Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Ethics in the bible essay
Ethics in the bible
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Ethics in the bible essay
‘A practical guide to biblical ethics’ was written to help Christians follow and understand God’s law, so that they may live a lifestyle that honours God. By using the expression ‘God’s law’, Smith means the moral will of God as to what is right and wrong. This is encompassed in the Ten Commandments and expanded on throughout the Bible. Kevin Gary Smith(2012:6-9) wrote the book for believers whose prayers are to live a righteous life. The book is, however, not written only for academics or full time pastors, but is aimed for all Christians to understand. The book is practical; therefore, it is structured and worded in a way that it can be applied to the reader’s life. Through reading ‘A practical guide to biblical ethics’, believers can live a way of life that brings glory to God. The most important spiritual truth that I learnt is that law is not the opposite of grace, but grace is the fulfilment of the law (Smith 2012:10-11, 13-15). In many church circles, ‘law’ is viewed as archaic and constraining. They see law and grace as two contradicting ways of life. Paul’s teachings are often used to fuel this argument. Here, however, Paul uses ‘law’ to mean earning salvation through works, as opposed to grace. The perception that grace and law are opposites is unbiblical and stems from an incorrect view of God. God’s plan for the world is perfect (Psalm 18:30) and therefore, both law and grace are instrumental in His plan. Jesus says in Matthew 5:17-18 that he came to fulfil the law. He did this through four things; He kept the law perfectly, He exemplified the prophecies in the law, He clarified the meaning of the law and He came as a sacrifice so that animal sacrifices are no longer needed in Christianity. In Ephesians, Paul explains... ... middle of paper ... ...that can be followed by any believer. One of the keywords in the book’s title is ‘practical’ as Kevin Gary Smith successfully brings his points across so that readers can apply them to their day-to-day lives. When partnered with the Holy Spirit, however, the book not only fulfills it’s aim but also gives it’s audience a clearer picture of God’s greatness and the incredible worth of His Son’s sacrifice upon the cross. I would recommend this work to all Christians. It is important to understand how the Old and New Testaments work together to paint a picture of God’s incredible grace and love for His people. Kevin Gary Smith not only achieves his purpose, but God works through His Holy Spirit to enlighten believers through this book. Works Cited Smith KG 2012. A practical guide to biblical ethics. Johannesburg, South Africa: South African Theological Seminary Press.
Much like the laws in the Old Testament, the law is God solving a problem before it occurs (Maxwell, 2010). As Reggie Joiner reminds us: “Relationship comes before rules” (Maxwell, 2010, 176). If a relationship forms, rules are easier to embrace. Rules are a tool to keep the ship and everyone on it going in the same direction. Shared systems of values strengthen partnerships minimizing the possibility of comprise. Values determine our actions. Our conscience can be a fickle thing if not tended to. A good study of 1 Timothy 1:5 will sharpen the cause for keeping the conscience in order and know that a good conscience is the product of a pure heart. Finally, we trust fully in God’s promises to comfort us, but need to share that same comfort through an empowerment to do so from God himself. Kept promises are the glue that holds all the guidelines together and shuttles them into the heart and soul of mankind by building
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible. Eds. Dom Bernand Orchard, Rev. R. V. Fuller. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1966. Print.
...yne A. The HarperCollins Study Bible New Revised Standard Edition . New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 1645-1722. Print.
The core ethical teachings of Judaism are the Commandments of the Torah, the Prophetic Vision and the Book of Proverbs. These ethical teachings are all ultimately derived from the Jewish Bible or Tanakh. The importance of these teachings are to provide Jewish adherents with informed moral choices. One of the most important ethical issues that a Jewish adherent may face is pollution, decisions must be made in favor of methods that involve less rather than greater destruction to the earth because according to Bal Toshkit in the Prophetic Vision, the destruction of God’s creation is prohibited.
New Revised Standard Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1989. Print. The. Russell, Eddie.
BibleGateway.com -. Web. The Web. The Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
The New Interpreter's Study Bible: New Revised Standard Version with the Apocrypha. Nashville: Abingdon Press, ©2003.
One of the main themes in Chapter Fourteen is that of morality. Cari Barney defined morality as “conformity to the rules of right conduct” (lecture). Man is “a moral being” obligated “to act according to moral principles” (McDonald, 2007, p. 165). Deep down within man’s conscience, there is the sense of knowing right from wrong and knowing God’s requirements (Romans 2:14-15). This awareness should cause all humans to strive to adhere to what God requires of us. The moral consciousness of man is within the heart (Proverbs 4:23). McDonald (2007) stated, “So man is in himself a moral being with moral obligations and responsibilities (p. 165). Man’s lifestyle should resemble biblical principles that have been instructed by God.
New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997. Osborne, Grant R. Revelation. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002.
Pinckaers, Servais. The Source of Christian Ethics. Translated by Sr. Mary Thomas Noble. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 1995.
If as believers we fail to completely trust the Word of God and form our life under its direction then our witness will become misleading and even confusing. Believer’s effort in diligently understanding, applying and holding full trust to the word of God in all aspects of our life will be instrumental in building our faith. Such a faith will elevate us to enable us rise above the unrelenting wave of our culture’s non-biblical ideologies. Biblical worldview is very important in order to develop a life, which can be emulated by others in diligence, integrity and honesty in the modern society (Tackett, 2014).
Holy Bible: Contemporary English Version. New York: American Bible Society, 1995. Print. (BS195 .C66 1995)
“Christian Ethics is fundamentally a matter of participating in the unfolding drama of God’s creative and redemptive purposes for the world. Put otherwise, it is a matter of dwelling within the biblical story and of having one’s life shaped and formed by the love, the judgement, and the mercy of God” .
Morality and the Bible & nbsp; Both the legal and salvation philosophies of the Old and New Testaments reflect those of the cultures around them, due to much copying and borrowing of laws and ideas. Furthermore, all societies around the world have similar moral and legal codes -- which is certainly not an accident. & nbsp; Interestingly enough, the moral codes of the world's religions bear a striking resemblance to each other, with only minor variations. Religions as different as Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism all have proscriptions against killing, lying, cheating, stealing, etc. This is not an accident, for reasons we shall explore below. & nbsp; Christians may then object that there is something unique about the Bible that makes it a superior moral code.
In addition, the biblical ethics is quite similar to the natural law because they both share the same perspective about god creating everything in this world and that makes it a strong ethical system because it is fair. In biblical ethical system, marriage is meant to be a special covenant between a man, a woman, and their God. If we assumed that John and Sharon belief in God and they follow the biblical ethical system, and they decided to divorce because Sharon does not want to live with a cheater, we can view this case in two points of view. In general the Lord declared in the bible that he hates divorce "I hate divorce!" (Malachi 2:16). Also, the divorce was in Jewish law, is the husband's act, so the women cannot send her husband away. In the Old