The doctrine of Christian life analyzes the issue of Christian ethics in comparison to non Christian ethics. He explains that true ethical living is obtained from the word of God and this is the only kind of living that is free from controversy. Non Christian ethics tend to contradict each other and since there is only one form of truth, they are therefore considered null.
Ethics in this case involves making life decisions both personal and social in compliance with the doctrines stated in God’s word. From this non Christian ethics are not considered to be wrong since they bring about controversial assertions.
One of the key issues in understanding Christian ethics is the fact that these ethics are God like. The Bible clearly states the attributes of God as being pure, holy, righteous, loving, forgiving and so on. This means that for the word ethics to be meaningful, it has to encompass all these attributes and applied to the daily living of a Christian.
These are virtues that cannot be obtained through any form of education or intellectual study. Christian ethics are obtained through practice which should involve a lot of self discipline and sacrifice. The natural human being is normally inclined to selfish desires which in most cases are against ethical living and this is what Frame attempts to speak against.
The other important principle in Christian ethics is the separation between ethical living and hypocrisy. Hypocrisy involves doing things for purposes of outward recognition or just to fulfill a given expectation. This in itself is unethical since ethics should start from the inside motive and trickle down to the actions.
Any actions not accompanied by similar intentions are considered unethical according to Christian beliefs since they amount to deception. This point is even emphasized in the Bible in Proverbs 4: 23 which states that life’s issues spring from the heart.
The events occurring on a daily basis in the world over are enough evidence of ethical or unethical decisions taken at one point or another. In most cases, people say one thing and do the exact opposite. Leaders specifically are in the habit of saying things to please the public and earn recognition while in real sense they are unable to deliver in accordance with their promises.
This explains the chaotic nature of the world we are living in. A world characterized by many kinds of evil all as a result of lack of proper ethical guidelines or rejection of the same, the later being the most probable. This is because Christian ethics are clearly outlined in the word of God, but most people prefer to assume they do not exist.
Another form of misleading non Christian ethics is the assertion that anything that results in happiness is ethical. Happiness is a relative phenomenon in the secular world owing to the different opinions on the same. Some people however find joy in taking revenge, while this is considered unethical in the Bible. Not everything that makes people happy is right and not every right thing makes people happy as well.
Again, Happiness varies from one person to another hence implying that there is no standard measure of happiness in the secular world. According to Christian values however, the true source of lasting happiness is in God who puts everything in place at the appointed time. The changing nature of people’s definitions makes it evident that Christian ethics are unwavering and the best way to live according to Frame1.
Finally Christian ethics are perceived to be the best way of telling what is sinful and what is not. This is because it insists on virtues, irrespective of what the end result is. There are times when doing the right thing is difficult and in such cases, Christian ethics insist that the right thing should be done any way2.
Non Christian ethics on the other hand mostly suggest that people should always do what brings them satisfaction irrespective of the externality effects these actions have. The end result of this is selfish living, one of the major causes of most problems in the world today. Hence Christian ethics as stipulated by Frame form the best guidelines to life.
Bibliography
Frame, John. The Doctrine of the Christian Life (A Theology of Lordship). Philipsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008.
Footnotes
1 John Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian life (A theory of Lordship) (Philpsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008), 692.
2 John Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian life (A theory of Lordship) (Philpsburg: P&R Publishing, 2008), 783.