Why Study Ethics?
For the following reasons, at least:
1. Servants of Jesus are people who have his commandments and keep them
(John 14:21).
Over and over again, Jesus tells us, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments “(John 14:15;
compare verses 21, 23, 15:10, 1 John 2:3-5, 3:21- 24, 5:3).1 Jesus’ “new commandment… that you love
one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34) is to be the
mark of the church, distinguishing it from the world: “By this all people will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another” (verse 35). This is not to say that we are saved by
works, obedience, or keeping commandments. It is simply to say that if we want to be disciples of
Jesus we must be devoted to good works (Tit. 3:8; compare Matt. 5:16, Eph. 2:10, 1 Tim. 2:10, 5:10,
6:18, 2 Tim. 3:17, Tit.
2:7, 14, Tit. 3:14Heb. 10:24, 1 Pet. 2:12.) If we are to be devoted to good works, we must know
what works are good and what ones bad. So we need to study
ethics.
The familiar passage 2 Tim. 3:16-17 reads,
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and
for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good
work.
Note the ethical focus here. God breathed out the words of Scripture so that we may be trained in
righteousness, so that we may be equipped for every good work. Of course the purpose of Scripture
can be stated in other ways as well. Many have emphasized that the purpose of Scripture is to bear
witness to Christ, and that is entirely legitimate (Luke 24:27, John 5:39). But it is plain that
Scripture presents Christ as one who equips us to be lights in the world (Matt. 5:14), and
therefore a great amount of Scripture is devoted to defining and motivating our
good works.
