Biblical Living: Ethics & Morals

Class Description:
The objective of this class is to help students explore their ethical foundations. Then integrate those conclusions into our moral choices. We will be examining the reasons why we behave or misbehave and try to discover ways to think Biblically about those issues. We’ll open the Scriptures and apply them to real life issues. It’s not that we’ll all come to the same ethical conclusion but all of us will be able to ground our belief in God’s Word.

Learning Goals:
• Understand the study of Ethical Systems and Theory.
• Understand God’s approach to human Ethics and how that connects to real life.
• Be able to ground our behavior and beliefs on ethics in God’s Word.

Class Location: Narthex
Times: Thursdays, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Requirements: Bible, pen and class notebook

Schedule of Classes:

April 10 Ethical Systems

April 17 Free Will

April 24 Morals: Right vs. Wrong

May 1 Ethical Decisions

Living Biblically: Ethics & Morals
Week one of four

I. Ethics and Morals: What Is It?

Group Exercise: In groups look through the newspapers on your tables and generate a list of ethical questions raised by the articles.

A. Ethics: The process of determining right conduct and the good life.

B. Morals: The practice of right conduct and a good life.

C. Domains: The areas of life in which moral decisions are considered

Individuals (Personal Ethics) (Social Ethics) Groups

D. Does God care?

II. Ethical Systems: How Do We Get Them?

Choices <-----> Systems or Models

III. Major Ethical Systems

A. Natural Law: Everything is created for a particular purpose (it’s final cause). The right thing to do is that which enables the final cause.

B. Utilitarianism: The right thing to do is that which is likely to produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

C. Deontological Ethics: What is right or wrong is independent of the outcome. The right thing to do is to follow the law and fulfill one’s duty.

D. Ethical Egoism: The right thing to do is that which is in your own self-interest.

E. Situational Ethics: The right thing to do is the most loving thing.

IV. Theocratic Ethics

A. The Bible doesn’t seem stuck on one System

B. The Bible does seem to be stuck on God

C. Theocratic Ethics (A modified deontology): “Let God be in charge”

Lie:

• Deontology?
• Situational?
• Egoism?
• Utilitarianism?
• Theocratic?

Suicide:

• Deontology?
• Situational?
• Egoism?
• Utilitarianism?
• Theocratic?
  
  

Ethical Issues

Look through the newspaper and generate a list of six ethical questions. You can use the form:
Is doing _____________________ right or wrong?

Write down any complicating factors that would expand our question such as:

Does that answer change if ___________________ is going on?

Ethical Question? Complicating Factors?

Free Will – Man’s or God’s? Worksheet

Ethically, as we look at the issue of moral responsibility, free will is a must.
But in the same breath, as we look in the Bible there seems to be a dual emphasis in support of both human responsibility and divine sovereignty.

Read the following key biblical texts relevant to the topic and categorize either as

1) Human responsibility/Free Will; or

2) Divine Sovereignty/Theological Determinism

Key Passage
Matthew 23:37-39
Matthew 24:44; Colossians 3:12
John 1:9-13; 5:19-21; 15:16-19
John 3:16-19
John 5:24-29
Acts 2:22-24, 37-40
Acts 13:42-49
Acts 17:1-4
Acts 18:5-6
Romans 1:18-23
Romans 8:26-39
Romans 9:6-29
Romans 11:1-32
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
1 Corinthians 9:16-17
Ephesians 1:3-14
1 Thessalonians 1:4
2 Thessalonians 2:9-15
Philemon 1:12-14
James 4:13-17
2 Peter 3:8-9
Revelation 20:11-15

Free Will

What would be the implications if we have Free Will in:
• Religion:

• Ethics:

• Science:

What is the relationship between Moral Responsibility and Free Will?

How would you define Free Will?

I. Human Responsibility versus Sovereignty of God Worksheet

A. Questions Raised from the Free Will vs. Sovereignty argument

B. Reconciliation of the two

C. Bible Charges us to Action as if We Had Free Will

a. Proverbs 1:23; Isaiah 31:6; Ezekiel 14:6; Matthew 18:13; Acts 3:19

b. 1 Kings 8:47; Matthew 2:3; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3,5; Acts 2:38

c. 2 Chronicles 20:20; Isaiah 43:10; John 6:29; 14:1; Acts 16:31

d. Acts 5:32; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Hebrews 5:9

II. Three members of the Family of Freedom Concepts

A. Freedom of Permission

B. Freedom of Moral Responsibility

C. Freedom of Personal Integrity

III. Freedom of Moral Responsibility (or Free Will)

A. Preliminary Issues

a. Free will is a ___________________, but not a _______________ condition for moral responsibility

b. Free will need not suppose that _______ human behavior is freely chosen

c. _______________ of the behavior of human beings is either freely chosen or the result of earlier free choices

B. Conditions for Free Will

a. ____________________ Condition: The ability to choose (or do) otherwise than he actually did

b. ____________________ Condition: The person himself determines what the actual choice will be

c. ____________________ Condition: Requires that the person, after evaluating the options, has a personal reason for the choice he makes

C. Definitions of Free Will

a. Reductionism

b. Hard Determinism

c. Anarchic Free Will

d. Libertarian or Incompatibilism Free Will

e. Soft Determinism (Compatiblism)

D. Goodness of Man

a. Basically Good?

b. Basically Sinful?

IV. Freedom of Personal Integrity

A. Valuing (Reason)

B. Desiring (appetite)

C. Paul’s Desire for Freedom of Personal Integrity but with conflicts between Values & Desires
Romans 7:14-25; 6:17-20; 2 Corinthians 3:17