The second chapter of this book has concentrated on the nature of the law and it has focused on how the law is related to God. The chapter has been divided into sections where the first section talks about the general revelations and the manifestation of the law that is natural and is within the order of creation. The second section is about the relationship between God and the law and it focusses on the nature of this relationship.
The first section has made use of the revelation that is general in the formation of ethics. This has led to the formation of a discipline that is referred to the natural law theory which is a moral system that is viable. A long tradition exists where this theory has been employed in the Christian and secular ethics. However, due to the fall of man, this theory has to be supplemented by and when used, it is used in conjunction with the special revelation which is considered as the domain of the ethics of the Bible. The second section of the book further explains that God and the law are related integrally. This is further explained as the law being a replication and revelation of the moral character of God. The ethics of the Bible go beyond the law as it states that Christians are justified by their faith on Jesus Christ and not the law and they live under grace.
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The general revelation is defined as the revelation of God Himself to all mankind, anywhere, anytime. This kind of revelation has three modes which are the human conscious as stated in the book of Romans 2:14-15 and the history of the providence of God as documented in Acts of the Apostles 14:17 and 17:24-27. The final mode is the order of creation which is in the book of Psalms 19:1-4 and Romans 1:18-20. In relation to Biblical ethics, special revelation is associated with the Bible and consists of standards of God as displayed in the Scripture. One of the perspectives exposed in special revelation is the authority over the law paradigm which means that the laws is good and right simple due to the fact that God commanded it. The power under the law paradigm means that the law is right and is good due to the fact that the Lord commanded only what is good and right. The last perspective is that “the authority is law paradigm” which means that the law is good and right because it manifests the character of God who is good and is also right.
Chapter three focuses on the relevance of the law. This topic is important because the view an individual develops of the law establishes the limit of the information from which one may involve in moral theory. This chapter shows moral law is necessary for the ethics of the Bible. It has done this by analyzing the gospel and the law and their relationships. Ethical norms and customs are drawn from the moral law that has been exposed in the Bible. The Bible is also considered as a basis of moral authority for ethics. The moral law is constant throughout the scripture and is used to judge men and supply a framework for the exercise of ethics related to the Bible.
One of the components of Biblical ethics discussed in this chapter is the association between the gospel and the law. One of the categories states that civil laws have been given to man for the sake of governance of Hebrew theocracy. The other group states that the ceremonial laws are given for the purpose of the system of sacrifices which included temple operations and dietary regulations. Lastly, morals laws are founded on, mirror and request conformity to the moral character of God and is summarized in the Ten Commandments. They are used for convictional use, normative use and social use. The three rudimentary approaches to the gospel inquiry include the discontinuity, semi-continuity and continuity approaches.
Strengths of the Work
The natural law is known as the domain for Biblical ethics and that it needs to be supplemented and used alongside the special revelation. It is a universal theory and therefore it attracts large numbers of supporters who are in agreement with it. The natural law theory has an approach to morality that is clear and it also establishes the rules that are common to man. It is also a reasonable theory as it has the basic principles of life included in it. These principles include reproduction and preservation of human life. This theory concentrates of human virtues and character and it puts a lot of emphasis on life and the protection of the vulnerable.
The strengths of the relevance of the law include the division of the law into various categories. It is because of this that individuals are to relate with it as it tackles the areas of their lives that they are familiar with such as ceremonial laws. The law has also been divided according to how they can be used. This makes it easier for people to use the law. They are able to use it in the social life and in their spiritual life where is convicts them of their sins. It also fractures in the fellowship of Christians and distant and immediate texts can be used in its discernment.
Weaknesses of the Works
One of the limitations on the natural law is the capability of men who have fallen to obtain and use this law through the general revelation. This is considered a limitation because it raises the inquiry of the man’s capacity to distinguish and to maintain moral and religious truths from celestial enablement. The limitation is further justified when the conclusion made is that there is a distinct difference between man’s capability to know the natural law, to keep it and its existence. Man may know of the law, but fails in keeping it.
The capacity to arrive at a conclusion without committing a naturalistic fallacy is the second limitation. As stated by G. E. Moore it is impossible for an individual to arrive at a conclusion from an observation that is factual. The last limitation deals with ambiguous nature of the natural law. The natural law tends to be inaccurate in its form and content making it questionable in terms of its use in ethics formation.
The limitations found in chapter three are based on the approaches to the gospel. The limitations of the discontinuity approach include the fact that this approach has not been the prevalent point of view of the church. The second limitation is the contradiction between the paradigm that “authority is law” and the teaching made in the discontinuity approach that the law is no longer obliging. Lastly, is the challenge arising from some if the verses in the Bible and the direct reiteration of the majority of the Ten Commandments in the New Covenant. The challenge of the continuity tactic is the understanding and perception to the nature of the civil law. The second challenge is the perception of the association between the state and the church. The major challenge that the semi-continuity approach has is the splitting up of the law into ceremonial, civil and moral is considered artificial and unknown to the early beneficiaries of the law.
The two chapters reveal the various facts and challenges of the approaches to ethics. The weakness discussed above shows that despite both chapters having key points and vital information, there are still loophole that need to be addressed for the complete understanding of Biblical ethics. The identification of these weaknesses is to give room for improvement which is essential today because without ethics, man will live without some form of guidance on knowing what is wrong and how to deal with it.
