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commanded by Him. Revelation provides a supernatural aid in understanding the good. This point is so basic and
so obvious that it has often been overlooked and obscured as we search for answers to questions.

The departure from divine revelation has brought us to chaos in the area of ethics. We have lost our basis of
knowledge, our epistemological foundation, for discovering the good. The ethical decisions that we make touch
the lives of people, and mold and shape human personality and character. It is precisely at this point that we
need the assistance of God’s superior wisdom.

From Genesis to Revelation we find principles, precepts, commands, warnings, guidelines, and counsels that are
intended to steer our lives toward that which is right, good, and God-honoring. The apostle Paul tells us that
Scripture was given not only to reveal God’s way of salvation but also to train us in righteousness and equip us
for “every good work” (2Tim.314-17)

Biblical Ethics

Making Ethical Decisions

As the people of God blessed with the Word of God, we must receive God’s ethical instruction in full submission
and wisdom. The will of God is the first factor to consider. Factor number two is our position in Christ. As those
who have been shown mercy in Christ, it is our great joy to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling” that is ours
in him(Eph.4:1) This essay seeks to encourage such ethical integrity by highlighting four aspects of the ethical
teaching of the Bible: its importance, its purpose, its foundation, and some of its salient characteristics.

Ethics involves the question of authority

The Christian lives under the sovereignty of God, who alone may claim lordship over us. Christian ethics is
theocentric as opposed to secular or philosophical ethics, which tend to be anthropocentric. For the humanist,
man is the norm, the ultimate standard of behavior. Christians, however, assert that God is the center of all
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things and that His character is the absolute standard by which questions of right and wrong are determined

9 Ibid,.19–22.

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