Rev. Phillip Olt Ethics
We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative, inerrant Word of God (2 Timothy 3:15; 2 Peter 1:21)
Bibliology: Theological discipline pertaining to the study of the Bible itself
Inspiration Preservation Authority Sufficiency
2 Timothy 3:16- All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness Θεόπνευστος (theopneustos) Compound word, literally meaning Godbreathed
Does not mean that the human authors were robots God used the culture, language, and personality of human authors to reveal His Word 1 Peter 1:21- For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. The phrase carried along normally used of a ship blown by the wind
Preservation: God has providentially preserved Scripture so that His people might, in each generation, possess the very Word of God (Rolland McCune) Psalm 119:152,160-152 Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever 160 All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.
While the Bible clearly teaches the ultimate indestructibility of the verbal revelation of God (Matt 24:35; 1 Pet 1:25), it does not tell how and where the written manuscript lineage of that Word is preserved. God has providentially preserved His word in the many manuscripts, fragments, versions, translations, and copies of the Scriptures that are available, and that by diligent study, comparison, and correlation, the original text (words) can be ascertained. (Rolland McCune)
Inerrancy: God s Word as given in the original manuscripts was without error Infallibility: God s Word as given in the original manuscripts was positively accurate without possibility of failure If Scripture is the message of all-powerful Creator God to mankind, then it must be authoritative (Ps. 119) In this class, the final answer for all of our ethical questions is God, who has spoken to us through His revealed Word.
2 Timothy 3:15-17: 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Sufficiency: The revelation of God to man as found in the Bible is sufficient to give us knowledge for salvation as well as providing us with all the information that we need to live complete Christian lives.
Rev. Phillip Olt Ethics
Ethics: Branch of philosophical thought addressing questions of morality Morality: Determining proper human conduct through standards of right and wrong or values
Mary stole a copy of the final for Pre-Calculus and circulated it among her friends. You have an opportunity to see the final and are particularly torn about if you should look or not...after all you are in about the middle of this class s grades and only those students who score in the top 50% will be allowed to go on to the advanced class (which is highly regarded on a college application). Of course if you say nothing your chance of being in that top 50% is pretty slim.
Tia: I think that in today's society cheating of this sort is so usual that there is no particular reason not to look at the test. Wade: Yea, look at all the security around testing; it wouldn't be necessary if they didn't think we were going to cheat. It's like they almost expect it. Aidan: I've heard of those schools with strict honor systems and if you went there you might feel differently, but we're here...you know, when in Rome do as the Romans do.
JH: I think the real issue here is do the ends justify the means. Tyler: On the whole cheating may be bad but in this case the greater good might come because I can do a decent job on this test and be able to take that next class. Mallory: When you look at all the alternatives, like doing poorly, dealing with mad friends if you turn them in, or just using the answers, and weigh the pro's and con's it seems like just using the answers comes out on top for me. Win: In this case, keeping quiet offers the greatest benefit for the least cost. Nadia: Maybe for you, but I think the costs of a guilty conscience and fear of being discovered outweigh the risks of telling.
Ashley: It seems like I ought to look at the moral rules that come into play in a situation like this. Sharlot: Yeah, what about justice, equal treatment and refraining from evil? Wade: Maybe the best thing to do would be to see which rules you feel most bound by, qualified by the specifics of this situation. Josh: I think this balancing ought to take into account how we are using ourselves and other people...can the decision we make be applied to others beyond just the person in this exact situation.
Mallory: I think to deal with this dilemma you ought to look deep inside yourself and see what your motives are for the action you might take. JH: Like if you ratted on your friends just to call attention to yourself, you wouldn't really have made any progress on this issue at all...you just would have done another wrong. Ashley: I think I would feel better about myself if I overcame the temptation to use the answers because I knew it was wrong instead of just because I knew it was expected of me, or I was afraid of being caught.
Mary, a single mother of a 4-year old, lost her job a week ago. She was barely making ends meet beforehand, so she can no longer feed her child. With little Susie near to starvation and all help weeks off, Mary sees an opportunity. Local youth are rioting in the streets, and many shops are open and unattended. She could slip in and take just enough food to feed her and her daughter. What should she do?
What is the right course of action? Is there one course of action that is right where others are wrong? The God of the universe has given us His Word that contains everything we need to know to make right ethical decisions. All ethical decisions need to be run through His precepts and principles.