Lecture 10 & 11

Ethics for the People of God

QUESTIONS
1- Please explain why Christian Ethics
begin with God and the difference
between Christian ethics and other
types of ethics having different
standards.
2- What is the proper perspective,
motive, and goal of Christian ethics
and where are some Scriptural basis

Some thoughts on your

responses to the last lecture
A Quick reflection on Cultivating your Spiritual life with a
unified whole in view (verses excluding the whole):
Romans 8:4-11 Redemption applied to the Life of the Spirit
matters!
Romans 8:18-24: Redemption applied to your body and this
world matters!
Romans 8:29-30 Redemption applied to our intellectual and
theological life matter!
IT IS NEVER ONE AT THE EXPENSE OF THE OTHERS!!!

Christian Ethics
Ethics is the study of moral right and wrong, the
study of what is good and what is evil.
Christian ethics: Theology viewed as a means
of determining which human persons, acts,
and attitudes are in Gods design and glorify
God while receiving the blessing of God (and
which acts and attidudes do not). -John Frame
helped me here & helps throughout this
presentation)

Christian Ethics begin with God

God is light, and there is no darkness at all in

him. If we say that we have fellowship with
him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not
do what is true. If we walk in the light, as he
himself is in the light, we have fellowship with
one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son
purifies us from all sin (1 John1:5-7).
What are the ethical implications of light &
Dark? A life of light is lived in Him.

The way of the Lord

Christian ethics beginning with God has the people of
God Walking in the way of the Lord.

Deuteronomy 10:12-19
Micah 6:8
Psalm 1
Ephesians 5:1-2

Justice & Righteousness

Christian Ethics beginning with God have the people of
God embodying the character of God:
How was Abraham to bless the nations? Teaching His
children to live ethically: Genesis 18:19
Why are Justice and Righteousness the translation of
an ethical life for Abrahams offspring? They are the
foundation of the rule of God (Psalm 89:14) & the heart
of the character of the Lord (Jer 9:23-24) see Psalm
103:6-7

Gods design leads to Gods

glory and Gods blessing
If you walk in my statutes. I will give
you rains and your land and trees will
yield increase I will turn to you and
make your fruitful, multiplying you as I
confirm my covenant with you you shall
eat old store long kept And I will make
my dwelling among you and I will walk
among you and will be your God, and you
will be my people. I am the Lord your God
who brought you out of Egypt.
(Leviticus 26:1-13).

Rejecting Gods design

leads to Gods curse

But if you do not listen to me and you do not

walk in my commandments and you break my
covenant, I will visit you with panic wasting
disease and fever I will set my face against
you those who hate you shall rule over
you and if you walk contrary to me, I will let
lose. And I will walk contrary to you in my
fury, and I will discipline you seven fold for
your sins Leviticus 26:14-33

Ethics and Blessings

Jesus became a curse for us! (Galatians
3:10-14)
Biblical Blessing (review):
Saved from _______ & Saved to __________

In view of Gods mercy restoring us to Him

we can be transformed to be like Him

God has spoken, we must

act
Theology is not just reflection on God and his Word.
Rather, it is reflection that carries through to
application. Nothing, stands outside Gods moral
standards.
Gods design for ethics revealed in His word:
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful
for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for
training in righteousness, in order that the
man of God may be fully qualified, equipped
for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Christian ethics touches on every area of life.

Behavior flows from the

heart
Because the bible teaches Christians to conform every
aspect of their lives and being to Gods moral standards,
Christian ethics must address not only behavior, but also
emotions, orientations, predilections, inclinations,
preferences, thoughts, imaginations, beliefs, and our very
natures. For example, in Matthew 5:22 & 28 Jesus taught
that:
Everyone who is angry with his brother will be subject
to the judgment (Matthew 5:22).
Everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has
already committed adultery with her in his heart
(Matthew 5:28).

Behavior flows from the

heart
For from within, from the heart of men,
come evil thoughts, sexual
immoralities, thefts, murders,
adulteries, greed, evil intentions,
deceit, lewdness, an evil eye,
blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these
evils come from inside (Mark 7:21-23).

Behavior flows from the

heart
Evil behavior flows from an evil heart; an evil heart flows from
an evil nature. For this reason, if we are to please God, it is
not enough that our actions and attitudes be morally good.
We must also be intrinsically good persons; we must have
good natures.
Scripture addresses this aspect of our being:
Those who exist in accordance with flesh set their
minds on the things of the flesh; but those who exist
in accordance with the Spirit on the things of the
Spirit... The mind set on the flesh is hostile to God.
It is not submitted to God's law, indeed it cannot be
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if the
Spirit of God lives in you (Romans 8:5-9).

Behavior flows from the

heart
all unbelievers exist in accordance with the flesh.
Their natures are evil, and therefore their actions and
attitudes are also evil and cannot submit to Gods law.
In distinction from unbelievers, believers are indwelled
by the Holy Spirit. And when he wrote of those who live
in accordance with the Spirit, he referred to the new
natures believers have because the Holy Spirit indwells
them.
This means that believers have an antidote for the
fallen nature and possess the ability to conform to Gods
standard of ethics.

Summary
First, God himself is the standard of ethics; he
alone is the rule by which all right and wrong
are measured.
Second, all theology, even all of life, has ethical
dimensions.
Third, Gods moral standards hold us
accountable in our actions, in the thoughts and
inclinations of our heart, and in our very
natures.

What about unbelievers?

Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 16 paragraph
7:
Works done by unregenerate men may be
things which God commands, and of good use
both to themselves and others; yet, because
they proceed not from an heart purified by faith;
nor are done in a right manner, according to the
Word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they
are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or
make a man meet to receive grace from God.

What about unbelievers?

Scripture agrees:
Is there some man among you who, if
his son asks for bread, will give him a
stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give
him a snake? Therefore, if you who are
evil know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more will
your Father in heaven give good

Essence of Christian Ethics

1- obedience to Gods commands must be
done from the proper perspective and with
the proper motive.
2- it must be done with the proper goal in
mind, namely to glorify God.
In short, unless a work is done with the right
motive, in conformity to the right standard
and for the right goal, it is not a work that
God will reward with blessings.

 Westminster Confession of Faith, Works

[that] proceed not from a heart purified by
faith [are] sinful, and cannot please God.
This criterion of the right perspective and
right motive is closely associated with the
way our definition of Christian ethics focuses
on good persons with good natures.

Proper perspective
FAITH
What profit is there if someone says he has faith but he
does not have works? Can that faith save him? If faith
has no works, it is dead Are you willing to recognize
that faith without works is useless? (Jms 2:14-20).
Without faith it is impossible to please God, for the
one who comes to God must believe that he exists,
and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him
(Hebrews 11:6).
Everything that is not from faith is sin (Rms 14:23).

Proper motive
LOVE
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I
do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal. If I have prophecy, and if I know all
mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith,
so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I
am nothing. And if I give away all my possessions,
and if I give up my body to be burned, but I do not
have love, I gain nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-3).
Works and even spiritual gifts that produce beneficial
results merit no reward if they are not motivated by love.

Proper motive
Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your
mind. This is the greatest and most
important commandment. And the second is
like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. On
these two commandments hang the whole
Law and the Prophets (Matthew 22:37-40).
To reject Gods law is to reject him as he offers
himself to us in covenant relationship.

Proper motive
Love is an aspect of every law God requires us to
obey, so that if we do not act in love, no work we do
can conform to his standard. And what makes Gods
standard even harder to meet is that our love must
be for both God and neighbor. Unbelievers do not
love God; they are hostile to him. And as a result,
they can never be motivated by love for God. In
other words, they can never have the right motive.
And because of this, they can never do anything that
God considers, in an ultimate sense, to be good

Proper Standard
Westminster Confession of Faith also states that
good works must conform to the right standard.
Chapter 16 paragraph 7 again:
Works done by unregenerate men ... may be
things which God commands, and of good
use both to themselves and others; yet,
because they ... are [not] done in a right
manner, according to the Word ... they are
therefore sinful.

Proper Standard
Gods revealed commands: Everyone
who commits sin commits
lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness
(1 John 3:4).
Gods commands in the context of
relationship: Exodus 20

What are His revealed

commands?

Exodus 20:1-20
Note the Covenant
Context of the 10
commandments

Uses of the Law

Civil Restraint and order
Mirror to show sin (Romans 7:7-12)
Perfect Pattern of Righteousness
(Rm 7:7-12)

Goal of Christian Ethics

THE GLORY OF GOD!!
1 Corinthians 10:31
1 Peter 4:11
Romans 11:36

Todays question
What are the three components of,
perspectives of, and frameworks for
evaluating moral actions and
decisions from a Christian Ethic?
What is Biblical support for each and
what are the naturalistic worldview
ethical temptations for each?

Christian Ethics: applied

How do we apply the framework from last
class to the complicated situations we
navigate every day?
Is there a process we should understand in
applying Christian ethics to our lives?

(This lecture owes credit to John Frame, Jim

Sutherland, and David Jones)

A Biblical framework for ethics:

Applied
Gods Word because divine revelation is the
standard by which we must measure all our
judgments. The term situation reminds us of
the problem, the goal, and the consequences
of the solutions we are to consider. And we
mention a person to stress the importance of
a persons nature, motive and conscience in
determining right courses of action. So, in
effect we are suggesting that moral decisions
can be made properly only when all three

A Biblical framework for ethics:

Applied
Ethics must be approached in at least
three different ways or from three
different perspectives. Ethics should
be done from the perspective of
Gods Word, from the perspective of
the situation, and from the
perspective of the person. And
biblically, the insights of all of these

A Biblical framework for ethics:

Applied

We will speak of three

perspectives or
approaches toward every
ethical judgment: the
situational perspective,
the normative perspective

How we apply Christian Ethics in

tension with other ethical categories?

The question of
truth in the face of
tyranny: What
would you do?

John Frames perspectives on ethics from

TRINITARIAN point of view

Control
|
events
|

situational
(Father)

authority
|
|
words
`

presence
persons
|

normative
existential/personal
(Son)
(Spirit)

 In general, ethical judgment always

involve the application of a norm to
a situation by a person. One can
look at the discipline from any of
these three vantage points.

The Situational Perspective (teleological)

i. Focuses on nature and history as under

Gods control.
ii. Notes relations of means to ends in
Gods economy.
iii. Asks What are the best means of
achieving Gods purposes?

End Goal verses

Consequences
They try to determine the best course of action by
asking in advance the consequence of that action.
Among variations are those who opt for the greatest
good for the greatest number, but the "good" cannot be
agreed upon. Others propose asking what an impartial
moral agent would do. Questions arise as to whether
immediate good or longer-term good is the better
measurement, and still others try to balance the
greatest good with the rights of the minority. The
individual has no intrinsic value. Yet others measure the
greatest good to be that for the individual, not of the
group or society--and this is aptly called "egoism."

Bernard Madoff
Hedonistic egoism is concerned only about what is
best for self. Utilitarianism is concerned about
maximizing the good for the greatest number.
American Bernard Madoff swindled people out of
perhaps 20 billion dollars. He had many homes, boats,
jewelry and an international lifestyle. His only apparent
concern was for himself and his family. He was ordered
to pay restitution and was given a sentence of 150
years in jail.

Jean Paul Sartre advocated the construction of

individual ethical systems. There is no God and no
moral absolutes.

Problems with Utilitarian

Ethics
Consequentialism concerns humans only--it is completely
horizontal, not vertical. Man is the measure of all, and the
more that are satisfied, the better the rule or principle.
All these discussions presume there are no absolutes.
Good is located in outcomes, or in the doer or in the act
itself.
Is the good that which brings good consequences? How
long must we wait to determine if the consequences are
good, and for whom? How do we determine what is good,
by which to evaluate the act?
Its end goal is to please the majority and not the end goals
of the Lord.

Consequential Elements in Christianity

Christians are concerned about the consequences of

decisions, particularly regarding Gods name.
1 Peter 4:11 If anyone speaks, he should do it as one
speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he
should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all
things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or
whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Matthew 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine
before men, that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven.

Situational ethics and Gods

purposes
Lords prayer: On earth as it is in heaven!
Genesis 1-2
Revelation 21-22; Isaiah 65
Having our daily decision in situations
formed by the eternal purposes and goals of
God!

b. The Normative Perspective

(deontological)

i. Focuses on Scripture as the source of

ethical norms.
ii. Asks What does Scripture teach about
this question?
judges the morality of an action based on
the action's adherence to a rule or rules.

Normative perspective vs
naturalism
Some look to natural law for ethical principles.
Deriving principles from nature has produced
Taoism, whose doctrines are esoteric.
"The...Tao is that underlying force that flows
through nature and that guides and moves
every object in the way that is natural to it.
Immortality (longest life) has been a goal of
Taoism.

Laws from Nature

Its difficult to extract rules from nature.
Early Greeks felt that nature taught that the goal of life is
happiness and pleasure, perhaps because we all naturally
want to be happy. Or, because Greek philosophers did not
have to struggle as much as the common person.
However, life is difficult, and pleasures fleeting, especially for
the poorest of the people.

Survival of the fittest seems to be a principle or law in

nature. This can lead to a power ethic, whereby we try to
control as much of our environment as possible, to survive
and thrive.

Innate Moral Principles

Moral intuitionism, or living according to
principles natural to most persons, seems to
come closest to a correct deduction of
principles from nature.
In fact, the biblical concept of common
grace encompasses the fact that most
people agree that murder and adultery and
stealing within an in-group is wrong. This is
Gods grace to keep societies from
collapsing, and for life to go on.

Limits of Moral Intuition

For example, is borrowing from another person good,
and if so, under what circumstances?
What powers should government have?
What does nature say about whether a dowry should
be paid to marry? Or what does nature say about who
pays the dowry--the husband (Africa), or the wife
(India)?
Attitudes toward homosexuality have changed in
America, so that now several states allow homosexual
marriage. Morals change in a culture, usually from
higher standards (biblically), to lower standards.

Kants Universal
Prescriptivism
Emmanuel Kant maintained that there are no moral
absolutes.
He proposed acting in such a way that anyone in that
situation acting in that way would do well. This guards
against self-interest.
So autonomous will and reason became the highest authority.
One should act regardless of personal feelings.
However, he felt that these universal prescriptions could change
with time. Virtues were considered, firm and continuously
purified principles.
But how can a principle be both firm and continuously changed?

Kant and Moral Absolutes

Kant in effect wanted to make us like God, not only knowing
good and evil, but deciding what good and evil are.
"[T]here is a difference between deontological ethics and
moral absolutism.[5] Deontologists who are also moral
absolutists believe that some actions are wrong no matter what
consequences follow from them. Immanuel Kant, for example,
argued that the only absolutely good thing is a good will, and
so the single determining factor of whether an action is morally
right is the will, or motive of the person doing it. If they are
acting on a bad maxim, e.g. "I will lie", then their action is
wrong, even if some good consequences come of it. Nonabsolutist deontologists, such as W. D. Ross, hold that the
consequences of an action such as lying may sometimes make
lying the right thing to do." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deontological_ethics

Deontology and Absolutes

A particular deontological ethic may or may not allow
ethical absolutes--principles true in themselves for all
time. Because various principles are offered, they are in
reality sub-absolutes. One says that we should treat
animals as well as we treat humans--that this is good
and right. Everyone gets to pick the sub-absolute.
Christians should believe in absolute truths--principles
that are always right. Many professing Christians do not.
We may not agree upon their application, but in basic
form, Bible-believing Christians believe that God has
given moral absolutes to us.

Biblical Deontology
God provided approximately 612-613 laws in the Old
Testament. Reformed theologians usefully categorize
them as ceremonial, civil and moral laws.
Knowing the OT law enabled Jews to understand what was
superior (essentially, to be morally mature, Rom. 2:17-20).
Wisdom literature (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ecclesiastes,
Song of SolomonProtestant classification) contains
principles applicable today.

The New Covenant (Testament) is normative for

Christians, of course. Wholehearted love to God and to
other people is the operative principle. Christ also gave
at least 22 commands to be taught to His disciples.

Absolutes Mediated by the

Spirit
2 Corinthians 3:6 He has made us
competent as ministers of a new
covenant-- not of the letter but of the
Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit
gives life.
Christians arent to rigidly and
legalistically apply biblical absolutes.
Christ didnt give the woman caught in
adultery the death penalty, as

Who is Accountable?
If someone rejects what the Bible says
about what is right and wrong, is that
person still going to be judged by biblical
standards?
Jesus says that "anyone" who calls a
brother a fool is in danger of hell. Matt.
12:36--men will have to give account on
Judgment day for "every careless word
they have spoken."
Romans 2:6 God "will give to each person

Rules Without Goals?

We need much more than rules to follow,
which quickly become tiresome. The
organizing principle around which rules
guide us is to love God and people. Loving
God, we should want to bring glory to God
(1 Cor. 10:30), by becoming more and
more like Him. This means being
conformed to Christs character, who is
one with the Father (John 14:7-9). Christ is

The Existential Perspective (existential)

i. Focuses on the self in

confrontation with God.
ii. Asks How must I change if
I am to be holy?
Iii. Sanctification matters!

Existential vs Virtue Theory

This ethical school holds that a persons characteror
essential moral identity--is the chief ethical issue. This
outweighs reasoning ability and determining the best
ends (utilitarianism), or finding the best set of ethical
principles absolutes, or sub-absolutes (deontology). What
a person is, is more important than what that person
does or believes.
Giving an offering in church on Sunday could be motivated
by desiring more comfortable pews, by wanting a reputation
as a generous person, by obeying the principle that the one
who is taught should support the teacher, or by really trying
to practice the virtue of generosity.

Which Virtues?
Greek philosophers tended to focus upon character
traits in their ethics.
Plato believed that virtue preceded the ability to
know what is good. He favored these virtues: justice,
wisdom, self-control and courage, to which Aquinas
added faith, hope and love. Holmes, p. 132
Aristotle believed virtue to lie in between excesses.
Courage comes between cowardice and
foolhardiness, generosity lies between stinginess
and being wasteful, etc. Holmes, p. 136
Greeks hoped that virtue led to happiness, but as
Socrates illustrates, this was unsure. Wikipedia, sv.

Other Virtues
For Kant the greatest virtue seems to have been
good will.
For Machiavelli, exercising power seemed to
define virtuewhatever the prince did was right.
The American Benjamin Franklin tried daily to
practice 13 virtues. He picked one to focus upon
each week.
They are temperance, order, resolution,
frugality, moderation, industry, cleanliness,
tranquility, silence, sincerity, justice, chastity
and humility.

Buddhist Virtues and Lists

Generally
Perhaps the most difficult list of virtues is the Buddhist 8fold path, requiring perhaps thousands of lives to somehow
attain. These are essentially life-denying in their full
meaning.
Right views, right intention, right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right
concentration.

The main problem with this and every list is in finding the
power to live them. Where is it?
Another difficulty is in determining the best virtues. Which
list is best? Is there a principle?

The Heart
The "heart" is the source of our behavior.
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for it is
the wellspring of life.

It is the source of speech, Matt. 12:34, and if our

speech is perfect, so is our heart, Jam. 3:2.
It's the source of good and evil.
Luke 6:45 The good man brings good things out of the
good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil
things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the
overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.

Love as the Greatest Virtue

Why is love the greatest virtue? God defines what is good, as He has
the omniscience to make that decision. Serious moral philosophers
have failed to agree over a period of two thousand years that there
even are right and wrong behaviors, let alone what these might be.
God is our standard of good. He is love (1 John 4:8, 16). God said
that the greatest virtue and behavior is love (1 Cor. 13:13; John
13:34, Matt. 22:35-40). Love existed among the Trinity before
humans existed (John 17:24). Jesus gave a "new commandment"-that of love, John 13:34. Among communicable attributes of God is
love.
In lists of virtues found in the Bible, love is shown to be the
culmination at 2 Pet. 1:5-8. It is listed first among virtues at Rom.
12:9-21.

Power Behind Virtue

Romans 5:3-5 And not only this, but we also exult in our
tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about
perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and
proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out within
our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Philippians 1:9-11 9 And this is my prayer: that your love
may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of
insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best
and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11
filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through
66
Jesus
Christ-- to the glory and praise of God.

Discernment in Love
Knowing what is best in a given situation
depends upon understanding what love
means in a situation, with the insight given
by God. Knowledge assists us in knowing the
shape of love in a given situation.

Jesus and Virtue Ethics

Virtue is encompassed in the person of Jesus Christ,
who in turn is in nature God, Phil. 2:6. So Christian
virtue is a recovery of the imago dei, which was
corrupted by the sin of Eve and Adam. Today becoming
like Christ is the standard for Christian maturity, Eph.
4:11-13, since He is by nature, God. Maturity means
that we can discern good from evil.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by
constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good
from evil.

Elements of the 3 Schools are in

Christianity

Christians believe in infallible, not

majority-determined moral absolutes
(deontology), and in virtue ethics--the
character and motive of the doer is very
important (acting through love).
Christians also value the outcome--doing
all to the glory of God.
Christianity demonstrates the truths of

Benefits of these ethic grids

1. A strong view of biblical authority,
clarity, and sufficiency (normative).
2. A strong view of general
revelation (situational).
3. A strong view of the importance
of self-knowledge (existential) &
knowledge of the Lord.

 These perspectives are sometimes elevated into whole systems:

Situational about outcomes - having the right understanding of
the present and desired situation and knowing what will take you
from one to the other. (teleological / consequentialist ethics)
Normative about rules - having the right set of rules and knowing
when exactly which one applies. (deontological ethics)
Existential-personal about persons having the right
understanding of a healthy, virtuous human being who will act
ethically. (virtue ethics)