Whatever Happened to
Christian Ethics?

As we approach the year 2000, a confusing array of issues befuddle and confuse the Christian. It seems that the world is changing quickly in terms of its philosophical basis for living, its values, and its behavior. "Decades ago," laments Joseph Stowell, President of Moody Bible Institute, "Americans decided that God no longer had a place in our world. When God is banished, so is the morality that holds us accountable for right and wrong. The presence of the divine is what keeps our sensitivities sane." ¹ The Christian used to be concerned with how to evangelize his world. Slowly, we began to focus on how to stem the tide of paganism. Now the question is more basic: how is the Christian to live amidst this barrage of new age and humanistic values being promoted?

Let us examine this issue through the following sections: some of the various ethical systems which are shaping the world in which we live, the place of the Bible in the ethical dilemmas we face, the relationship of both Old and New Testament concepts to today's world, and some practical ways to find solid ground in a world that is shifting to and fro.

Outline

The Many Ethical Systems

The Bible and Ethics

The Ethics of Old Testament Law

The Ethics of New Testament Freedom

Finding Solid Ground in a Changing World

1. The Many Ethical Systems

Ever since the garden of Eden, people have been swayed by what others think and do. People try to emulate the superstars of sports and theater, no matter how distasteful their behavior may be. Ethics today is a politically correct word, meaning it has been redefined to take out the parts which offend the majority of people. In its original form, ethics broadly addresses the body of wisdom concerning man's behavior -- the "science of the moral" as it were. Ethics are concerned with what is moral or right. It concerns itself with determining the good one ought to do.

There are two basic views of ethics: the naturalistic view and the supernatural view. The naturalistic view, which can also be called "philosophy," is an attempt to systematize and analyze ethics to determine truth apart from any revelation from God. Many philosophical systems have developed over time from this point of view to account for ethical behavior including atheism or secular humanism, Marxism, Communism, Buddhism,² and many others. Supernatural ethics, on the other hand, assume an ethical standard given to mankind from some transcendent being. Again, many philosophical and religious systems have developed from this point of view including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and various New Age religions. Supernatual ethics is the view where Christian ethics are found -- in the revelation from an all-wise, all-powerful Creator who alone establishes what is right for mankind.

Philosophical and Christian ethics differ in the key areas of accountability, obligation, foundation, and potential. The philosophical views holds one accountable to self and obliged only to self. The foundation of philosophical ethics is man. The end of philosophical ethics is human potential for goodness, however contradictory that may be from the human experience. In Christian ethics, one is accountable to our Creator God. One is obliged to follow His design for life. The foundation of Christian ethics is the revelation of God to mankind. And the end is God's goodness revealed to us in Christ, infused into the believer by the Spirit of God, and lived out in our lives through submission to His will.

2. The Bible and Ethics

Clearly, a biblical world-view has given way to various philosophical views. Rather than study the Scriptures to understand how to live, people flock to the latest, popular talk-show "expert" who explains the latest way to think and act. Talk-show hosts come in every shape and size imaginable -- conservative, liberal, obscene, home-spun, religious, humanistic, athletic, and consumer-oriented just to name a few. The prevailing idea is: "You have your truth and I have my truth." One can seek to find his own truth or be content to use someone else's truth. Logic, of course, dictates that something cannot be true and untrue at the same time. The clash of different beliefs is simply not permitted in today's civilized world; the notion of absolute truth is absolutely not true in today's pluralistic world. Yet, as one unknown pundit put it, "You are entitled to your own opinions. You are not entitled to your own facts." Truth, in order to be truth, must be true for everyone at all times, whether it is believed or not.

So the question for Christians today in a pluralistic world is "Just how relevant is the Bible for ethical living?" In His famous address known as the "Sermon on the Mount," our Lord Jesus issued a clear synopsis of the relevance of the Bible to our everyday lives. He said, "Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall" (Mat. 7:24-27, NAS).

Clearly Jesus taught that the word of God was to be both heard and obeyed. This distinguishes it from a purely ethical system of thought. It is how the Christian should live. As T. B. Maston notes, "The Scriptures reveal primarily a way of life rather than a theory about life. This way is to be followed by those who claim to know the One who not only points out the way but who is the Way." ³ Various approaches to interpreting God's word have surfaced including:

Scripture as a general orientation to ethics

Scripture as multiple variations of usage both prescriptive and patterned

Scripture as a source of models or examples

Scripture as revelation of God's general commands

Scripture as one source among many sources of wisdom and ethics

Scripture as the starting point to understand ethics ⁴

None of these approaches takes the Word of God for what it is: The Almighty Creator's revelation to fallen man. Scripture must be taken as authoritative -- since it is from the Creator who alone has the authority to declare a standard of righteousness -- and infallible -- for the One who gave us His revelation is perfect. Without this view, Scripture becomes irrelevant to mankind as anything worthy of study, much less a basis for ethical decisions. Yet, the Bible itself affirms its primacy in our lives: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim 3:16-17, NIV). What more concise statement could be made about the Scriptural underpinnings of our behavior than this?

3. The Ethics of Old Testament Law

Quite distinct from pagan cultures of their time, the nation of Israel was formed and established by the Creator Himself. The Scriptures which they were priviledged to capture and preserve were the direct revelation of the Creator. The ethical dimension of the Scriptures they held sacred could not be separated from any other component of God's revelation. Life was to be lived in His presence, walking in His righteousness, obedient to His commands. There were no "separate" rules for government, home life, or commerce that were apart from rules for worship, prayer, or devotion. The Old Testament ethics are found in the nature of the One who revealed His word to them.⁵

What is the function, then, of the Old Testament Law in regard to ethical practice today? The Law, or Torah, defines over six hundred specific commands to the nation of Israel concerning the life and conduct of its people. They were to be holy. (Exo. 19:5-6) These were given to Israel to accomplish God's purpose in revealing His truth to a pagan world. Israel was to be a light to the gentiles, holy before them as the Lord God is holy. (Exo. 22:31, 31:13; Lev. 11:44-45) The Law was given to Israel in the Covenant code (Exo. 20:1-17,20:22-23:33) which includes the Ten Commandments, the Holiness code (Lev. 18-20), and the Deuteronomic code (Deut. 12-26).

This does not mean the Old Testament has nothing to say to the Christian in regard to ethical standards or behavior. Interestingly, the New Testament specifically affirms all of the Ten Commandments except regarding the Sabbath. So one cannot create some dichotomy which ignores Old Testament teaching altogether. Rather, as Paul confirms: "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Rom 15:4, NIV). Old Testament Scripture covers both religious instruction concerning worship and reverance for God as well as instruction on authority, murder, adultery, marriage, theft, property rights, deceipt, and covetousness.⁶ These commands provide a firm ethical foundation for living. While the New Testament reveals the fulfillment of the religious and ceremonial aspects of the Law, the morality defined therein is still valid since it is consistent with God's holy nature and His righteousness.

4. The Ethics of New Testament Freedom

At this point, the Christian always ponders the relationship between the demands of the Law and our freedom in Christ. What part do ethics play in our Christian freedom? If one is free from the Law, then how can a Christian be bound to do the "good?" It is critical for any Christian to understand the place of the Law in his life. It is just as important for any Christian to understand the freedom we have in Christ. How the Christian views each of these will have a profound impact on their motivation and behavior.

The Apostle Paul, arguably an expert in the Law of Moses, writes of its purpose as follows:

But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law (Gal 3:22-25, NIV).

The Law serves to reveal the extent of human sinfulness. Trying to obey every "jot and tittle" of the Law by human will and fortitude will break every man and woman who attempts it. The Law, through this gut-wrenching process, leads one to Christ -- our only hope. Jesus Christ came to set the captives free from this bondage of daily trying to fulfill what cannot be fulfilled by sinful man. Our justification, being forgiven of sins and restored to an eternal relationship with God, comes not by futile obedience to the Law (vv. 22-23) but by faith in the only One who could fulfill it (v.24) -- God in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ (v.24 and also John 1:1,14). For the unbeliever, the Law will be a crushing weight on the day of judgement. But the believer is liberated from the penalty of the Law since he can rightly point to the LORD Jesus as his righteousness (Rom. 3:21-24). So the Law is still valid but fulfilled by Christ for the believer.

In what sense, then, is the Christian free? Does this mean the Christian can only do "the good"? When we speak of Christian freedom, we speak of:

Freedom is ours from the penalty of sin and the power of sin. The penalty was paid in full by our Lord Jesus Christ (John 19:30; 1 Pet. 2:24,3:18 and many others).

When one trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ, one becomes a new creation (2 Cor 5:17). God makes the believer a new creation of a different kind than the one that existed before.

In Christ we have a position of true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:24).

Practically, we find it difficult to carry out the desire to please God because we still have a sin nature in us. As Ken Gangel writes, "Sin continues because it finds a point of contact with the sinful self within." ⁷ One would find such a contrary position hopeless were it not for the redemptive work of Christ who gives us the victory (Rom. 7:24). By the Holy Spirit who indwells us, we find the motivation, guidance, leadership, and most importantly the power to do those things that our new nature in Christ desires (Rom. 8:2-4,6,9,14). By following His Spirit, we fulfill the Law and do what is right (Gal. 5:16-18, 5:22-23).

Our freedom in Christ, then, permits us to do what is right in God's eyes since we are no longer bound by the power of sin in our lives. As Christians, we are called to live a life worthy of this new calling in Christ (Eph. 4:1). It is because of the new life given to us by our righteous and holy God that we are told to live in accordance with this new nature and not the old. The old nature is being constantly corrupted by sin (Eph. 4:22). The new nature is righteous and holy as is God's nature (Eph. 1:4; 4:24). So who we are in Christ and what we are to be is clearly set forth. We are made in the image of God and are to be conformed to His character in true holiness and righteousness. We are created to do the good works which God has already planned for us (Eph. 2:10).

5. Finding Solid Ground in a Changing World

The world attempts to influence our behavior in a manner quite contrary to God's holy and righteous nature. In effect, we are buffeted by changing standards of what is right or wrong, good or bad, ethical or unethical. The latest solution of a world desperate to justify itself is situation ethics -- the view that what is right depends on each situation encountered rather than any standard of absolute truth. This is understandable since anyone who is not in Christ is a slave to sin and to Satan, the "god" of this world (Eph. 2:1-3). Our ethical behavior, however, must be rooted and grounded in something greater than anything this world offers.

Jesus tells us that what one does is rooted in what one finds inside the heart, a term meaning the inner person -- our emotions, mind, will, and spirit. He said, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." (Mat 12:34b-35, NIV). So if one is to engage in ethical behavior, from God's perspective, then one must store up good things inside. Certainly, no greater good can be found than the Holy Spirit who indwells the believer and seals him until the day of redemption (Rom. 8:9,15; Eph. 1:13-14; 2:22, 3:17). So what else is needed for the Christian to actually do the good he should do?

The battle for the good occurs first and foremost in the mind -- for right behavior follows right belief. It is not enough to desire to do what is right; one must have the knowledge to accompany it. Many Christians fail to do what is right because (1) they do not know what is right or (2) they fail to use their minds to apply general Bible knowledge to specific life issues. "Our inability to see the transforming power of doctrine," asserts Stowell, "has left us with the impression that the details of truth are irrelevant and that we can discuss life-related issues productively apart from solid, unchanging foundations of truth." ⁸ For instance, many Christians agree that abortion is wrong but cannot demonstrate why it is wrong from God's word. Consequently, they fail to act resolutely because they have no firm convictions.

Consider the following short list of ethical dilemmas that each Christian will surely face through personal situations, with family members, or with friends:

Life Issues

Abortion of unwanted children
Euthanasia for the sick and elderly
Genetic engineering and human cloning

Church Issues

Homosexuals in leadership positions
Female ministers as senior pastors/priests
Care for AIDS patients

Family and Work Issues

Divorce and remarriage
Teen sexuality and dating
Humanistic school curriculum
Diversity training at the office

The world hastens to tell us the prevailing opinion concerning these issues. Yet the Bible exhorts us to fill our minds with the truth of God's word -- not to become intellectual giants but that we might do what pleases God. The Psalmist cried out: "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you" (Psa 119:9-11, NIV). Paul tells us that in view of the tremendous sacrifice our Lord Jesus made on our behalf, we should offer our own sacrifice to Him of a renewed mind. Then we will know God's good, pleasing, and perfect will. (Rom. 12:1-2) One must develop a pattern of renewing one's mind in biblical truth to overcome the severe influences of the world through its various devices.

As issues arise for the Christian, one must act -- not on impulse or feelings but on the truth found in God's word. Ed Dobson tells of a divorced man who was participating in a Bible study with a small group of men. "I didn't know that he was currently involved in a sexual relationship with a woman not his wife. But as he studied the Bible for the first time in his life, he realized what God's word was calling him to do. As a result, he ended the relationship. I never knew anything about his involvement until it ended. Scripture connected to his personal life, and the change occurred naturally." ⁹

Reflect on YOUR life: An ethical life is a life lived in response to the light of God's truth. Life-change is empowered by the Holy Spirit but requires the study of biblical truth and prayerful consideration of its application to life issues. Godly teachers and counselors can be helpful in framing a decision from a biblical world-view. But the real change within starts by committing one's will to the One who is the light of life. (John 1:4). The change continues as one walks in that light. (1 John 1:7) As Apologist Ravi Zacharias reflects:

...two of humanity's perennial struggles are...to find a philosophy by which to live and to correct the prejudices with which we live. One would think that the connection between the two is too obvious to miss and that the fact that one informs the other ought to stare each of us in the face. Yet, if history has taught us anything it is that we learn very little from the past, and that we do not pause either to justify what we believe or to make sure that doctrine and conduct have a life-giving connection. That which God has joined together let no person put asunder. ¹⁰

Endnotes

Stowell, Joseph M., "Shame on Who?", Frontlines (article at www.lightsource.net/ 11_96.shtml), 11/12/96, p.2.

Buddhism is normally thought of as a religious system of thought, putting it in the supernatual ethics camp. Yet, apart from the religious trappings, I find the Four Noble Truths of Gotama Buddha are really just naturalistic philosophy. His teachings concerning self-denial of pleasure and pursuit of duty find much common ground with Kantian ethics.

Maston, T.B., Biblical Ethics, Mercer University Press: Atlanta, Georgia, Copyright 1991, p. 281.

Meyer, Dr. David P., "Christian Ethics", Trinity College and Seminary, tape 1. Note -- These six approaches are suggested by Walter Kaiser in Toward Old Testament Ethics as related by Dr. Meyer

Maston, p.3.

Meyer, tape 2.

Gangel, Kenneth O., "Moral Entropy, Creation, and the Battle for the Mind," p.23 from the book edited by J. Kerby Anderson, Living Ethically in the '90's, Victor Books: Wheaton, Illinois, Copyright 1990.

Stowell, Joseph M., "Dealing with the 'D' Word", Frontlines (article at www.lightsource.net/ 3_96.shtml), March 1996, p.1.

Dobson, Ed, "When Foundations Tremble," Leadership Magazine, Christianity Today, Inc.: Carol Stream, Illinois, Copyright 1993, p. 137.

Zacharias, Ravi, "A Fatal Amputation," Just Thinking Newsletter, Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, Spring/Summer 1997, p.1.

Whatever Happened to Christian Ethics?