Introduction to Biblical Ethics

The Definition of Biblical Ethics

Morality: right and wrong

John Murray in “Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics” defines biblical ethics as the study and application of the morals prescribed in God’s Word…

Morality and ethics are related, but as this definition indicates, the terms are distinct.

Morality declares what is right and wrong, good and evil etc.

Ethics seeks to understand what morality declares and apply those declarations to behavior.

In the pages of Scripture, God declares what is right and wrong, that is, the bible is the source from where we know what is good and what is evil.

Since the bible’s declarations make clear what is right and wrong, ethics is the effort to understand what the bible declares and apply those declarations to our lives.

The Biblical Norms for Doing Ethics

Biblical morality and biblical ethics are distinct.

Some specific commands under the Old Covenant like circumcision, food laws etc. no longer apply to us.

“Biblical morality has to do with the morality found in the Bible.” - Michael Hill, The How and Why of Love: An Introduction to Evangelical Ethics

Biblical morality describes God’s moral demands in specific places in redemptive history. Biblical ethics seeks to locate what is normative for Christians now.

All Scripture is for our ethical instruction, but not all Scripture applies to us in exactly the same way.

Christians’ relationship to the law is defined in relation to Christ.

1 Cor 9:20-21.

1 Corinthians 9:20–21 ESV

To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law.

Paul does not equate the Mosaic law and God’s law.

the Jews and those under the law may be one and the same but Jews may refer to national identity and those under law could account for Gentile proselytes who came under the Mosaic law by conversion to Judaism.

Paul views himself as under God’s law, but God’s law is defined completely in relation to the law of Christ.

Central to the Mosaic law’s purpose was to reveal God’s character, the nature of human sin and point to how God would graciously redeem His people. It remains scripture that teaches us about God’s plan of redemption and how to live wisely in the world as God’s New Covenant people.

For a time, the Mosaic law supervised God’s people (Gal. 3:24; 4:1-7), but now that Christ has come its supervisory works is finished.

Viewing Scripture through the lens of Christ’s ministry clarifies what is morally binding.

We cannot properly apply the law to ourselves without first understanding how it has been fulfilled in Christ.

Jesus fulfills the law and the prophets in that they point forward to Him, and Jesus is the one who brings them to their intended end.

Matt 5:17-20.

Matthew 5:17–20 ESV

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

First and foremost, we must think of the “law of God” in terms of God.

The triune God is the law because his will and nature is the moral standard of the universe.

For this reason, God alone has the right and authority to determine what is right and wrong, and to hold his moral creatures, both human and angelic, accountable to whether they have perfectly obeyed his commands.

The law includes God’s “commands” and “decrees” (Deut. 30:10); it also includes instruction regarding how to live before God, how to approach God by dealing with their sin (e.g., Leviticus), and how to live with each other in proper and just relationships.

On the one hand, and we discern God’s will in Christ and apostolic instruction (Gal. 6:2; 1Cor. 7:19; 9:21). On the other hand, the new covenant fulfills the old.

The Law and the Prophets, then, have a prophetic function as they foreshadow and predict the coming of Christ.

In Jesus teaching, he not only clarifies what the Old Testament was saying; in a far more important way, he fulfills the law by showing what the Old Testament was pointing forward to, namely his coming and the entire new covenant age.

So we do not seek to obey the law, but to live according to truth of the gospel (the law of Christ) by faith.

“The Old Testament’s real and abiding authority must be understood through the person and teaching of Christ to whom it points and who so richly fulfills.” - D.A. Carson, “Matthew”

We should continue to teach and learn the law, but recognize that its application to our lives cannot be separated from the fact that it has been fulfilled in Christ. The law must be viewed through the lens of Jesus’ ministry and teaching.

We discern God’s will in Christ and apostolic teaching.

1 Corinthians 7:19 ESV

For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God.

Galatians 6:2 ESV

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Doing ethics must be grounded in creation.

The original creation with its revealed goals and purposes provides us with the basis for determining what is morally good.

In our effort to determine God’s moral will, we begin in creation, then think through how sin has distorted God’s order and seek to understand how God’s plan of redemption has or will restore the created order.

Illustrating These Principles: The example of sexuality

God designed human sexuality to function within the permanent, covenant relationship of heterosexual marriage.

Matt 19:4-9.

Matthew 19:4–9 ESV

He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce and to send her away?” He said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. And I say to you: whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another, commits adultery.”

Misuses such as fornication, adultery, divorce, homosexuality etc. are distortions of God’s design for sexuality.

The Mosaic law forbids specific sexual distortions (see Lev. 18:1-30), but it must be observed that these prohibitions simply unpack the one-flesh ideal of creation.

Through Christ’s coming and work, the regenerating work of the Spirit unites the people of God to Christ and set them free from their slavery to sin.

The New Testament makes clear that those who are in Christ are being restored to what we were created to be in the first place.

Ethics Among the Body of Christ

1 Cor 10:23-24.

1 Corinthians 10:23–24 ESV

“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

The First Letter to the Corinthians d. Freedom Should Be Used for the Glory of God, 10:23–11:1

our behavior should not be dictated by what we may consider to be our rights or what freedoms we may have, but by that which will benefit (ourselves and especially) others and will make for individual Christians who are stronger in their faith and commitment to Christ and a Christian community which is stronger in its unified reflection of the lordship of Jesus Christ

Paul emphasizes using rights to benefit and build up others in the body.

Our decision to exercise our rights or freedoms has the potential to impact the spiritual lives of one another.

Paul is exhorting the church to prioritize the spiritual health of others above our freedoms and rights.

1 Cor. 8:9-13.

1 Corinthians 8:9–13 ESV

But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.

The offense here is not eating food offered to idols but disregarding how exercising this right impacts those in the body of Christ.

When it comes to ethical conflicts facing local churches, we need to carefully distinguish categories of “may” (permissible), “should/should not” (advisable), and “must” (obligatory). Christians need to allow for a diversity of opinions where diversity is allowed.

Rom 14:14-19.

Romans 14:14–19 ESV

I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.

Based upon his union with Christ, Paul is certain that nothing is ceremonially unclean. This is because of what Christ accomplished through His redemptive work.

If someone considers something unclean, then for him it is unclean. In this case, the person’s conscience is the determining factor for that individual. This person should not partake of that which he regards as unclean.

This does not mean however that what is not actually clean has become unclean.

Paul makes the same point in verse 15 that he did in 1 Cor. 10. Prioritizing the spiritual good of others should trump the exercising of our spiritual freedoms.

But Paul adds something to the discussion in verse 16. There are several possible interpretations here, but it seems to me that Paul’s concern centers on the reputation of the church and the gospel among the world. If a disregard among the strong for the weak is observed by the unbelieving world, the testimony of the church could become tainted.

Paul is concerned that the issue of eating and drinking not distract from what is more important. Righteousness, peace, joy in the Holy Spirit… these are kingdom of God concerns. Not eating and drinking.

So serving Christ is what pleases God. Being of good repute is what pleases God. Pursuing what makes for peace and mutual upbuilding is what pleases God.

Guiding Questions

Does Scripture explicitly prohibit issue X?

How has church history understood issue X?

Does engaging in issue X produce personal flourishing?

Does issue X undermine relationships?

What principles from Scripture and theology inform how we should approach issue X?

Ethics and the Church

“Ethical deliberation and ethical witness are deeply intertwined within the life of the church since they are a measure of a church’s commitment to being Word-centered and Christ-glorifying.” Andrew Walker

When a church fails to investigate serious moral matters, it risks falling into doctrinal error and compromising the whole body (Gal. 5:9).

Doctrinal compromise is inextricably bound up with moral compromise.

Allowing immorality to fester will inevitably loosen the church from its doctrinal cohesion.

Failing to take moral offenses seriously compromises the blood-bought sanctity of a church’s identity and mission; it acts against the gospel of Christ, which included his payment for our moral revolt.

Biblical Ethics & Making Decisions

From T. David Gordon’s “Choose Better” - 5 Models for Biblical Ethics

The Imitation Model

Human life consists, ideally in our being like God on a creaturely scale. People are created in the image of God and therefore are able to reflect many of God’s attributes (His communicable attributes).

The imitation model requires learning about God and what is praiseworthy about Him as a means to understand what living for Him looks like.

The imitation model asks, does this decision all me (us) to emulate God or to cultivate human traits that reflect His image?

The Law Model

The law model understands human life to consist in our obeying God who has rightful authority to order His creation as He wishes.

The law model maintains the Lawgiver and Judge relationship to His creation and demands that the creature acknowledge this relationship through obeying God’s commands.

The law model asks, has God, in His holy word commanded or prohibited this behavior?

The Wisdom Model

The wisdom model understands life to consist in making wise choices.

This wisdom model understands people to possess the capacity to observe, and learn from observing, that there are choices that either contribute to or detract from human flourishing.

The wisdom models asks, what is the likely outcome of my (our) doing this or not doing this?

The Communion Model

The communion model understands human life to consist in communication with God.

The communion model understands humans to have the ability to address and be addressed by God.

The communion model asks, how might this option enhance or inhibit my (our) communion with God?

The Warfare Model

The warfare model understands human life to consist of a war, in which we are enlisted as soldiers for one side.

The warfare model marks our duties as either defensive or offensive to resist the attacks of the enemy and attacking the enemy in order to gain new ground.

The warfare asks, in the often invisible, yet real warfare between the forces of good and evil, will this decision likely serve the forces of good or evil?

Key Takeaways

The Bible must function as the filter through which all of our decisions are processed.

The teachings of Scripture, properly understood and applied, must constitute the basis for our decision making.

The commands of Scripture must be understood and applied in relation to the life and ministry of Christ in order for those commands to be properly applied to out decision making.

Thoughtful reflection on redemptive history (the perfect state of the original creation, the fall of man and God’s plan of redemption) will aid us in identifying God’s will and desires in our life’s circumstances.

The objective of any effort to summarize the nature and practice of Christian ethics must be to honor God through decision making.