Good Moral Conduct

• kw: jus ad bellum

  latin for the laws/conditions under which it is legitimate to go to war
• kw: jus in bello

  latin for the rules under which a war must be fought once begun
• kw: just war theory

  rules of engagement. list of conditions which specify when war is acceptable and what limits there are on how it should be fought
• kw: dominion

  power/power over
• kw: stewardship

  the view that dominion should be understood as responsible human care for the environment/understanding humans are answerable to god for their treatment of the environment
• kw: eco theology

  Approach to environmental issues focusing on establishing the right relationship between religion and nature
• kw: anthropocentrism

  centering the universe on humans, regarding humans as the central fact of the universe
• kw: anthropomorphism

  ascribing human characteristics to what is not human
• christian morality and examples of moral conduct variations

  based on the view that god is omnipotent and omniscient and so is the lawgiver and controller of all things - therefore is the controller of morality.

  protestants - divine command theory

  catholics - natural moral law

  methodists - situation ethics

  deistic christians believe god has left the governance of the world to humans, so we have complete freedom, eg process theologians reject ethical ideas that separate humanity from its environment
• why is good conduct important for christians?

  brings the reward of earning a place in heaven and avoids being sent to hell.

  
  

  in pauls letter to the ephesians, he urges them to abandon bad conduct and put on the new moral nature that befits what they learned in christ
• ephesians 4:17-5:20

  you must no longer live as the gentiles

  put on your new self created to be like god in true righteousness and holiness

  put off false hood and speak truthfully

  do not let the sun go down while you are still angry

  do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouth

  be kind and compassionate to eachother

  follow gods example

  no immoral, impure or greedy person has any inheritance in the kingdom of christ

  be filled with the spirit
• sermon on the mount

  a part of the Gospel according to Matthew in which Jesus preaches important moral teachings, including the Beatitudes. matthew 5-7
• "let your light shine so before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven"


  good conduct therefore glorifies god
• the beatitudes

  the teachings of Jesus during the Sermon on the Mount in which he describes the actions and attitudes that should characterize Christians and by which one can discover genuine meaning and happiness.
• salt and light

  'you are the salt of the earth. but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? ... you are the light of the world. ... let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven
• the fulfilment of the law


  'do not think i have come to abolish the law or the prophets, i have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them
• murder

  "you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'you shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement', but i tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement"
• adultery

  "anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. if your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. it is better for you to lose one part o your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell"
• divorce

  "anyone that divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery"
• oaths

  "do not swear an oath at all ... do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black"
• eye for eye

  "you have heard that it was said, 'eye for eye, and tooth for tooth', but i tell you, do not resist an evil person. if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two"
• love your enemies

  "you have heard that it was said 'love your neighbours and hate your enemy', but i tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you .. if you love those who love you, what reward would you get? are not even the tax collectors do that? and if you greet only your own people, what more are you doing than others? ... be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly father is perfect"
• giving to the needy

  "be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by theme. if you do, you will have no reward from your father in heaven. so when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets ... do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing"
• prayer

  "when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on street corners to be seen by others ... go into your room ... do not keep babbling on like pagans ... for your father knows what you need before you ask him"
• fasting

  "when you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces and show others that they are fasting"
• treasures in heaven

  "do not store yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal."

  "no one can serve two masters. you cannot serve both god and money"
• do not worry

  "i tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear ... look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap of store away in barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them ... can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"

  "do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. each day has enough trouble of it's own"
• judging others

  "do not judge, or you too will be judged. ... why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brothers eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

  "do not give dogs what is sacred, do not throw your pearls to pigs"
• ask, seek, knock

  "ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. for everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and the one who knocks, the door will be opened ... do to others what you would have them do to you"
• the narrow and wide gates

  "enter through the narrow gate. for wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. but small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it"
• true and false prophets

  "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.
• wise and foolish builders

  "a wise man who built his house on the rock. the rain came down, the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against the house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock ... a foolish man who built his house on sand. the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell with a great crash"
• matthew 22:35-40

  Greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Also love your neighbor as yourself. (Love as aspect of spiritual maturity)
• some moral commandments in the bible are seen as immoral


  - moral advice is given to slaves to be submissive to their masters (titus)

  - turn the other cheek allows evil to have its way, which is impractical

  - following rules for the final end shouldn't be the main goal, what about doing good for good's sake?

  - heaven and hell as psychological realities

  - doctrine of the atonement, those that accept jesus and gods holy spirit can have the gift of eternal life in the kingdom of god
• doctrine of the atonement

  there is disagreement about what christians must do to accept the gift of eternal life. how is it that a sinner can be declared righteous?
• justification by faith

  paul's letter to the romans (romans 3-5)

  justification is eschatological. simply obeying the jewish law cannot justify humanity, only god can justify humanity
• jbf - romans 3:20-26

  "the righteousness of god through faith in jesus christ for all who believe ... there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of god"

  - everyone is a sinner, nobody is saved through good morality
• jbf - romans 3:28


  "for we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law"

  faith>moral conduct
• jbf - romans 5:1-2

  "therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with god through our lord jesus christ. through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of god"

  faith allows access to god's kingdom
• understanding paul in romans


  - to justify means 'to count, or treat as, righteous'

  - 3:20-26, paul says no human will be justified in god's eyes by works of the law, because for humans to be counted as righteous doesn't mean they 'earn' righteousness. this is because all humans have sinned due to original sin, therefore to be judged righteous by god can only be a free gift. this free gift of grace is to redeem humanity through jesus sacrifice, whose death on the cross atones for human sin -

  
  

  if justification came just by peoples work in following the law, then everyone would be judged guilty by god. therefore, justification only comes through faith in jesus