Theonomous

• what is meant by theonomous?

  Ethics are governed by Gods law or commands.

  Theos = God

  Numos = Law/rule
• “All scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness”

  2 Timothy 3:16
• what does st paul and st augustine state?

  All humans are by nature sinful and ignorant

  We are incapable of living good lives based on our own powers of reason.

  The only source we can use to help us live a good life must have been revealed by God.
• what is theonomous ethics?


  The only source for God’s moral commands is the Bible.
• what is biblicism>


  The Bible is the revealed word of God. The writers of the Bible were directly inspired by God.
• how would a theonomous use the bible?

  Bible alone is the source of moral authority because God is its author. He spoke to the prophets and writers, inspiring them to write it. The Bible is infallible and if we have problems with understanding – the problem lies with us and not the text.
• how are moral laws illustrated through stories?

  King David’s adulterous relationship with Bathsheba in which he not only makes her pregnant but also misuses his kingly powers and causes the death of her husband. This powerfully illustrates what it means, or rather does not mean, to live a moral life.The prophets also focused heavily on examples of social justice and the treatment of the poor providing examples of the proper response to God’s covenant.They provide examples of how to live as a law-abiding, loyal, faithful and honest member of God’s Kingdom.
• how does the new testament illustrate moral laws?

  The New Testament does the same thing especially in the Sermon on the Mount. This provides the focal point of most of Jesus’ moral teachings. In this he teaches that the old laws must be kept alongside keeping an inner law of love, righteousness, peace and faith.
• Christians are to be ‘perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect’ Matthew 5:48
• ‘If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away’ Matthew 5:29
• what did karl barth argue?

  He gave high status to the Bible as a source of morality but warned against the dangers of literalism because it falsely gives the Bible a divine status which may only be attributed to God. God’s word is a revelation to the world, and God has worked through the different writers over a long period of time. Therefore, the Bible’s words are a witness to the Word, but NOT the word itself.
• what did karl barth say about the bible?

  The Bible should be a supreme source of Christian moral truth but it is NOT the truth.
• what does Christian Theonomous ethics have to take into account?

  the place of human reason to decide

  1.What kind of literature a text belongs to,2.How it fits into the larger biblical themes such as covenant and justice,3.Whether it is symbolic, metaphorical or literal.
• How should we deal with biblical contradictions?

  Some argue that Jesus’ teachings are focused on a future ideal – a perfect Kingdom of God. Meanwhile in this imperfect world war and violence is a necessary evil.

  This works for Biblicists such as Augustine and Martin Luther but it does not work for non Biblicists like Martin Luther King who argued that Christians have a duty to follow the pacifist non-violence biblical vision which is at the heart of Jesus’ teachings of love.