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The five key questions that define worldview – this time with the biblical worldview inserted
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The question of origin – How did life begin in the first place? Where did I come from?
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The question of identity – What does it mean to be human? Am I more important than animals?
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The question of meaning – (Purpose) Why are we here? Why am I here?
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The question of morality (ethics) – what is meant by right or wrong? How should I live?
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The question of destiny – Is there life after death? What will happen to me when I die? Will I
have to answer for the choices I made and how I lived my life?
The Basis of a Biblical Worldview
A. God Exists
B. God has revealed himself
C. Jesus Christ is God’s son who is the redeemer if the world
D. The bible is God’s world
E. Christians are to follow the teachings of the bible.
The Metanarrative that is the biblical worldview:
1. Creation: the way God created the world and everything in it, including the people he made in
his own image, with the ultimate goal of displaying his glory.
Biblical Ethics
Ethics – such is interested less in what people in facts do than in what they ought to do, less in
what values presently are.
I. The origin of the Good and Right – Essentialism
Where does the right come from? Plato – the Dilemma of Euthyphro. 380 B.C. Socrates dialogues
with Euthyphro and says…
Is something right because God wills it or…
Does God will it because it is right?
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II. The Origin of the Good and Right
a. God is unchanging in his essential nature.
b. God’s essential nature is perfect holiness and love.
c. Whatever God wills flows from his nature.
d. Essentialism – the root word here is “essence”.
God’s unchanging D.N.A.
D – Divinity
N – Nature
A – Attributes
III. The Revelation of the Good and Right
a. Natural/General Revelation – In a general way God has revealed, and continues to
reveal, His moral will to all mankind.
b. God’s creation which has been given moral aptitude
i. Our conduct – Rom. 2:14
ii. Our conscience – Rom. 2:15
1. That inward faculty, possessed by all of us which, pronounces judgement
upon our attitudes and actions as either being right or wrong, and
prompts us to do right.
iii. Our codes
iv. Our conflicts
General Revelation – God reveals himself to a number of people at a general time.
Special Revelation – God makes known vital truths about Himself which He has not made known in
nature.
Ex. Dreams and visions, Gods voice, OT appearances of Christ, God’s word
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Specifically, the Scripture
It’s Necessary
Because of the limits of general revelation.
Because mankind needs a final authority for creed and conflict.
It’s Nature
It is inspired by God.
Through it, God reveals specialized truth about himself.
Its Purpose
To provide an absolute basis of knowledge concerning the right.
Its Use
Abuses of Scripture
Legalism
Proof-texting
Denial of its source
IV. General Characteristics of a Biblical Ethic
A. It is based on God’s unchanging nature.
B. It is dependent upon God’s revealed truth.
C. It is authoritative – It is God “breathed” (inspiration).
D. It is perspective – It tells us how we should live.
E. It is Absolute.
Absolutism and Moral Relativism
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Absolute/Objective Truth – “Whatever is true at one time and at one place is true at all times
and all places. What is true for one person is true for all persons. Truth is true whether we believe it or
not. Truth is discovered or it is revealed. It is not invented by a culture of by religious men.”
Forms of Relativism
A. Cultural Relativism
Principles
A. The fact of diversity between morals of cultures are undeniable.
B. Individual and social morals are conditioned by cultural tradition.
C. No moral absolutes exist.
D. Ethnocentrism is the only acceptable response.
Summary of the Problems
A. The disagreement between cultures is overstated.
B. You can justify any moral behavior.
C. The conclusion does not follow from the premise.
a. Disagreement does not destroy objective truth.
b. Cultural conditioning does not destroy objective truth.
Christian Liberties
Ethical gray area: An area that is not specifically addressed in Scripture and is therefore viewed
as permissible by some Christians.
L. Liberty not License nor Legalism
I. Individual accountability before God
B. Biblical principles are not violated
E. Encourages Acceptance
R. Responsibility to others
T. Trust your conscience
Y. Yield yourself to God’s will
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Weaker Brother – One who does not participate in an ethical gray area because pf the sensitivity of his
conscience; his participation would be a sin to him.
Stronger Brother – one who will participate in ethical gray area in full assurance of his conscience
because of his understanding of Christian freedom.
Principle
A. Convinced for ourselves.
We must be true to ourselves and act simply on the opinions of others.
B. Confident before God.
If we are confident that we are engaged in will pass our Lord’s scrutiny we should
continue; if not, we should refrain.
C. Considerate of other believers
Liberty is great, but Unity is better.
We are to edify one another, not tear down.
D. Concerned for unbelievers.
Paul was burdened enough about the unsaved that he is restricting himself in doing only
what enhanced the gospel in their eyes.
III. Guidelines
A. Principles of Expedience
Will it spiritually be profitable?
B. Principle of edification
Will it build me up?
C. Principle of excess
Will it slow me down in the race?
D. Principle of enslavement
Will it bring me into bondage?
E. Principle of Equivocation
Will it hypocritically cover my sin?
F. Principle of encroachment
Will it violate the Lordship of Christ in my life?
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Two Kinds of Tolerance
Traditional Tolerance
a. Listening to and learning from other perspectives, cultures, and backgrounds
b. Living peaceably alongside others in spite of differences
c. Accepting other people, regardless of their race, gender,
New Tolerance
To be truly tolerant, you must agree that another person’s position is just as valid as your own.
You must give your approval, your
“We believe – That the system of truth that we have studied on the topics of morals, ethics, and religious
belief are not absolute; they vary by culture, by religion, and over time.”
But – In all this we must still stand up for and speak the Truth on love.
The cost of tolerance
Proponents of the new tolerance have no problem being intolerant to Christians, Christianity,
and Christian morality because those things present problems for the new tolerance in four basic areas:
1. Biblical truth
2. Jesus and the Cross
3. Sin
4. The Mission of the Church
Abortion
Gamete – reproductive cell (sperm/ovum)
Zygote – formed by the union of male and female gametes (fertilization)
Embryo – the unborn from fertilization up to 3 months
Fetus – 3 months to birth
Prior to Roe v. Wade, most states made abortion a crime except for saving the mother
Key legal cases impacting the abortion issue in the U.S.
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1. Griswold v. Connecticut – Decided June 7, 1965
Main Ruling – Overturned a law which made counseling of married persons in the use of
contraception a crime.
2. Eisenstadt v. Baird – Decided March 22, 1972
Main Ruling – The law (Massachusetts) prohibiting singles from receiving counseling of
contraceptives from anyone other than a doctor/pharmacist in was overturned.
3. Roe v. Wade – The Right to Privacy
4. Doe v. Bolton – Decided Jan. 22, 1973
Main Ruling – Expanding definition of health for the mother to include financial,
psychological, well-being, etc. as determined by their physician.
5. Planned Parenthood v. Casey – 1992
Main Ruling – discarded 3 trimester of Roe and focused on the viability of the fetus as
the determining point where the states interest in unborn life begins.
6. Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act – 2003
WASHINGTON D.C. – President Bush signed the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (S. 3) into
law on November 5, 2003.
The Greek word brephos is used for a baby inside and outside the womb.
Euthanasia
1. Passive Euthanasia – withholding medical treatment or discontinuing treatment…” letting die ”…
cause of death is the same condition causing the suffering (disease, respiratory failure, etc.)
2. Active Euthanasia – Actively doing something to bring about the death of the patient… lethal
injection
3. Involuntary Euthanasia –
4. Voluntary Euthanasia –
Arguments to Promote Euthanasia
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Choice
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Control
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Compassion
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Cash
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Capability
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Commonly Used Defenses for Euthanasia
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It is a religious issue.
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Guidelines can prevent uses/abuses.
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It would only be for the “hard cases”.
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We euthanize animals to relieve suffering, Why not people?
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There is no difference between “choice” in abortion and “choice” in euthanasia.
Biblical world view of Euthanasia
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Man is created in the image of God
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Human life is sacred and should not be terminated merely because it is difficult.
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God is sovereign
Speak the Truth in Love
Sexual Issues (Heterosexual issues)
The Three Biggest Decisions in Your Life.
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Who/what is my master?
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What is my mission?
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Who will I marry?
Purposes of dating
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Recreation/Social enjoyment.
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To provide opportunity to serve others.
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To learn and to listen.
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To get to know those of the opposite sex and to learn to relate to them as personas made in the
image of God.
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To learn to see others as persons, not objects.
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Enables one to learn more about oneself, including strengths and weaknesses.
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Preparatory socialization for marriage and family roles.
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To facilitate husband/wife selection.
Pitfalls of dating
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When the physical aspect is dominant, the social, intellectual, and spiritual elements of the
relationship will suffer.
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The possibility of getting to serious too fast.
Friendship
Dating
Engagement
Marriage
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Reputation
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Flesh control
Lust
Modesty
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What is their spiritual condition?
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“Breaking up is hard to do”
4 General causes of Poverty
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Oppression and Fraud (Individuals, Governments)
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Misfortune. Persecution or Judgment
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Laziness, Neglect, Gluttony
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Culture of Poverty
Biblical observations on poverty
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Poverty is perpetual
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Poverty may be a consequence of sinful personal choices
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Poverty may be a consequence of sinful choices of others
