“In general, then, ethical judgment involves the application of a norm to a situation by a person.” (p. 33)
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LORDSHIP ATTRIBUTES
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CONTROL
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AUTHORITY
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PRESENCE
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How God governs our ethical life
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God plans and rules nature and history, so that certain
human acts are conducive to his glory and others are not.
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God speaks to us clearly, telling us what norms govern our
behavior.
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God commits himself to be with us in our ethical walk,
blessing our obedience and punishing our disobedience.
·
He is a model for us (you
shall be holy as I am holy)
·
He alone is able to provide sinners with power to do good (set us free from the power of sin)
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The demand for appropriate response
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We learn to trust in God’s plan and his
providence.
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We learn to obey God’s authority.
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We are moved to worship God.
“Whenever
God meets with human beings in Scripture, the situation immediately becomes
one of worship: when the King enters, we bow down.” (p. 26)
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Three theological virtues
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Hope looks to God’s controlling
power, which will accomplish his purposes in the future, as in the past.
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Faith trusts in God’s revealed
Word.
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Love treasures the presence of God
in the intimate recesses of the heart and the new family into which God has
adopted us.
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Necessary and sufficient criteria of good works
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Right goal
…
it is God’s creation and providence that determine what acts will and will
not lead to God’s glory. God
determines the consequences of our actions, and he determines which actions
lead to our summum bonum.
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Right standard
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Right motive
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Biblical reasons to do good works
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History of redemption
…for
history is the sphere of God’s control, the outworking of his eternal plan
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Authority of God’s commands
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Presence of the Spirit
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LORSHIP ATTRIBUTES
|
CONTROL
|
AUTHORITY
|
PRESENCE
|
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Types of Christian ethics
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Narrative ethics
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Command ethics
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Virtue ethics
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What really matters
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“For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor
uncircumcision, but a new creation.”
(Gal 6.15)
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“For neither circumcision counts for anything nor
uncircumcision, but keeping the
commandments of God.”
(1 Cor 7.19)
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“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision or
uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”
(Gal 5.6)
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Perspectives on ethics
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Situational
·
Christian teleological or consequential ethic
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Normative
·
Christian deontological ethic
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Existential
·
Christian existential ethic (focuses on the
individual inner life)
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Ethical Principles
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Teleological
·
A good act maximizes the happiness of living
creatures
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Deontological
·
A good act is a response to duty, even if it requires
self-sacrifice
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Existential
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A good act comes from a good inner character
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