Christian ethics

Jazzy said:

What is Christian ethics?

Click to expand...

In Calvinism, Christian ethics are grounded in the teachings of John Calvin and the broader Reformed tradition. Christian ethics, within the Calvinist framework, are based on a robust theological understanding of God's sovereignty, predestination, and the authority of Scripture. Here are some key aspects of Christian ethics in Calvinism:

1. Sovereignty of God: Calvinism emphasizes the absolute sovereignty of God over all aspects of life. This includes ethical decision-making, where believers are called to submit to God's will and acknowledge His control over every situation.
2. Total Depravity: Calvinists affirm the doctrine of total depravity, recognizing the fallen nature of humanity. This influences ethical considerations by highlighting the need for divine grace and redemption in all aspects of life.
3. Scriptural Authority: The Bible holds central importance in Calvinist ethics. Believers look to Scripture for guidance on moral conduct, seeking to align their actions with God's revealed will in the Bible.
4. Predestination: The concept of predestination, a key tenet in Calvinism, underscores the idea that God has ordained the ultimate destiny of individuals. This can influence ethical thinking by emphasizing the importance of living in accordance with God's preordained purposes.
5. Covenant Theology: Calvinists often employ covenant theology to understand God's relationship with humanity. Ethical decisions are viewed in the context of the covenant relationship, emphasizing faithfulness and obedience to God's covenant requirements.
6. Vocation: Calvinist ethics extend to various spheres of life, including one's vocation. The idea is to glorify God in all areas of life, recognizing that work and daily activities are opportunities for worship and service.
7. Community and Church Involvement: Christian ethics in Calvinism stress the importance of active involvement in the Christian community and the local church. Believers are called to support and encourage one another in their ethical journey.
8. Law and Gospel: Calvinists distinguish between the law (revealing God's moral standards) and the gospel (revealing God's grace in Christ). While the law guides ethical behavior, the gospel provides the foundation for forgiveness and redemption.

It's important to note that while these principles are foundational to Calvinist ethics, interpretations and emphases may vary among individuals and within different branches of the Reformed tradition.

In Christianity, there are standards. There is Freedom in The Lord. Someone was rejecting The World, and The World's Wicked ways, and choosing God, and God's Righteous and Holy ways. Righteousness and Holiness have definitions. They are objective.

• “ ‘The woman he marries must be a virgin. He must not marry a widow, a divorced woman, or a woman defiled by prostitution, but only a virgin from his own people, so that he will not defile his offspring among his people. I am the LORD, who makes him holy.’ ” (Leveticus 21:13-15)
• But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9)

God's definition of Holiness didn't change from Old to New Testament. Israel was meant to be a Holy people, separate from other nations. Many of the Laws of Moses, they may have inferred somethings about God and objective holiness. In the New Testament, the Church is Israel. Jesus is a Bridegroom looking for a Bride. The Song of Songs is in the Bible as a representation of God's love for Israel or The Church.

Christian societies tend to value virgin brides. Pagan societies may have prostituted girls at the Temple of Baal, or done other heinous things. Given someone was going to college, and there was a hook up culture in 2024, that was a secularized mysticism. Was your society more of a Virgin Israel or a Harlot Ezekiel 23, drinking a Harlot's wine?

Christianity is standards based. A group or a Church, they were meeting the standard or they were not. They were pass or fail. They were a go or a no go. They were in darkness or The Light of the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8) There is Freedom in the Lord. What does someone do with their freedom? Apostle Paul spent a lot of time correcting Churches. Jesus chastises and rebukes those he loves. (Hebrews 12:6)(Revelations 3:19) To chastise and rebuke, there was a standard. Did you understand the standards? Sin would be missing the mark.

Jazzy said:

What is Christian ethics?

Click to expand...

All of God's will as it is revealed in the Bible is the sum of Christian ethics.

Objective moral laws are written in our conscience, and are authored by God. I'm not sure how to interpret the Old Testament, so I cannot speak on the what's and why's of Mosaic Law.

Objective morality has its basis in God's most urgent command: love your neighbor, and love God with all your heart.

just_legalism said:

Objective moral laws are written in our conscience, and are authored by God. I'm not sure how to interpret the Old Testament, so I cannot speak on the what's and why's of Mosaic Law.

Objective morality has its basis in God's most urgent command: love your neighbor, and love God with all your heart.

Click to expand...

I might be able to help you a little bit, @just_legalism, about interpreting the Old Testament. The relationship between the old and new covenants is that they have both discontinuity and continuity. The discontinuity involves the external form of the national laws of Israel being done away when Jesus died on the cross. The most obvious example is the discontinuance of the slaughtered animals being sacrificed that are all fulfilled by Jesus' one sacrifice.

However, the continuity involves the fact that the purposes, inner principles, and reasons for the OT laws continue on into our lives lived in gratitude for what Jesus did for us by dying and rising again.

One example comes to mind. The food laws of Leviticus require eating clean foods and condemn the eating of unclean foods. Pork is forbidden. Why do most Christians ignore that command? The answer should be that the form of those requirements has been abrogated. On the other hand, the principle behind God's command is that we must replace uncleanness in our lives with cleanness spiritually and morally.

What is the principle of "You shall not murder"? Of course, it's that we must protect the gift of life. That's why so many Christians are pro-life in sticking up for unborn babies, I think. Similarly, the main idea of "You shall not commit adultery" is that we must preserve the institution of marriage. Also, the Sabbath on Saturday has been replaced by the Lord's Day on Sunday when we celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

Jazzy said:

What is Christian ethics?

Click to expand...

As I understand it ethics are the secular version of morals; what is right or wrong in a particular situation.

just_legalism said:

Objective moral laws are written in our conscience, and are authored by God.

Click to expand...

I think these are called eternal moral laws that are applicable to all peoples in all places throughout all time. These laws are written on our hearts and made known to us by our consciences (see Rom 1:19 & 2:14-15).

Nine of the Ten Commandments are codifications of some of these laws and therefore applicable to us. One (Sabbath keeping) is not and therefore not applicable to us.

Stephen said:

As I understand it ethics are the secular version of morals; what is right or wrong in a particular situation.



I think these are called eternal moral laws that are applicable to all peoples in all places throughout all time. These laws are written on our hearts and made known to us by our consciences (see Rom 1:19 & 2:14-15).

Nine of the Ten Commandments are codifications of some of these laws and therefore applicable to us. One (Sabbath keeping) is not and therefore not applicable to us.

Click to expand...

I've always sort of wondered about this, why Christians believe the Sabbath is not to be followed but seem at the same time to look upon Sunday as a required day of worship and rest (with no work) instead.

Something that stems from the Biblical account of creation in which God rested on the seventh day.

How did the Sunday (first day) substitution for the seventh day Sabbath come about for (most of) Christianity and what is the Biblical basis of it?

Jesus kept the Sabbath, did he ever actually indicate that we are not to do the same?

Frankj said:

I've always sort of wondered about this, why Christians believe the Sabbath is not to be followed but seem at the same time to look upon Sunday as a required day of worship and rest (with no work) instead.

Something that stems from the Biblical account of creation in which God rested on the seventh day.

How did the Sunday (first day) substitution for the seventh day Sabbath come about for (most of) Christianity and what is the Biblical basis of it?

Jesus kept the Sabbath, did he ever actually indicate that we are not to do the same?

Click to expand...

That's a big topic, especially with SDAs but to go into it here would derail this thread.

Frankj said:

I've always sort of wondered about this, why Christians believe the Sabbath is not to be followed but seem at the same time to look upon Sunday as a required day of worship and rest (with no work) instead.

Something that stems from the Biblical account of creation in which God rested on the seventh day.

How did the Sunday (first day) substitution for the seventh day Sabbath come about for (most of) Christianity and what is the Biblical basis of it?

Jesus kept the Sabbath, did he ever actually indicate that we are not to do the same?

Click to expand...

Briefly, @Frankj, when Jesus died on the cross, he abrogated external, national forms of the OT laws (Colossians 2:13-17), including the seventh day requirement. However, the inner principles of the laws still continue (rest and group worship on one day in seven). Two others are "You shall not murder," of which the inner principle is the protection of human life; and "You shall not commit adultery," of marriage.

Col 2:13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
Col 2:14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Col 2:15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.
Col 2:16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.
Col 2:17 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

Furthermore, Paul explains that the old and new covenants are different:

2Co 3:5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,
2Co 3:6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
2Co 3:7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end,
2Co 3:8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory?
2Co 3:9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory.
2Co 3:10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it.
2Co 3:11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

The way I define Christian ethics is by what our Heavenly Father and His Son tell and show us is the difference between right and wrong. Man can come up with all sorts of ideas and 'systems' of theology to try... and define the difference between right and wrong, but only GOD Himself is the Only Source to know the difference.

Per Ezekiel 44, which is for the future time of Christ's Millennium reign after His future coming, Christ's priests will be teaching God's people the difference between the clean and unclean, and the holy and profane.

Ezek 44:23
23 And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
KJV

Stephen said:

As I understand it ethics are the secular version of morals; what is right or wrong in a particular situation.



I think these are called eternal moral laws that are applicable to all peoples in all places throughout all time. These laws are written on our hearts and made known to us by our consciences (see Rom 1:19 & 2:14-15).

Nine of the Ten Commandments are codifications of some of these laws and therefore applicable to us. One (Sabbath keeping) is not and therefore not applicable to us.

Click to expand...

SetFree said:

The way I define Christian ethics is by what our Heavenly Father and His Son tell and show us is the difference between right and wrong. Man can come up with all sorts of ideas and 'systems' of theology to try... and define the difference between right and wrong, but only GOD Himself is the Only Source to know the difference.

Per Ezekiel 44, which is for the future time of Christ's Millennium reign after His future coming, Christ's priests will be teaching God's people the difference between the clean and unclean, and the holy and profane.

Ezek 44:23
23 And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
KJV

Click to expand...

How can you be so positive about the time that Ezekiel 44:23 takes place, @SetFree?

BruceLeiter said:

All of God's will as it is revealed in the Bible is the sum of Christian ethics.

Click to expand...

I was going to say Proverbs and Ecclesiastes but now that you've said it, you're even more right than that.

Edward429451 said:

I was going to say Proverbs and Ecclesiastes but now that you've said it, you're even more right than that.

Click to expand...

Yes, God has given me a little wisdom in my old age, @Edward429451. I praise him for it.

BruceLeiter said:

Yes, God has given me a little wisdom in my old age, @Edward429451. I praise him for it.

Click to expand...

I've been praying for wisdom & understanding for a looong time now! I think some of it rubbed off on me, lol.

Edward429451 said:

I've been praying for wisdom & understanding for a looong time now! I think some of it rubbed off on me, lol.

Click to expand...

Yes, God does answer our persistent prayers when it's his will.

I've written extensively about Christian ethics. Christian ethics are a combination of 3 normative ethical theories: virtue ethics, Christian deontology, and Natural Law. If you'd like me to link you to my work, please PM me (it's a bit too much to write in a forum post).

just_legalism said:

I've written extensively about Christian ethics. Christian ethics are a combination of 3 normative ethical theories: virtue ethics, Christian deontology, and Natural Law. If you'd like me to link you to my work, please PM me (it's a bit too much to write in a forum post).

Click to expand...

"Deontology"? What's that, @just_legalism? And why is your name "just_legalism"? Just curious; hey, I'm a writer.