Page 13 - Biblical Ethics Course

had over 50 decisions for Christ. See, it must be a good thing to do, because look at the results we got!”

The Bible clearly tells that the sowing to the flesh will not reap good results. Gal 6:7-8: Do not be deceived: God
cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. 8The one who sows to the flesh, from the flesh
will reap destruction; but the one who sows to the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Results are not the
criteria for evaluating God’s blessings; following God’s standards are much more important to God.

4. Hedonism - pleasure is the most important pursuit of mankind. The
first basic idea behind hedonistic thought is that all actions can be
measured based on how much pleasure and how little pain they
produce. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize this total
(pleasure minus pain). Another way of looking at this philosophy is the
idea that all action should be directed toward achieving the greatest
amount of happiness for the greatest number of people.

Christian Example: “We’re in the middle of a building project at our
church. We decided to go with the blue padded pews over the wooden ones because, even though they were
double the cost, they will be a lot more comfortable to sit on. Over the long run, comfortable pews will attract
more people to our church. I think we made the right decision.”

The Bible states that a true follower of Christ will be willing to take up the cross of Christ daily and follow Him
(Matthew 16: 24-26). Romans 12:1-2 tells believers to offer themselves up as living sacrifices to God to do
whatever He wills. It is not what makes us happy that God wants. He desires that our will is submissive to His,
regardless of the circumstances.

5. Humanism - affirms the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to
determine right and wrong by appeal to universal human qualities—particularly
rationality. Humanism entails a commitment to the search for truth and morality
through human means in support of human interests. According to humanism, it
is up to humans to find the truth, as opposed to seeking it through revelation,
mysticism, and tradition. Humanism asserts that knowledge of right and wrong is
based on one's best understanding of one's individual and joint interests, rather
than stemming from a transcendental truth or an arbitrarily local source.

Christian Example: “The Bible says …..” Response: “Well, you may see it that way, but I don’t. I have a right to
my opinion, and it is just as valid as yours!”

Again, truth is not based on what man thinks. It is based on what God declares. It does not reside within
mankind. It has been declared by God Himself in His Word and through creation and is infallible.

6. Behaviorism - is a philosophy based on the proposition that all things which
organisms do—including acting, thinking and feeling—can and should be regarded as
behaviors. According to the behaviorist, there are no differences between publicly
observable processes (such as actions) and privately observable processes (such as
thinking and feeling). The behaviorist believes we are a product of our environment and
behave the way we do because of external forces acting upon us. A person’s behavior

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