This document provides an introduction to a study on Christian ethics. It outlines several goals of the study, including distinguishing right from wrong, discerning ethical bases for moral decisions, and showing the superiority of biblical ethics over other systems. It discusses why ethics should be studied and some New Testament assumptions, such as the existence of objective good and evil. It also summarizes some perspectives on ethics from nature, including naturalism and its view that nature is the ultimate reality and humans are essentially animals, as well as perspectives like might makes right.

1. COACH Institute of Intercultural Studies, Hyderabad
Dr. Pothana
Christian Ethics

2. Introduction to Christian Ethics

3. Study Goals:
• (1 To better distinguish among what is right and
good and virtuous
• (2 To discern the ethical bases of moral
decisions, both our own and those of others
• (3 To show the superiority of biblical ethics to
other ethical systems
– To bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ
(2 Co 10:5) by exposing fallacies in non-Christian
ethical systems
• (4 To discern a biblical position on some
current moral and ethical issues
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4. Why study ethics?
• Peter exhorts Christians that, “applying all
diligence,” add to faith “moral excellence,” then
knowledge in that moral excellence. (2 Pet. 1:5).
– What is moral excellence?
– Knowledge can help refine our morality.
– Mature Christians “have trained themselves to distinguish good
and evil.” (Heb. 5:14). The more mature, the more moral and
good the Christian.
– Christians must “turn from evil and do good” (1 Pet. 3:11. We
should know the difference.
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5. New Testament assumptions:
• Good and evil do in fact exist. It does not teach
moral relativism—.
– Rom.2:2,8 2 Now we know that God's judgment against those
who do such things is based on truth. 8 But for those who are
self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be
wrath and anger.
– Today, absolutes are disparaged in favor of relativism and
tolerance, which has been elevated into an absolute.
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6. New Testament assumptions:
• Good and evil do in fact exist.
– Barna stated. “In some ways, we are creating the ultimate
ecumenical movement, where nothing is deemed right or wrong,
and all ideas, beliefs and practices are assigned equal validity.
Everyone is invited to join the dialogue, enjoy the ride, and feel
connected to a far-reaching community of believers. Screening
or critiquing what that community believes is deemed rude and
inappropriate. Pragmatism and relativism, rather than any sort of
absolutism, has gained momentum.”
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7. New Testament assumptions:
• Christians should not only understand what is
good, but do what is good (mind to hand).
– God, being good (Mark 10:18), defines the good. It flows from
His being.
• It’s possible to learn what pleases God.
Ephesians 5:10 “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”
• Some Christians can discern good and evil
better than others—they are wiser.
– Christians are to advance in that knowledge.
– The more immoral, the less mature is a believer.
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8. New Testament assumptions:
• Our moral/ethical behavior indicates whether or
not we in fact have a relationship to God.
– 3 John 1:11b “Anyone who does what is good is from God.
Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.”
– Rejection of the truth likely leads to evil—not to moral neutrality
(Rom. 2:8).
• Our morality exposes our theology.
– Does God see, or care, or reward or chasten?
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9. New Testament assumptions:
• Christians aren’t determined by the world’s
patterns, but can have renewed minds—leading
to understanding God’s will.
– Romans 12:2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then
you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-- his good,
pleasing and perfect will.
– “Ethos” in the NT is usually translated “custom”, but in 1 Cor.
15:33 is translated “character” or “morals”.
• We can follow local custom, unless it contradicts biblical principle.
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10. New Testament assumptions:
• What God wills is good and perfect, because He
is good (Mk. 10:18) and perfect (Matt. 5:48). He
defines goodness and perfection
– From His character , He does good. Gen. 1:31 God saw all that
he had made, and it was very good.
• “Good is the most comprehensive term for what human beings
ought to be and do. The biblical ethic is distinctive in that it identifies
the good with the revealed will of God. In the great summary
declaration of the prophet Micah: “He has showed you, O man, what
is good. And what does the LORD Require of you? To act justly and
/to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8).
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11. What does it matter to know good from evil,
if God is gracious?
• Why would we want to sin that grace might
abound (Rom. 6:14)?
– Sin can enslave us if practiced, leading to death (Rom. 6:16).
– Why would we want to put a gracious God to the test (Matt. 4:7)?
• Behavior is the best indicator of our actual or
operative belief system.
– God rewards both good and evil behavior (John 5:29; Rom. 2:9-
10; 2 Cor. 5:10).
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12. Why is it so hard to be and do good?
• Humans are radically sinful, not simply ignorant.
In fact, people are born evil.
– Matthew 7:11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
• We are basically evil, but by common grace (government, etc.), we
are generally not as evil as we can be. We still know how to give
good gifts.
• Romans 7:18-19 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my
sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot
carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I
do not want to do-- this I keep on doing..
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13. Why is it so hard to be and do good?
• Each inherits Adam and Eve’s sin (Rom. 5:12),
and each of us sins personally (Rom. 3:23).
• There is a perversity in our behavior that
indicates other forces at work within us and upon
us.
– Those forces include innate corruption of humans (the fall), and
spiritual forces arrayed against us (devil and demons—Eph.
6:12).
• We must have power beyond our own to do
good consistently—to persevere in doing good.
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14. The structure of this study
• As Arthur Holmes has noted, the Bible does not
specifically answer all moral questions.
– ------
• We’ll look for the priorities among biblical
principles by which to decide what is good and
right.
– We won’t state all that is right and all that is wrong, according to
the Bible, but look at the superstructure—general moral
principles.
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15. General Revelation

16. General Revelation
• The kind of the world around us gives insight
into its creator.
– Creation is incredibly complex from the lowest to the highest
orders of size.
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17. General Revelation
• Romans 1:18-20 The wrath of God is being revealed
from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness
of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19
since what may be known about God is plain to them,
because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since
the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his
eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly
seen, being understood from what has been made, so
that men are without excuse.
• God holds all responsible (without excuse) for what He
has revealed in nature—even non-Christians (source?),
His power and perfection are that plain.
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18. Eternal Power & Divine Nature
• God’s power is revealed in the construction of
the universe. If the Big Bang theory is correct,
the expansion of the universe can be plotted by
mathematical equations.
– This includes moving from a cloudy to a clear universe, change
in density, changing from a smooth to a “lumpy” universe and the
present increasing speed of expansion. The bang occurred in a
very precise way.
– The power of our sun is almost incomprehensible, as is the mind
of God who created such a perfection of order and scale.
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19. Revealed in Nature (natural theology)
• Nature reveals that God:
– Loves beauty—and instills that sense into us
– Loves variety—new varieties of flora and fauna are still being
discovered
– Is gracious to all—sending rain on the just and unjust (Mt. 5:45)
– Has all power
– Is a God of excellence and precision
– Has a sense of humor
– Defines creativity
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20. Revealed in Nature (natural theology)
• Nature reveals that God:
– Is an orderly God, creating regular seasons, day and night.
– Is a provider, sustaining creation with food, oxygen and means
of defense. He has built into organisms the ability to survive and
multiply, under normal conditions (Carl FH Henry, p. 55).
• Romans 11:33-34 Oh, the depth of the riches of
the wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable his judgments, and his paths
beyond tracing out! 34 "Who has known the
mind of the Lord?
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21. Revealed in Nature (natural theology)
• Natural theology contains moral implications.
– God holds us accountable to understand His eternal power and
divine nature.
– It’s appropriate to worship God, not an idol (Rom 1:23, 25). God
has put up with idolatry long enough—it’s time to repent (Acts
17:29-30).
• Those who have not heard the Gospel are still without excuse
(Rom. 1:20).
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22. Physiology
• Our physiology shows that appropriate sexual expression is
between a male and a female (“natural relations”), not between
males or between females (Rom. 1:26-27), which are
“degrading,”“shameful,” and “unnatural.”
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23. Sodom and Gomorrah
• An “outcry” to God against people of these cities
indicates that people generally knew,
understood and agreed with what was sexually
natural and right (Gen. 18:20-21).
– They asked God to intervene against pervasive sexual
perversion, which He did by sending a cataclysmic inferno, killing
all but Lot and his two daughters (Gen. 19:24-25).
– This is how seriously God holds us accountable to natural
revelation.
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24. Revealed in Nature
• We would be expected to seek to know and
have a relationship to such an incredibly
superior creator.
– Instead we tend to suppress the truth about God found in nature
(Rom. 1:18), or to draw incomplete conclusions.
• Naturalistic theology illustrates how intelligent people can miss
finding God in creation.
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25. Naturalistic ethics
• Carl Henry provides three characteristics of this
system: “
• (1) that nature is the ultimate reality;
• (2) that man is essentially an animal;
• (3) that truth and right are intrinsically time-
bound and changing.“ (Henry, p. 23)
– Nature is all there is, and becomes supreme.
– People are simply higher animals, with no more intrinsic value
than other animals.
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26. Early Greek Naturalism
• Physical pleasure--the more intense the better--
is the only reliable "good," so the good life is
hedonistic—pleasure seeking.
– This was the philosophy of Aristippus (b. 435 BC)-- of
Cyrenaicism—eat, drink and be merry (Henry, p. 26).
• Epicurus (341-270 BC), modified hedonism by
aiming at longer-term mental pleasures and
moderation.
– The ideal state became ataraxia, or being undisturbed. The best
pleasure is having no desire for pleasure at all, which could
disturb us (Henry, pp. 31-36). This has become the earthly goal
of Buddhism.
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27. Power ethics
• A competing application from nature was that
power rules. Stronger animals dominate weaker
ones.
– The corollary drawn is that might is right.
– Thrasymachus (ca 459-400 BC) came to that conclusion, as did
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), in his book, The Prince.
• Since power is located in the state, good is what strengthens the
state. The Prince, as the exerciser of power, decides what is right
and wrong (Henry pp. 52-3).
• Such thinking justifies a “super race” dominating others, so Nazis
dominated Jews and weaker states.
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