NINETY NINE SHADES OF GREY

PREVAILING ETHICAL VIEWPOINTS – BY RONALD BERNER.

INTRODUCTION – ETHICS DEFINED.

According to GW Bromley ethics is to be discussed considered a universal element

since all cultures and religions have customs, practices, traditions and modes of conduct.
Ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos which means habit of customs in Latin it moves
English (morality).
Webster defines ethics as a principle of right or good behaviour, a system of moral principles
or values.
The development of modern ethics is more in keeping of the world than the ancient tradition
of Christian theology that founded ethics on Gods unchanging eternally relevant moral
wisdom. Ethics are related as theory and practise thus ethics study is the study (or
systematics) of morals while morals means actual conduct of people viewed with the concern
of good and evil, right or wrong, virtue or vice. In our discussion here we will survey many
theories concerning morality.
 CHAPTER ONE
PREVAILING PHILOSOPHIES – JUSTICE IN THE INTEREST OF THE
STRONGER PARTY.
Greek philosopher –what is morally right is defined in terms of who has the power.
What does power has to do with what is right. The bible teaches in Rom 5:6-8 that we can be
declared good (righteous) in our weakness.
RIGHT IS WHAT THE COMMUNITY SAYS IS RIGHT. Each community defines what
is right according to its own needs. These may lead to a state of confusion for all of us with
no way of solving any conflict considering this ICT era.
MAN IS THE MEASURE. This gives each man power over what is right for him. When
this is put into practice society seizes to operate resulting in chaos.
MANKIND IS THE MEASURE OF ALL THINGS. In this ethical thinking the whole race
is used to determine what is right mankind replaces god. Can a man know what is right
without a standard that is outside himself? There must be a standard by which what is right
can be determined.
MORALITY IS FOUND IN MODERATION. This philosophy attributes to Aristotle
(Greek philosopher) permeates many areas of our thinking. Right balance of food, exercise,
work play, family, church, friends and sleep would describe a moderate course of action.
Aristotle strongly urges for moderation in all things for immoderation is immoral or vicious.
Extremes are always evil whether deficiency or excess. To moderate, right act means doing
the right thing to the right extent, with the right purpose, in the right manner. This thinking is
not the very nature of what is good according to Norman Grislier because of the following.
1. Many times the right thing is the extreme thing to do.
2. There is no universal agreement in what is moderate.
3. Moderation is at best only a general guide for action not a universal ethical law.
WHAT BRINGS PLEASURE IS RIGHT. This doctrine known as hedonism states that
pleasure is the highest good in life, pleasure is intrinsic(or only intrinsic), pleasure should be
sought and the ethical worth(value, good) of human actions is determined by whether or not
they produce pleasure. This hedonistic formulator determining what is good can become very
complicated and in the end prove to be more harmful than of any value.
THE GREATEST GOOD FOR THE GREATEST NUMBER IS RIGHT. The greatest
happiness theory. An act is morally right if it brings about greater balance of good over evil
than any other action that could have been taken. If it produces as much good in the world
than would any other act possible under the circumstances.
GOOD IS WHAT IS DESIRERABLE FOR ITS OWN SAKE. Good has been defined by
some as something desirable in and of itself and not because of the end it brings.
WHAT IS RIGHT CANNOT BE DEFINED. Man is not able to determine what is right
and good in and of himself. The result is that as man, we are not morally self-sufficient and
when we try to be, we sin and rebel against God.
GOOD IS WHAT GOD WILLS. Whatever God specifies as a good action is a good action.
 CHAPTER TWO
CONFLICTING WORLD VIEWS.
No society can survive without some unifying system of thought. In a broad sense all
societies are melting pots the kind of glue that required to stick them together. The glue is
found in a unifying system of thought, which we call world view. Jesus knew the critical
importance of world view. Whoever does not have even what he think he has will be taken
away (LUKE 8:18). The eye is the lamp of the body in your eyes are good your whole body
is good. (MAT 6:22-23)
MORALITY OF GOD.
God is truth (2 Thes 2:10)
To do the will of god which is good and acceptable and perfect. Rom 12:2.
THE MORALITY OF SATAN.
Gen 3:5. You shall not die you will be like God.
Rom 1:21-25. They knew God but did not worship him as God………… they exchanged the
truth of god for a lie and worshipped the creature rather than the creator.
RESULTS OF IMMORALITY.
1. 2 Thes 2:11-12. God sends a deluding influence that they might believe what is false.
2. God gives them over to the lust of their hearts. Rom 1:28.
3. God gives them over to depraved mind to do things which are not proper. Rom 1:28-
31.
4. They give hearty approval to all who practise evil Rom 6:23. The original biblical
view reviews to man his origin destination and purpose. As man is separated from
God, he experiences broken fellowship causing a great gulf of separation. Christianity
cannot be combined with the world view.
Humanist’s world view.
They believe differently on the following.
1. Individuals and family e.g. sexual freedom, abortion on demand.
2. Life and God e.g. based on human reason.
3. Education e.g. no place for God in a classroom.
4. World conditions e.g. natural wealth produced by power and might.
5. Politics e.g. religion has no place in public affairs.
6. Justice e.g. protection of criminal.
7. Business e.g. trade based on financial aspect only.
8. Science – evolution.
9. Eternity e.g. man has the right to determine his time of death.
CLASSICAL/BIBILICAL.
GOD – sovereign creator.
RELIGION – based on revelation (nature and scripture).
CHURCH – body of Christ.
SCIENCE – All viewed in terms of creation.
GOVERNMENT – Created by God.
LAW – Gods law- all laws derived from it.
NATURE – Life sacramental.
THE ARTS – Bear witness to the creator.
WORK – Divine appointment and has an eternal reward.
ENLIGHTMENT.
GOD – self existent and pre-existent.
RELIGION – based on study of nature and reason alone.
CHURCH – university became the institution of redemption.
SCIENCE – seeking the logic of facts.
GOVERNMENT – a government of laws.
LAW – natural law.
NATURE – created by God, not a sphere of God.
LIFE – can be improved without supernatural aid.
ARTS – reflect the interest in the rational order of things.
WORK – becomes the depersonalised service to economic order.
MODERN SECULARSM.
GOD – not transcendent but immanent.
RELIGION – private only.
CHURCH – institution of redemption no concern for eternal value.
SCIENCE –a means of technological manipulation.
GOVERNMENT – progressing towards statist.
LAWS – absolute truths.
NATURE – no natural order perceived.
LIFE – insignificant origins.
ART –chaotic.
WORK – no expectation of long range rewards.
 CHAPTER THREE
ANTINOMIANISM – VIEW OF ETHICS
ANTINOMIANISM – It’s made up of two Greek words anti – against and Nomo’s – one
who desires to be free from the regulations and laws of a society. In theology an antinomian
is one who believes that faith alone not moral law is necessary for salvation. Paul insists that
salvation is received by faith alone and that good works must spring from faith.
PROCESSISM – All things change, separate flow or dissolve nothing remains the same.
You cannot step into the same river twice.
HEDONISM – pleasure is the principal good in human life.
Criticism to hedonism.
1. What is morally good to one person maybe evil to another?
2. Not all pain is bad.
3. It is a confusion of categories to reduce goodness to pleasure.
4. A person is not virtuous because of feeling good nor is he necessarily sinful because
he is suffering. Hence the good cannot be equated with the pleasurable.
SCEPTISM.
It comes from the Greek word skeptomai, to examine (look carefully).
It is defined as a state of doubting, a state of suspension of judgement a state of unbelief. It
ranges from complete total disbelief to everything, to an alternative doubt in a process of
reaching certainly.
Problems in scepticism include.
1. Consistent scepticism is self-defeating.
2. Some things ought not to be doubted e.g. should I doubt my own existence?
3. Ethics has to do with the way we live.
A believer must not be tossed by false doctrine to and fro Eph 4:14)
ANTINOMIANISM IN THE MEDIVAL WORLD.
Although the western medieval world was dominated by the Christian point of view. It is still
generated several strains of thought that contributed to antinomianism.
The most notable were
1. Intentionalism.
2. Volunteerism.
3. Nominalism.

INTENTIONALISM.
Intentionalism is defined as the view that the essential and defining characteristics of
consciousness.
Intentionalism wrongly assumes that because bad intentions are always bad good intentions
are always good. For a believer, we can understand the conflict that occurs with our practice
and our intentions. Rom 7:15-25. Paul explained this struggle, however we are called to walk
a spiritual walk that overcomes our carnal desires (intentions)
VOLUNTERISM.
This is the belief that human will is the fundamental and ultimate ground in the making of
moral decisions and in arriving to moral values. Volunteerism thus describes the
philosophical theory which exalts the exercise of human will over the deliberations of reason.
NOMINALISM.
The theory that things do not have essence. Nominalist believe all universal terms are only
fictional names (artificial and arbitrary symbols) and have no objective.
They also believe there is no universal form of essence. For the Christian this universal good
is the moral character of God.
The growth of relativism in the modern world manifests in three movements.
1. UTILITARIANISM – this is the modern times of the principle which ancient
Cyrenaic and epicurean ethics projected unsuccessfully as the role of life. The
Cyrenaic formula is the pleasure for the moment and epicurean the pleasure of a life,
thus the utilitarian is the maximal earthly pleasure. It took its formation from Jeremy
Bethan (1748 - 1832). This doctrine is results oriented. It does not matter what you do
to get the results as long as the results serve the greatest number with pleasurable
experiences.
2. EXISTENTIALISM
It has its roots in the nineteenth century. But it made its impact on the intellectual
word in the present century.
The following themes are common in existentialism.
i) Existence proceeds essence.
ii) An individual no essential nature.
iii) Truth is subjective.
iv) Abstractions can never grasp nor communicate the reality of individual existence.
v) Philosophy must concern itself with the human predicament and inner status such
as alienation, anxiety, inauthenticity, dread sense of nothingness, anticipation of
death.
vi) The universe has no rational direction or scheme. |(it is meaningless and absurd)
vii) The universe does not provide moral rules – they are constructed by humans by
being responsible for their actions and for the actions of others.
viii) The individual actions are unpredictable.
ix) Individual has complete freedom of the will.
x) Individuals cannot help but make choices.
xi) An individual can become completely, different other than what he is. All writers
and philosophers of existentialism endorsed a sense of freedom. What am I to be?
What am I to live for? What values shall I affirm? There was seen to be no
rationally correct answer to these questions. Rather the individual is free to select
any answer without fear of contradiction by reason.
 In responding to existentialism, many criticisms can be stated.
(1) If everyone literally did their own thing it would be chaos which would hinder
anyone from doing their thing.
(2) Even free choices need a content or structure otherwise unavoidable conflict
emerges. This is why law is necessary to structure free choice thus maximising
freedom of all without any negating the freedom of any.
(3) No free choice is without justification otherwise one is unjustified in
performing.
3. EVOLUTIONISM.
It is the general name given to developmental views of life or the universe. Darwin
believed in a process of natural selection in nature that brings about survival for the
fittest in a struggle of existence. This theory applied to society is known as social
Darwinism. The strongest is characterised by ruthlessness, competition, ambition,
manipulation, scheming, intelligence, energy, wealth and power. The unfit are
characterised as being non-competitive, altruistic, idle, lazy, powerless, and poor.
Julian Huxley laid down three principles of evolutionary ethics:
1. It is the right to realise every new possibilities in evolution.
2. It is right to respect human individually and to encourage its fullest development.
3. It is right to construct a mechanism for future evolution.
Julian Huxley believes that man is as an animal or plant and his mind, soul and body
were not supernaturally created but are products of evolution and is not under the
guidance and control of any supernatural being but to rely on himself and his own
powers.
ANTINOMALISM IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD.
Several movements in the contemporary world contribute to a lawless morality. Emotivism,
nihilism, situationism.
EMOTOVISM – it is a non-cognitive theory. Ethical knowledge is different from other
knowledge such as factual, scientific, conceptional, cognitive and logical. For some emotive
theorist, ethical statements may indirectly be cognitive in that they may provide information
about ones attributes, beliefs, ideas, commitments and convictions. AJ Ayer 1910 – 1970
argued that all ethical statements are emotive, that is they are really only an expression of our
feeling. Thus statements like though shall not kill really means dislike killing.
NIHILISM – The downward course of nihilism began in cynicism which was a reactionary
movement caused by a result of Aristipus of Cyrene. Return to nature was their motto.
Nihilism is defined as the theory that moral values cannot be justified in any way, not by
reason, by a god, by institution, by conscience, or by the authority of the state of law.
The term originated from Latin word Nihil meaning nothing. For nihilist there can be no
rational justification in religious beliefs such as metaphysical, standards or norm. Therefore
any objective basis for morals and ethics is totally illusory. Nihilist betray all the
characteristics of those whom the psalmist reviled from dismissing the existence of God as a
fact of life Ps 53:1 – their personal misery and sense of hopelessness is evident on all sides.
Apostle Paul encountered de facto nihilism in Ephesus 1 Col 15:32 and Ephe 2:12.
Conversion to the Christian faith is the only specific means by which new life and lasting
hope and future can be assured. This comes by the renewing of mind Rom 12:2.
SITUATIONISM.
According to the view, everything is relative to the situation in which one finds oneself. In
this view there are no moral principles that apply to all people at all times.
In their view people come before principles and there is no absolute moral principles
everything depends on the individual choice.
ANTINOMIANISM AND CHRISTIANITY.
Antinomianism can be classified in two general groups – outright or latent.
1. Outright – anyone who sees any form of external authority as a threat to his freedom.
The basic belief of this antinomianism can be stated as there is no God given moral
laws, objective morals, laws, timeless moral laws or laws against laws. In other words
antinomianist are either theoretical or practical atheists who refuse to accept that there
are more than subjective choices to be made that are relative to the individual to
choose. Ultimately they are not against the law they are without law, lawless for this
individual, maintenance of the law of god would be considered legalism and living by
the latter rather than living in the spirit. Moral conflicts in this view cannot be
resolved since there are no unifying standards.
The bible must be studied as a whole, summarisation are never a substitute to the whole
scripture interprets scripture. Only through the whole counsel of god can we build a house
that will stand (mat 7:24)
Not all Christians are aware that their moral reasoning and rationalisation are subtly
antinomian. As Christians we must make a careful examination of our lives. (Rom 3:31) we
must be submitted to god with a whole heart (mat 6:24)
 CHAPTER FOUR
CHRISTIAN VIEW OF ETHICS.
Ethics in the first place a statement about god. Who is he, how he acts, what he values.
Ethical behaviour is a consequence of man becoming fully personal through the realisation of
his immediate relationship to the will and purpose of God.
Every person who engages in moral judgement implies by his judgement the existence of an
objective moral order.
Relationship called judging involves at least three terms, the person who judges, the action
that is judged and the standard by which the judged action is measured.
Christian ethics goes back to god as the ultimate ground and source of morality.
Biblical ethics discredits an autonomous morality. The task of Christian ethics is determining
what conforms to Gods character and what does not. Thus the beginning point of Christian
ethics is not rules but the form of Christ and formation of the church in conformably with the
form of Christ.
The performance of gods will alone constitutes man’s highest good. The teaching of rom
12:2 is that the good, the acceptable, the perfect is the will of god. It is God who works in you
both to will and to do for his good pleasure Phil 2:13.
The rule of life is to seek first the kingdom of God as the rule of God in the lives of his
servants reinforces the idea that the good of life is submission to the sovereign God. The
motto for any son of the kingdom is from Jesus himself is “not what I will but what you will
“it is a demand quite as vigorous as ever made under the law.
DIVINE WILL – UNITY.
God’s divine will is to bring unity to all of life Psalms 103:19 says, the lord has established
his throne in heaven and his kingdom rules over all. The word establish means to make
secure or firm to cause to be recognised and accepted.
The word throne speaks of a sovereign rank of power of the chair occupied by the sovereign
one. His kingdom is the entire realm over which God sovereignty extends where he exercises
limits and restraints as he governs. Without some sort of government lawlessness, anarchy
and chaos result. In a larger perspective Phil 2:9-11 says that the entire universe
acknowledges that Jesus Christ is lord to the glory of god the father.
Unity is attained and maintained by belief in our God(Deut 6:4) when we fail to maintain this
relationship through disobedience, we come out of divine order only to be dominated the one
who rebelled amongst the angels of god in heaven. Satan remains as the defiant and
influential power in the world of unbelief which is in darkness col 1:13. The New Testament
ends divine order restored to disordered world unified through the belief in one God. This is
the kingdom of God. When the mind is set to do the will of god the speaking and acting will
not deviate from it.
Emphasis will be on the inward and spiritual aspects of religion rather than on the outward
and material reconstruction of the heart, observe the sequence
 1. We recognise we are in need(poor in the spirit)
2. We repent of our self-sufficient(we mourn)
3. We quit calling the shots and surrender control to God(we are meek)
4. So grateful are we for his presence that we yearn for more of him(we hunger and
thirst)
5. As we grow closer to him we become more like him. We forgive others(we are
merciful)
6. We change our outlook (we are pure in heart)
7. We love others(we are peacemakers)
8. We endure injustice (we are persecuted) It is not a casual attitude, it is a demolition of
the old structure and a creation of the new. The more radical the change the greater
the joy. These attributes are also those which god intends man to possess and thus
called communicable attributes God is holy and therefore we should be holy. (Lev
11:45) God is also perfect (mat 5:48) righteous (rom 1:17) and faithful (1 Cor 1:19)
truth (Heb 6:18) love (1 john 4:16). The moral character and qualities of God were
manifested in Christ as the perfect man and are to be manifested in a believer also as
he is confirmed to Christ. The destiny of each individual and the entire called out
community is bound to a covenantal loyalty to one God who passes both judgement
and blessing.

DIVINE ENABLEMENT – FORGIVENESS.

Every system of ethics must have some ultimate basis for goodness and obligation. God is in
the basis of Christian ethics. Our obedience to God is inextricably bound up with our
reception of divine grace in and following conversation.
The creation as he originally made it conformed to his character. The moral commands he has
given to men are an expression of his character. The standards of morality are determined by
what conforms to his character, while those things that do not conform are immoral.
God gave laws which could neither make man right with God nor make him live rightly
before God. God sent his own son in the (likeness of sinful flesh) and for sin Rom 8:3. He
knew no sin (2 Cor 5:21). He came to sin as a sin offering. He condemned sin by assuming
our sin on the cross.
Gods redeeming grace has two aspects:
1. Grace is Gods power for us, the works of pardon and justification through atonement
by the son.
2. Grace is also Gods power in us, the work of sanctification by the spirit of god as well
as the spirits work in drawing us to repentance and transforming us. Christian holiness
is not a matter of painstaking conformity to the specific precepts of an external code,
it’s rather a question of the Holy Spirit producing his fruit in our life.\
DIVINE SANCTION – HOLINESS.
To fully understand holiness we need to realize that it involves two sides of the same coin.
One side is Gods part in the sanctifying, consecrating process, and on the other hand man has
his important part. God makes us holy. John 17:16-17, Heb 2:11, Eph 5:25-27. (2 The 2:13b)
man must sanctify himself (set apart, separate) (2 Cor 7:1-2, 15 6:3-7) shows us that God
alone is absolute holiness. He only is purely holy, man is not inherently. Yet god chooses,
calls and commissions.
Holiness is a gift an unearned gift of God but, we can frustrate this gift by corrupting,
compromising and conceding to worldly conduct, cultural philosophies. His holly ones are
not to turn from the life of holiness but are to constantly purge themselves from worldly
contamination to constantly sanctify themselves to perfect holiness.
Jesus wants to give us power for worthy living (1 The 4:7) Jesus purpose is incarnation to
save his people from their sins. Its end is not just deliverance from hell and its misery. It is a
rescue and recovery mission where there is an impartation of a holy principle in our lives.
The holiness of the believer results in fruitfulness Mark 4:26-29. The spirit filled life leads to
the life of Christ like conduct in order to know the will of God we must have a clear
understanding of how Gods law relates to us through Christ.. The law in its mosaic form of
administration is fulfilled by Jesus Christ. The Christian is not under the law. (Rom 6:14, Gal
5:18) he is redeemed from the law.
Gods will expressed through the law can be understood in a threefold purpose.
Political, spiritual and moral.
Political – the law functions to restrain sin and maintain order in the world God has ordained.
Spiritual – the reclamation of God’s wrath against sin. In this we the accusing voice of the
law works within the sinner to reveal sin and destroy self-righteous pride (Rom
3:19-20, Gal 2:19)
Moral – this applies to Christians only it’s a call to Christians to put off the old nature and
flee from sin. This use of the law is only possible because they are reborn with a
new nature that delights in the law and desire to get rid of the flesh. This law is
valid to Christians not as a means of salvation but as a guide in sanctification.
The Ten Commandments are built upon the very foundations that affect our personal lives.
We are free to choose. Though we are free to choose no one breaks the commandments. If we
step off of a roof we fall victim of the law of gravity moral and spiritual laws must be
followed or we fall victim to their consequences.
DIVINE MISSION – WITNESS.
Mark 16:15 – Go into all the world and preach the gospel. They needed the Holy Spirit to
enable them to complete this divine mission. A proper structure of the church was needed in
order for the gospel to be carried to a lost world. It had to be based upon a divine pattern and
blueprint.
God spoke to Ezekiel to make known to the people of Israel the law of the temple Eze 43:10-
12 to instruct them in its design, its arrangements, it exits and entrances, all its law and
instructed him to write down so that they could keep its whole design.
The lord also spoke to Habakkuk to write the vision and make it plain on tablets that he may
run who reads it. (Hab 2:2-3). Unrestrained people are like a stampede of wild horses running
in all directions.
In the NT we find the OT temple was a type of the NT which is called out community made
up of gods people built on a foundation Gods vision is plain, Christ is the builder working in
his people, by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to build his church. The church was not to be
a mere religious organization based upon outward conformances but a cooperate expression
of Christ’s life working within his many membered body. The threefold vision then is that we
be individually and personally conformed to Jesus Christ to know him and be l9ike him in all
things. As witnesses we must be seen, we are the light of the world. (Mat 5:14) Light must
shine. To retain invisible it is a denial of the call of God. We are a city and salt.
In Mat 28:19-20. We are told to make disciples, baptise them in Christ and finally teach them
to observe all commandments of the lord including how to relate to the new community of
believers.
There is need of the simultaneous practise of two biblical principles.
1. Practice purity of the invisible church. We must practise, not just talk the purity of the
visible church.
2. Observable love and oneness among all true Christians. One cannot explain
The explosive dynamite, the dynamics of the early church apart from the fact that they
practised two things simultaneously, Orthodoxy of doctrine and orthodoxy of community in
the midst of the visible church a community that the world can see. By the grace of God the
church must be known for its purity if doctrine and the reality of its community.
We have two sets of parallel couplets:
1. The principle of the practise of the purity of the visible church, and yet the practise of
observable love among all true Christians.
2. The practise of orthodoxy of doctrine and observable orthodoxy of community in the
visible church.
We must maintain a balanced view of the church purpose. For the church we have a
corrective impact on the culture it must maintain a separate and distinct identity from the
surrounding society and any new society that it may help to create.
DIVINE PREPARATION – FAITHFULNESS (BRIDE)
The revelation given to Paul concerning the church as the great mystery, the bride of Christ,
shows the ultimate intention of the lord for his church. Ephe 23:32. The church is to be holy,
separated unto the lord, a cleaned church, glorious without spot or wrinkle even as the OT
sacrifice were without blemish or wrinkle.
Through the scripture there is a special relationship between God and his people. God likens
this relationship to a marriage where he is the husband and Israel his wife Jer 3:14. The
marriage to Christ is a relationship of love which freely submits and obeys with delight not
under the law.
Five characteristics of divine love may be mentioned.
1. God is love.
2. The love of God is the motivation for his ceaseless activity.
3. The love of God has transparent purity.
4. The love of god has limitless intensity.
 5. The love of God has inexhaustible benevolence.
There is a place for a spiritual fathers passionate concern for the exclusive and pure devotion
to Christ of his children and also a place for anger at potential violators of that purity (2 Cor
11:29)
There are reasons why we may not be bringing forth the fruit we should. It may be because of
ignorance.
There are five possible ignorance in this area.
1. They may have been taught how to be justified but never taught the present meaning
of the work of Christ.
2. Have been taught to become a Christian through faith but have been left as though
Christian life should be lived through his own strength.
3. Having received Christ in some antinomian way it does not matter how he lives.
4. Have been taught of a kind of a second blessing which would make him perfect in this
life when he receives it.
5. May have never been taught that there is a reality of faith to be acted on consciously
after justification.
The most realistic life example of applied wisdom is the description the writer of proverbs
gives in Prov 31 woman.
The character of this woman shines through all her activities of her busy life.
Her Mondays are as holy as her Sabbaths. Four levels on which the bible relates to issues that
face you.
1. Prohibitions – in terms of what you must not do Ex 20:13.
2. Bible positive commands – walk in love Eph 5:2 and Eph 5:25 – husband love your
wives.
3. Biblical instructions in values and principles. (basic truth taught by the bible that
apply in life)
4. Area of conscience – where there are no clear prohibitions of scripture that apply to a
situation. In this area God leaves you with a great deal of latitude in what you decide
to do (applying the four principles is what the bible calls wisdom. Literally meaning
the skill of living.)
CONCLUSION.
The word ethics comes from the Greek ethos meaning foundation or root and has to do with
philosophical; basis of morality. It concerns with what ought to be done.
A Christian moral acts should be defined by a Godly ethics, one which is Christ centred.
The fact that God is righteous or always in the right is both a challenge and a comfort. The
challenge comes to mankind through realisation that the righteousness of human action must
be determined not by the fluctuating moral standards of a volatile society but by the
unchanging revelation of an external God.
The closer the man gets to the righteousness of God the more uncomfortable he becomes
about his own righteousness. Obedience is the relationship with God is a means through
which we achieve obedience. Nevertheless Gods glory does not stand alone for the glory of
God means also the glorifying of the creature (Rom 8:17, 30. 2 Cor 3:18) a demonstration of
his original love for us. In the obedient doing of the will of God, one achieves the authentic
humanity or being in the divine image.
Finally truth is revealed by God, acquired wisdom in its application.
The more the of the word is revealed the more we can experience God who is truth, the more
we experience the truth the closer we come to our quest not only to know the truth but to
walk in truth. Let us continue to walk in the light of the narrow road prepared for us.

By Ronald L Bernier.