vision Christianity gives the world.

Not survival of the fittest.

Not power over the weak.

Not selfish ambition.

Not moral confusion.

But humility, sacrifice, love, truth, justice, mercy, and grace.

Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to the pattern of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. That is what we need in every generation. We need minds renewed by truth and hearts shaped by the character of Christ.

When I think about evolutionary ethics and God, I am reminded that we were created for more than survival. We were created for worship. We were created for relationship. We were created to reflect the goodness of God in a broken world.

Ephesians 2:10 says we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. That means morality is not merely about avoiding wrong. It is about becoming the kind of people who display God’s goodness.

So yes, we should think deeply. We should engage honestly. We should listen carefully. But we should also stand confidently on this truth: morality needs more than biology. It needs a foundation. It needs a Lawgiver. It needs a God whose character is eternally good.

And because God is good, we can pursue what is good.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for creating us in Your image and placing eternity within our hearts. Thank You for giving us Your Word, Your Spirit, and the perfect example of Jesus Christ. Help us to love truth, practice justice, walk in mercy, and live with humility. Renew our minds so we are not shaped by the confusion of the world, but transformed by Your unchanging character. Teach us to reflect Your goodness in how we think, speak, serve, forgive, and love. May our lives point others to the God who is holy, righteous, gracious, and good. In Jesus’ name, Amen.