Theonomous Christian ethics

What is theonomous Christian ethics?

The belief that ethics are governed by God’s laws, and that the Bible is the only source of authority (God is infallible)

What is a quote from 2 Timothy 3:16 that supports this idea?

“All scripture is inspired by God, and is useful for teaching, reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.”

Biblicism

The belief that the Bible is the revealed word of God and that the writers of the Bible were directly inspired by God

Covenant

In the Bible is God’s special promises and agreement made with humans which requires special behaviour from them - therefore, the rules in the Bible must be followed as part of this covenantal relationship

What does the word ‘gospel’ literally mean? (RE: The ‘Gospels’ in the Bible)

Truth

What is in Exodus 20, and how does it affect Christians’ behaviour?

• the 10 commandments

• Christians will follow them eg. They will not murder, commit adultery, etc.

What is in Leviticus 18:22, and how does it affect Christians’ behaviour?

• ‘Do not have sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman; that is detestable’

• Christians will avoid homosexual behaviour

What is in Mark 10:9, and how does it affect Christians’ behaviour?

• ‘Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate’

• Christians will avoid divorce

What is in Matthew 5:27-29, and how does it affect Christians’ behaviour?

• ‘You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’. But I tell you that 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 of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.’

• Christians will treat adultery as a serious offence (it is saying you will go to hell if you commit it) and count any form of disloyalty as such, not just fully having sex with someone else

What is in Matthew 5:9, and how does it affect Christians’ behaviour?

• ‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God’ (The Sermon on the Mount)

• Christians will strive to be pacifists, as then they will be rewarded by God

What are some of the problems with theonomous Christian ethics?

• even very conservative Christians would struggle to take Jesus’ command “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away” (Matthew 5:29) literally - instead, it would be interpreted as a metaphor

• Protestant theologian Karl Barth warned against the dangers of literalism, suggesting that it could lead to false worship of the Bible rather than worshipping God himself

  • He believed that while the Bible is a supreme source of Christian moral truth, it is not the truth - it must be read critically as a source of inspiration

• Therefore, even theonomous Christian ethics has to take human reason and interpretation into account

• Moreover, the Bible was written a long time ago, has been translated, and it contradictory, so it is hard to know which parts to trust and follow (if any)

• Inflexible - they don’t change in different situations

• Does not fit into modern society as it was written thousands of years ago

• Reliant on God’s existence, which is not proven

Example a contradiction between the Old Testament and the New Testament to do with violence

• Old Testament:

  • ‘eye for eye’ (Exodus 21:24)

  • If you are attacking a city and they surrender you may enslave their people, if they don’t surrender you may put them under siege, kill their men, and capture the women, children and livestock (Deuteronomy 20:10-15)

  • ‘When the tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down, and whenever the tabernacle is to be set up, the Levites shall do it. Anyone else who approaches it is to be put to death’ (Numbers 1:51)

  • Clearly encouraging violence and vengeance

• New Testament:

  • ‘Turn to them the other cheek’ (Matthew 5:38-42)

  • ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44)

  • Describes a paradise in the future where no one is afraid or uses weapons again (Micah 4:1-4)

  • Seems to imply that you should never retaliate to violence, that you should be kind to all, and that God would not want any violence or fear in a perfect world

Example a contradiction between the Old Testament and the New Testament to do with divorce

• Old Testament:

  • Don’t remarry your ex wife if she got remarried and then divorced/widowed, she has been defiled (Deuteronomy 24:1-4)

  • ‘If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel (Deuteronomy 22:22)

  • Seems to imply that divorce and remarriage is fine (as long as its not to your ex), maintains the idea that adultery is wrong

• New Testament:

  • ‘Jesus replied “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”’ (Matthew 19:8-9)

  • Now we are not allowed to divorce (unless in cases of adultery) and remarry anyone?

Example a contradiction between the Old Testament and the New Testament to do with food

• Old Testament:

  • Gives you rules about what to eat eg. Don’t eat bats (Leviticus 11)

  • Implies strict rules about eating

• New Testament:

  • ‘He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance’ (Acts 10:10)

  • Implies that he does not need to be careful about what he eats

What are the general strengths of Theonomous Christian ethics?

• It is clear and simple as there is only one source

• It is universal, so fair and accessible for everyone

• It is a guideline for justice, as it includes laws

• It must be correct as it is created by God, which means it will get us into heaven