Page 3 - Biblical Ethics Course

Biblical Ethics -

Beliefs and Behavior
Sandwell Zgambo, M. Div.

Study Section 1: Introduction to Biblical Ethics

1.1 Connect

Have you every heard two children arguing over something? Then the parent comes to the
rescue, decides the issue, and one of the kids yells out, “THAT’S NOT FAIR!” That child is making
a judgment that the decision of the parent is the WRONG decision. You may ask on what the
child is basing his accusation? Obviously, he is basing it on what he believes is the right thing to
do – to make a decision in HIS favor. If the parent alters his decision, then the opposing child will
yell out, “But THAT’S NOT FAIR TO ME!” No matter what the decision, the parent cannot win.

We are starting a course on Biblical Ethics. We will be discussing and learning about how we know what is the
wrong and the right decision in every aspect of life. Knowing the right thing to do helps us live at peace among
one another and at peace in our society. Sounds like an exciting venture? Let’s get started by learning what
ethics is all about.

1.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to define what ethics is in general, and biblical ethics specifically.

2. The student should be able to state various area in life that a person’s ethics influences.

3. The student should be able to define the difference between absolute truth and relative truth.

1.3 Introduction

Ethics is the study of good and evil, right and wrong. Biblical Christian ethics is inseparable from
theology because it is grounded in the character of God. The task of Christian ethics, then, is to
determine what conforms to God’s character and what does not. Francis Schaeffer explains the
uniqueness of Christian ethics: “One of the distinctions of the Judeo-Christian God is that not all
things are the same to Him. That at first may sound rather trivial, but in reality, it is one of the
most profound things one can say about the Judeo–Christian God. He exists; He has a character;
and not all things are the same to Him. Some things conform to His character, and some are opposed to His
character.”
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Muslims believe that moral norms are arbitrary, a product of God’s decree, and therefore can change as God

1 Francis Schaeffer, “Christian Faith and Human Rights,” Simon Greenleaf Law Review, 2 (1982-3), 5. Cited in John Montgomery, Human
Rights and Human Dignity (Dallas, TX: Probe Books, 1986), 113.

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