The Role of the Bible in Regards to Ethics - Assignment Example

I. The Role the Bible Ought To Play In Ethics Theory and Practice The Bible is a Holy Book that subscribes the way we ought to behave and react to conditions that relate to ethics and morality. In the Book of second Timothy Chapter four verses 16-17, it states that the scripture gives directives to rectitude and morality and it states that an individual can ravish his life in accordance to the requirements and can live a perfect life in the eyes of God. It further states in the Book of 2nd Timothy 2:15 that we must strive to work for the Lord even while working in our different occupations; in our daily life, we must strive to spread His truth. (Clapp, 1996: pg 36) In the Book of Hebrews 5:14 it states that just like a grown up has the ability to eat solid food, so should he have the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. The Bible gives Christians the answers to different morality aspects that often bring up arguments and disagreements. Such matters include: abortion, immorality, drug abuse, homosexuality, alcoholism, divorce and the family among other aspects of life that often bring up dilemmas. (London, 2009) The Bible talks about morality and ethics in specific and general terms. In the Book of Mark 7:20-23, the Bible specifies that it is what comes from inside of Christians that causes them to sin. The heart directs us to steal to kill and to rob; to be jealous to be immoral and to commit any form of sin against the Lord. The verse mentions specifically the acts that are known to be immoral and unethical in accordance to the Bible. In Romans 1:25-32 the Bible goes ahead into specifications that when men sin against the Lord and are involved in worshiping the creations of the Lord and not God himself; it results into acts such as homosexuality where men have a strong passion for each other instead of the natural relationships created by God. In verses 29-30 it goes ahead and specifies the evils that the Lord is against including: slander and malice, disobedience of parents, being proud and not keeping promises among others. (Clapp, 1996: pg 36) In the Book of 1 Peter 4:3, the Bible continues to specify on aspects such as drunkenness which it depicts as evil. In the same chapter, it is also stated that for every wrong that is committed, the Lord is going to judge human beings accordingly. Therefore, it is clear from the Bible that the wrong doers will be punished and those who are strong and they suffer physically for the Lord will be saved. II. Nature of the Relationship between the Bible and the Church in regards to Ethics Churches of the world regard the Bible not as a collection of verses by the ancient people but as the word of The Lord. The Bible is taken as God's voice speaking directly to us. It is the voice of the Lord to the congregation and to the entire world. This is an act of faith and is what interconnects the Bible to the church. The main purpose of the church is to interpret the word in the Bible to the congregation and let it known to individuals what is right and wrong in the eyes of the Lord. The church serves as an institution of direction to the believers on the path to follow in order to be righteous and to live a holy life and waiting on the Lord. In the book of Isaiah 40:8, the Bible states that all other things in this world will come to pass but the word of the Lord will stand forever and ever. The message of the Bible that was intended by God to guide our every step and our day's activities is preached in churches. What is right or what is wrong (ethics) is emphasized in the church using the wordings of the Bible. (London, 2009) In the Book of Nehemiah 8:1-16, the people of Israel are gathered in the Watergate to listen to the word that the Lord had given to Moses for them. Ezra the priest at that time read the scripture out loud to the people and they listened attentively to every word. They stood up in respect of the word and they bowed down to the Lord and worshipped Him in song and Praise. Ezra discouraged them from being sad and he told them that the joy of the Lord will give them strength and that they should go home and feast and be happy because of the Lord. Once the congregation was dispersed, they all went home and they were happy and later on, they gathered and the word of the Lord was read to them from verse to verse till dawn. (London, 2009) This is an example of a scenario in the Bible where people gathered and listened to the word of the Lord. It teaches us to set aside some of our time for the Lord and to keep it Holy (Exodus 20:8). Just as the Israelites listened attentively and started worshiping the Lord, we should do the same. The church is a place where the people of the Lord are gathered together to share in the word of the scriptures and to encourage each other to be strong. It is stated that where two or three are gathered, there is the Lord in the midst (Mathew18:20) III. Should Church Have Equal Or Greater Authority Than The Bible The question as to whether the church should have greater authority than the Bible or whether the authority that the church has over its congregation should be based on the scriptures is a question that has been debatable for a while now. The Bible should entirely be the source of our faith and our actions. Any church traditions that go against what is written in the Bible should be dismissed and not be followed. Only those traditions that follow the writings of the Bible should be adopted by the church. In the Book of 2nd Timothy 3:12 the Bible says that the scripture is the breath of the Lord and it is the one that directs our thoughts, our actions, corrects and reprimands our wrong doing. It proceeds in verse 17 and says that that man should be equipped with good work. It is not mentioned anywhere in the Bible that the church gives the directive for conduct. It is also emphasized in the Book of Matthew 12:3-5 and 19:4 Jesus and the apostle kept using the phrase "haven't you read". They did not emphasize on any given church and this is also a reason as to why the Bible is given authority over the church. Also in Mathew 15:1 the Pharisees accused the disciples of Jesus for going against tradition by not washing their hands before any meal. Jesus rebuked them and he told them that they should not follow traditions but they should thrive to live in accordance to the word of the Lord. (Clapp, 1996: pg 36) IV. Canons of the Bible The Canons of the Bible simply means the list of the books of the Bible. In the early times, different writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit (John 16:12-13) which Jesus promised the apostles before he ascended to heaven. He said that he has not revealed everything to man but he will ask The Father to send down a helper who will protect us and lead us to follow the correct path. The Holy Spirit is said to have inspired the number of books that we know today as part of our Bible. The Canon of the Bible was listed by different individuals and churches in the days after Christ. Some of these groups are the Council of Laodicea, Pope of Damasus, The Council of Rome and many other churches. The Bible did not exist before; it is the churches that created them with the help and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Today, the Catholics and the Protestants share the same number of canons in the New Testament; that is 27 books. They however share a different number of books when it comes to the Old Testament. The Catholics have 42 books and the Protestants have a total of 39 books of the Old Testament. The Canons were chosen in accordance to the three concepts; the relations they have with God, their origin and whether they are used in the churches. The term canons can be divided into three: Protocanonical Books: these are the books that found their way into the bible with very little debate; Deutrocanonical Books: these are those of the Bible that underwent a little discussion before they were accepted as canons; Apocryphal Books are those that have multiple meanings and finally Pseudepigrapha are those works that were considered absolutely false. The concept of the Canons of the Bible is a concept that has been argued since the beginning of time. It has even evolved to an even worse state in this era where the number of churches is increasing. This is the reason as to why different churches view the canons as being different. (London, 2009) V. Is the Bible or the Church at Stake in the Debate over Context for Christian Ethical Reflection The Bible is at stake when it comes to the debate over the context for Christian ethical reflection. In the current world, different churches have come up and they are continually coming up, and each church has its own traditions most of which deviate a great deal from the Biblical teachings. This is contributed by the fact that the Bible has been interpreted in very many ways some of which were not the intention of the early churches. (Clapp, 1996: pg 36) For example the verse in 1st Timothy 5:23 which states that a little wine is good for the body. Different churches and different individuals have interpreted this verse to mean that taking alcohol is acceptable to God. This was not what Paul meant when he spoke to Timothy, because in theology it is learnt that the wine that Paul was talking about was not fermented and it did not contain any kind of alcohol. VI. What does the Bible say about Divorce The laws that have been put up in the United States for matters that relate to divorce an remarriage are very lax and any couple that is married to each other can break of the marriage under any grounds with or without the consent of the other partner. This couple can later remarry without any consideration of what the bible says. In Mathew 19:3-9, Jesus speaks of divorce to the Pharisees. He said that in the beginning, the Lord created heaven and earth and he created man and woman for each other. He said that the man shall leave his father and mother and shall be devoted to his wife and family. The only reason as to why a man shall divorce his wife or vice versa is only in a situation where one of them is unfaithful. He said that what the Lord has put together no man should lay asunder. (Clapp, 1996: pg 36) VII. The Four-Fold Tasks The four-fold task just as the name suggests involves four tasks that its supporters believe that human beings and Christians were created for. These four tasks are: Pray, Multiply, Train and Align. In Philippians 4:7, the Bible says that with prayer and supplication we should lay out our requests to the Lord and he will grant us our needs. In Genesis 25:21, Isaac prayed for his wife because she couldn't give birth. The Lord answered his prayer and she became pregnant. Prayer connects us to God. It is the only way that we get to communicate with God. By Multiply, it is required of us by the Bible that we expand as Christians and to convince others that the Lord is faithful and that they should seek Him. By Train, it means that those who are of the knowledge of Christ should continue expanding their knowledge and to train others to understand the teachings. Finally, Align means that we should keep changing and transforming our lives in such a way that pleases the Lord and in accordance to the teachings of the bible. (London, 2009) VIII. Conclusion The Bible is the word of the Lord and it speaks to us on different aspects of life that we face on daily basis. The Bible gives us answers to all the dilemmas that we are faced with each day. The Bible should be taken as superior to the church as much as it is the churches that created the Canons of the Bible. We all know that a servant is not supposed to call a prince by name; and if he does, it does not mean that the servant replaces the prince. In the same way, that as much as the churches came up with the Canons, the Bible is still superior to the church. The churches will come and go but the word of the Lord will reign for ever. REFERENCES H.B London, Ethics and Ministry: Living Above Reproach (Enrichment Journal, Boonville Avenue, Springfield, 2009). Rodney Clapp, A Peculiar People: The Church as Culture in a Post-Christian Society (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1996), p. 36. Read More