Ethics and The Christian: Why Worldview Matters (part 4)

“What good is it…?”

Jesus was teaching his disciples about the necessity of his suffering and rejection by the world. He also taught them plainly of the similar cross that they would have to bear for his sake. Peter’s “foot-in-mouth syndrome” flared up once again as he attempted to rebuke Jesus. Jesus’ response?

“Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” – Mark 8:33

Jesus then called the crowd to himself, and told them all, that following him was not going to be easy. He did this in no uncertain terms. 

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?  For what can a man give in return for his soul?” – Mark 8:34-37

What good is it if we have all this world has to offer but lose our souls in the process? Those who are called to follow Christ have a much higher aim than anything that this world can offer. As such our values and ethics are not to be determined by the world in any way that conflicts with the divine revelation of God in His Word. We must be willing to let it all go. 

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot

What do I do?

In this article, we come to the most practical and ethical consideration of worldview. The question that we are left with is: What do I do? Or perhaps it is better phrased: How do I live? For a believer who is firm in their faith the response may seem quite intuitive but what of someone who does not believe or even someone who is only coming to faith as an infant in Christ? How can we sum up such a big idea? 

“The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” Ecclesiastes 12:13

Following the pattern of previous articles, stating the most basic answer to these basic questions:

“What do I do? Submit to God’s Word and God’s way in all things.”

Submit to God’s Word and God’s way in all things. Fear God and keep his commands! If you’ve not read Ecclesiastes, you should. Beside the fact that it is God-breathed truth, the subject matter is relevant in any age and it is evergreen with application for these days in particular. 

While the simple response is a good starting point, we will inevitably be faced with questions that call for a bit wider understanding. The bigger idea here is considered in the study of axiology, which is concerned with value, or even teleology, which is concerned with ultimate purpose or ends. For now, we will be considering the everyday, ground-level aspect of ethics. 

Why Worldview Matters

How we understand who we are and what we believe about standards for truth and how we know both meet the ground in our values or ethics. Ethics can be viewed in a few different ways. Whether the previous worldview questions were clear, this question of ethics is where your answers to the previous questions will begin to show themselves. 

Ethical Questions

·       Should our decisions be based on consequences?

·       Are we to act out of duty and bound by certain rules?

·       Should our values be oriented toward a particular goal or end, based on ultimate purpose? 

 Each of these questions relate to the central question of different systems of ethics. How you respond to those questions comes directly from the answers to our previous worldview questions. I know it may seem a bit overwhelming for some, but we should be thinking through these things to some extent. If you can’t remember any of those questions, remember these: 

Why do I do what I do? Why do I believe what I believe?

Conclusion

It is not my goal here to give you answers to rest upon in considering your own worldview, but questions to ponder as you do the hard work of being settled in your convictions, and firm in your faith. Christians are thinking people because God has given us a mind to glorify him, not merely to remember what someone else believes or tells us to believe but to grow in our understanding of who he is, who he has created us to be, and how we are to glorify him in this world that he created.

None of this will bear any fruit if it is severed from the root of Christ and from his gospel. Indeed, we have no good apart from him. But in Christ, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. We lack no good thing for the work to which he has called us. By the way, his Word is sufficient. Let’s not take that lightly as it relates to how we view the world.

Christian, the Bible is our standard of determining right from wrong and good from evil. Our lives can only be “good” if aligned with God’s design and purposes, by his grace alone, through faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. There is “none who does good” but there is one who is good! So much more could be said, as is usually the case with such articles, but on the question of ethics and the Christian, I would leave you with this:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Philippians 4:8