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Written by Mr. Trev McCallum
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57  |
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 Russian roulette is the absurd practice of
placing a single slug in the chamber of a revolver to play with death. Does
Christianity have an ethical standard? Do we, as heirs of Christ, owe
allegiance to any standard of morality? Is the Christian ethical mandate a
smorgasbord approach? Should Christians play ethical Russian roulette with
morality? Some argue that New Testament believers are spiritual antinomians,
and “[e]thical direction is…found in the internal promptings of the Holy
Spirit”[1]
without a yardstick. It sounds super spiritual; allowing much individual
freedom and expression. Surely the Spirit removes the shackles of codes of
morality? Christianity deals with the heart. Looking upon actions and externals
is legalistic and unfair. Is this position yours dear reader? Do you seek to
glorify God in such a free and expressive manner? Are you solely concerned for
the heart? Is beauty only skin deep? Please consider perhaps there is another
option. One wherein external expressions flow from the heart. Not a day passes
without ethical considerations. Daily life is filled with personal choices. As
mundane as they may seem, each of our decisions is important. Instantaneous,
mundane decisions reflect our ultimate ethical authority. Our choices tell a
story. They point to our master. In fact our world is of such an ethical nature
that the Apostle Paul says that all things should be done to God’s glory (1
Corinthians 10:31). His qualification is incredible. The Apostle notes that
even the mundane acts of eating and drinking is ethical! All actions can thus
be to the glory or otherwise of God. As created beings, we bear the image of
God. And we are to reflect the character and nature of God. Image bearers (articles
1,
2,
3,
4,
5,
6)
are thus ethical creatures by nature. All our motives, actions and thoughts are
governed by an ethical code ( 1 Corinthians 10:31, Proverbs 4:23, Matthew
12:34-35). It is important for the disciple of Jesus to bear fruit (John
15:5-8) in accordance with his heart ( Matthew 7:15-20). Ethics flow from
within. Actions do speak louder than words, “by their fruit you will recognize
them” ( Matthew 7:20). The Christian must ask what is our ethical yardstick? Do
we follow our feelings or the “spirit” or our friends or is there another
option?
| Published in : Worldviews, Ethics |
| Keywords : Image bearer, Worldviews, Ethics, Ethical roulette, god's law, law and grace, grace and law, god law, god's bible, you grace, bible grace, grace Christ, bible grace, faith grace, bible law, gospel grace, grace law, christian grace |
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Written by Mr. Trev McCallum
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136  |
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 Francis Schaeffer once asked “how should we then live?” This is a good
question. It is one that ruffles our tendency to simply be nice. With purposeful
precision it strikes at the heart of every view of life. It raises the issue of
authority in Christianity’s ethical standards. Where do and should I derive my
morality? Does the Gospel require a type of outward conformity or are we saved
to licentiousness? Or does my conscience lead me in daily decision making? The
question forces us back to examine our ethical premises. Not a day goes past
without every one of us making ethical decisions. We are constantly determining
how to behave, what to look like, how to speak and so on. These are routine
everyday occurrences. Often these choices are so intrinsic and rudimentary that
they occur without much purposeful thought. In whatever setting we find
ourselves; church, home, work, etc; there are spoken and unspoken ethical
codes. Whether we like it or not “[a]ll
of life is ethical.”1 Society
and life is full of implicit codes of right and wrong. Schaffer’s question
drives us to ethical standards. Which then begs the question of sovereignty. In
other words, where should the ethical buck stop. Who’s in charge here and what
are the rules?
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Written by Mr. Trev McCallum
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207 |
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 Since moving to Australia in 1999 it has been interesting to observe how the average Aussie bloke operates. Very interesting. We could look into our society/churches and complain about the enormous feminist movement in this country. In doing so I think we miss the point. Should we men look to our own actions first? An ideological movement is an easy scapegoat. Real self examination, repentance and new action is needed. Biblical masculine leadership, the servanthood type, would close the door on feminism. Well perhaps there is more to this. A deep commitment to the Scriptures, as our only basis for not only faith but all of life too, is foundational to revival in this land. Now I don’t mean a commitment to Scripture in a wooden, literalist sense. The Bible ought to be accepted for what it is. Primarily, the very Word of God. Secondarily, this leads onto how we accept the Scriptures. We ought to accept how the Bible is written. Many different literary devices are evident throughout its pages. Poetry ought to be read, understood, interpreted and applied as poetry. Likewise history, prose, prophecy etc should be viewed within their own literary genre. Nicodemus sought to take Jesus’ words in a strictly literal sense. He missed the symbolism used by the Lord. This is tough. How ought we to go about?
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