1
Jun-22
Good conduct and key moral principles
Importance of good conduct for Christians:
Good conduct:
Brings reward of heaven and avoids hell.
Faith in Jesus is the basis for good conduct – Christians follow his example.
E.g., Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): “Let your light so shine that they may see your good
works and give glory to the father.” – good conduct glorifies God.
Greatest commandment is to love God, second is to “love your neighbour as yourself.”
Justification:
Atonement:
If heaven is a future place in reality, need atonement to reach it.
Jesus restored God’s relationship with humanity in his death so that Christians could reach
heaven and live eternally with God (gift).
To obtain this eternal gift from we need to be justified (be declared righteous).
Justification by faith:
Only God can justify humanity, not following Jewish law.
Romans 3:20-26: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by His grace
as a gift by the redemption in Christ Jesus.”
All humans have sinned (original sin); justification comes from God (gift of grace - Jesus’
sacrifice).
If justification was through works, all would fall short – comes through faith in Jesus.
E.g., Abraham (pre-Jesus) judged as righteous by God through his faith.
Can find ‘peace with God’ once we have complete faith in him and know that our final destiny is
with him (Paul).
Martin Luther (protestant): ‘sola fide’
o Sola fide = justification by faith alone (one of five fundamental doctrines).
o God pardons based on passive faith in Jesus.
o Good works are the result of being justified by God and reborn through HS.
o Ignoring sola fide = preaching a false gospel.
Justification by works:
Letter of James (James 2:14-26): “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”
Faith can be shown by works; alone it is useless – even demons can have faith in God.
E.g., Abraham had faith but showed it by sacrificing Isaac.
“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.”
Based on parable of the sheep and goats (Jesus – Matthew 25:31-46) – ‘sheep’ and ‘goats’
separated based on their works.
“The righteous (sheep, who “gave [members of the king’s kingdom and thus the king] a drink”)
will enter into eternal life.”
Faith and works: Catholic church
Council of Trent: “justification … was predicated upon both faith and works.”
Catholics: faith grows after baptism and leads to a new life in Christ, following his example and
displaying good works. Belief must entail faith and good works.
1 John 2:3-6: “He who says, ‘I know him’ but disobeys his commandments is a liar.”
, 2
Jun-22
Predestination:
All events have been willed by God and the fate (heaven/hell) of each individual has been
decided.
Romans 8:28-30: “Those he foreknew he predestined to the image of his Son [do good works] …
those whom he predestined … he also justified.”
Predestined people to lead Christ-like lives and therefore be worthy of justification.
Therefore, good conduct is predestined.
Problem of evil: inconsistent triad
o Predestination is based on the idea that God is omnipotent and omniscient (power over all
lives).
o However, do we have free will then? We can only be morally good and worthy of heaven if
we freely choose good.
o Therefore, is God omnibenevolent if he predestines people to heaven or hell?
St Augustine:
o Predestination is done by God, which produces good works.
o God has the foreknowledge of who will be saved and therefore those people will inevitably
be worthy of heaven and do good works.
o Double predestination = inevitably others will be known not to be saved and will not be
worthy of heaven, doing bad things to deserve this fate.
Calvin:
o All deserve eternal damnation due to original sin, therefore any that are saved should be
thankful – shows God’s love.
o Should not question God’s decisions.
o Only 5% saved.
Sanctity of life:
Sanctity of life:
Human life is holy/sacred because they were made imago dei.
Genesis 2:4b-24: “The Lord God formed man … and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”
Therefore, humans are the only beings with souls.
Human life has intrinsic value because it was a gift from God – this stands regardless of the
human condition.
o Strong sanctity of life = all human life is sacred. Therefore euthanasia, contraception,
abortion etc are morally wrong.
o Weak sanctity of life = must also consider a person’s situation, including their quality of
life.
o Quality of life may be so poor that sanctity of life principle no longer applies.
Applying sanctity of life:
Strong SoL:
o Personhood and right to life begin at conception.
o Catholic church: “From the time that the ovum is fertilised, a life has begun.”
o Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” – all life sacred before
conception.
o Jesus was not subject to the threat of abortion/contraception, therefore all other human
life shouldn’t be.
Jun-22
Good conduct and key moral principles
Importance of good conduct for Christians:
Good conduct:
Brings reward of heaven and avoids hell.
Faith in Jesus is the basis for good conduct – Christians follow his example.
E.g., Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7): “Let your light so shine that they may see your good
works and give glory to the father.” – good conduct glorifies God.
Greatest commandment is to love God, second is to “love your neighbour as yourself.”
Justification:
Atonement:
If heaven is a future place in reality, need atonement to reach it.
Jesus restored God’s relationship with humanity in his death so that Christians could reach
heaven and live eternally with God (gift).
To obtain this eternal gift from we need to be justified (be declared righteous).
Justification by faith:
Only God can justify humanity, not following Jewish law.
Romans 3:20-26: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are justified by His grace
as a gift by the redemption in Christ Jesus.”
All humans have sinned (original sin); justification comes from God (gift of grace - Jesus’
sacrifice).
If justification was through works, all would fall short – comes through faith in Jesus.
E.g., Abraham (pre-Jesus) judged as righteous by God through his faith.
Can find ‘peace with God’ once we have complete faith in him and know that our final destiny is
with him (Paul).
Martin Luther (protestant): ‘sola fide’
o Sola fide = justification by faith alone (one of five fundamental doctrines).
o God pardons based on passive faith in Jesus.
o Good works are the result of being justified by God and reborn through HS.
o Ignoring sola fide = preaching a false gospel.
Justification by works:
Letter of James (James 2:14-26): “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”
Faith can be shown by works; alone it is useless – even demons can have faith in God.
E.g., Abraham had faith but showed it by sacrificing Isaac.
“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.”
Based on parable of the sheep and goats (Jesus – Matthew 25:31-46) – ‘sheep’ and ‘goats’
separated based on their works.
“The righteous (sheep, who “gave [members of the king’s kingdom and thus the king] a drink”)
will enter into eternal life.”
Faith and works: Catholic church
Council of Trent: “justification … was predicated upon both faith and works.”
Catholics: faith grows after baptism and leads to a new life in Christ, following his example and
displaying good works. Belief must entail faith and good works.
1 John 2:3-6: “He who says, ‘I know him’ but disobeys his commandments is a liar.”
, 2
Jun-22
Predestination:
All events have been willed by God and the fate (heaven/hell) of each individual has been
decided.
Romans 8:28-30: “Those he foreknew he predestined to the image of his Son [do good works] …
those whom he predestined … he also justified.”
Predestined people to lead Christ-like lives and therefore be worthy of justification.
Therefore, good conduct is predestined.
Problem of evil: inconsistent triad
o Predestination is based on the idea that God is omnipotent and omniscient (power over all
lives).
o However, do we have free will then? We can only be morally good and worthy of heaven if
we freely choose good.
o Therefore, is God omnibenevolent if he predestines people to heaven or hell?
St Augustine:
o Predestination is done by God, which produces good works.
o God has the foreknowledge of who will be saved and therefore those people will inevitably
be worthy of heaven and do good works.
o Double predestination = inevitably others will be known not to be saved and will not be
worthy of heaven, doing bad things to deserve this fate.
Calvin:
o All deserve eternal damnation due to original sin, therefore any that are saved should be
thankful – shows God’s love.
o Should not question God’s decisions.
o Only 5% saved.
Sanctity of life:
Sanctity of life:
Human life is holy/sacred because they were made imago dei.
Genesis 2:4b-24: “The Lord God formed man … and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”
Therefore, humans are the only beings with souls.
Human life has intrinsic value because it was a gift from God – this stands regardless of the
human condition.
o Strong sanctity of life = all human life is sacred. Therefore euthanasia, contraception,
abortion etc are morally wrong.
o Weak sanctity of life = must also consider a person’s situation, including their quality of
life.
o Quality of life may be so poor that sanctity of life principle no longer applies.
Applying sanctity of life:
Strong SoL:
o Personhood and right to life begin at conception.
o Catholic church: “From the time that the ovum is fertilised, a life has begun.”
o Jeremiah 1:5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” – all life sacred before
conception.
o Jesus was not subject to the threat of abortion/contraception, therefore all other human
life shouldn’t be.
