Ethics in Light of Philosophy and Scripture

By John Frame

The first Greek philosophers, like Thales, were mainly interested in the material composition of the world. But with Heraclitus, and especially with Plato and Aristotle, people tried to learn from philosophers how to live. . .

Philosophers have typically offered one of three general theories of ethics, sometimes coordinating two of these theories (rarely three of them) together.

TELEOLOGICAL ETHICS

In teleological ethics (a modern variant is utilitarianism), human behavior seeks to achieve a goal, a telos. The goal is usually (as in Aristotle) happiness. Some philosophers, like Epicurus, construe happiness as pleasure (hence, hedonism). But pleasure itself needs further definition. The Cyrenaics understood pleasure in what others consider a fairly crude sense: pleasant sensual feelings like those of tasty food or sexual pleasure. But Epicurus, and, even more, Aristotle, saw pleasure or happiness as something much more refined. These thinkers understood that sometimes you must bypass immediate pleasures for the sake of long-range ones—such as the pleasure of achieving philosophic enlightenment.

But then epistemological questions intervene. How can I know what state of mind is a worthy goal for me to pursue? Who is to say what pleasures are worth pursuing, and which should be deferred? And what of corporate ethics? What account should I take of other people, their pleasures, their happiness? And what if one pleasure conflicts with another (from vanilla vs. chocolate to career vs. childrearing)? What if it appears that I must sacrifice my own pleasure, even my life, for someone else?

Teleological ethics often boasts of being the simplest kind of ethics. Human beings pursue happiness almost without thinking about it. So teleological ethics basically tells them to keep on doing what they are doing. And teleological ethics seems to bypass the vexing questions we discussed in chapter 3 of how to relate “is” to “ought.” On a teleological basis, it seems, ethical questions are simple “is” questions, questions of fact: Does this course of action make me happier than others? If so, what are the means of achieving it?

But in the difficult areas, where one pleasure seems to conflict with another, factual information is typically indecisive. And even as we pursue seemingly simple goals in life, questions arise as to whether these simple goals are goals we ought to pursue. As we have seen, we cannot deduce ethical “oughts” from judgments of fact. But judgments of fact seem to be the only subject matter of teleological ethics.

At best, teleological ethics takes the “ought” for granted, thinking everybody knows that we ought to pursue pleasure. It takes for granted that only happiness is good in itself. But many of us cannot assume that.

DEONTOLOGICAL ETHICS

So other philosophers have said that ethics is really about “oughts,” obligations, duties. Deontological comes from the Greek deo, which means “owe,” “ought,” or “must.”

Plato’s ethics are complex, but I think he was basically a deontologist, for he saw his “forms” as criteria, standards that the visible world needed to measure up to. Modern deontologism owes much to Immanuel Kant, for whom ethics is based on categorical imperatives—commands that we must obey unconditionally. Kant was an opponent of the teleological tradition. For him, ethical imperatives typically contradict our self-interest, our judgments of what is pleasurable or useful.

But the problem in deontological ethics typically emerges when we try to state what our duties are. Kant thought they could be derived by a logical deduction from a few obvious axioms, such as a version of the Golden Rule. But other philosophers have questioned both these axioms and Kant’s deductions from them.

EXISTENTIAL ETHICS

So many have given up on trying to identify authoritatively the categorical norms of ethics, and they have reverted to what most humans would prefer to do anyway—namely to do whatever they please. Or, to put it more philosophically, they follow their own subjectivity as their only ethical guide. They despise any claims that some person or principle has the right to tell us how to live.

Some existentialists, however, try to bring in other considerations. Jean-Paul Sartre says that we ought to live authentically, in such a way that we display our true selves with honesty. But where do these appeals to authenticity and honesty come from? Why do we have an obligation to be authentic, if subjectivity is our only guide? And what of those of us who are most authentic, most honestly themselves, when they are pretending to be someone else? Also, how do I know which of my desires is authentic when my desires conflict?

It seems that the existentialist cannot do without deontologism, without an appeal to norms that stand above us and define what our true selves ought to be. But the deontologists and the teleologists do such a poor job at defending their duties and their pleasures that their own ethics reduces to existential-subjectivism. And subjectivism boils down to badly disguised versions of deontologism and teleologism.

BIBLICAL THEISM

Why this confusion? Again, I have recourse to a very different worldview, the biblical theism of Scripture. According to the Bible, God orchestrates the purposes of mankind, his own ethical commands, and human subjectivity to work together. We can ask, “What will bring the greatest happiness?” “What are the duties commanded by the highest authority?” and “What fits best with my inner subjectivity?” and arrive at the same place. In a biblical worldview, teleologism, deontologism, and existentialism converge. They provide us with three perspectives on ethics, three different emphases, and three ways of checking and balancing our initial judgments. But in the end, they view the same ethical principles, God’s revelation, from three different angles.

In a biblical teleologism, we seek the goal of God’s glory in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). When we glorify God, we find happiness, even pleasure. So we seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33), knowing that all other blessings will be added unto us.

In a biblical deontologism, we obey God’s commands. These include the two Great Commandments, to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:37–40), and the many applications of these commandments throughout Scripture. One particularly notable group of applications is the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17, Deuteronomy 5:6–21):

Worship the true God alone, placing nothing ahead of him.

Do not worship according to your own imagination and craftsmanship.

Refer to God with reverence.

Rest weekly on the Sabbath day.

Honor your parents and others in authority.

Do not murder; have a deep respect for human life.

Do not commit adultery.

Do not steal.

Do not mislead others in order to hurt someone.

Do not even desire things that you are not permitted to have.

In a biblical existential ethic, we focus on our heart, as Jesus did in the Sermon on the Mount. He taught there that if we truly want to keep the sixth commandment, we must deal with the anger in our hearts (Matthew 5:21–26). And if we want to guard against adultery, our hearts must be purified of lust (Matthew 5:27–30).

In this biblical ethic, there is no tension between human happiness, normative principles, and subjective authenticity. That is because God is sovereign over all three areas: he governs history so that those who seek God’s glory will eventually be blessed (despite ups and downs); he commands those principles that bring him glory; and he creates us so that we are made to live that way.

Again, we see that secular philosophy goes around in circles. Unwilling to accept the revelation of the biblical God, it absolutizes goals, then principles, then subjective feelings, then back again, without finding any assurance about how to live. Certainly philosophers in each of the three major strains of thought above have found part of the truth, in that they have isolated the three factors that deserve consideration in our ethical quest. But those factors will always war for supremacy, until they find their consistency under a tri-personal God.

— John Frame is the retired J. D. Trimble Chair of Systematic Theology and Philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando and is the author of many books, including Salvation Belongs to the Lord, A History of Western Philosophy and Theology, and the four-volume Theology of Lordship series.

Excerpted from John M. Frame, We Are All Philosophers: A Christian Introduction to Seven Fundamental Questions (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019). Also available in Logos.

Image: Aron de Chaves \ de Chavez. (Painter at Amsterdam in 1700.) The original uploader was F67HGBVN at Hebrew Wikipedia., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

---

Subscribe

“I find The Worldview Bulletin very stimulating and would encourage all thinking Christians to read it.”
— John Lennox, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, University of Oxford, Emeritus Fellow in Mathematics and Philosophy of Science, Green Templeton College, author of 2084 (Zondervan)

“The Worldview Bulletin is a wonderful resource for those desiring to inform themselves in matters of Christian Apologetics. Learn key points in succinct articles written by leading scholars and ministers. All for the monthly price of a cup of coffee!”
— Michael Licona, associate professor of theology at Houston Baptist University and author of Why Are There Differences in the Gospels? What We Can Learn From Ancient Biography (Oxford University Press)

“The Worldview Bulletin is a wonderful resource for the church. It’s timely and helpful.”
— Sean McDowell, associate professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology and author of The Fate of the Apostles: Examining the Martyrdom Accounts of the Closest Followers of Jesus (Routledge).

Join numerous thought and ministry leaders who look to the Bulletin for timely insights, analysis, and news for only $2.50 per month. Be equipped, informed, and encouraged in 2021!

---

Helpful Resources

A Beginner’s Guide to Apologetics (a helpful overview of about a dozen apologetics arguments written by leading thinkers. Our own Paul Gould writes on cultural apologetics).

Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible.

Master Class: Can We Trust the Gospels? Evidence for the Gospels' Historical Reliability by Peter J. Williams (a five-part video series on the reliability of the Gospels).

If you’re looking for good reading recommendations, David Dockery has published his annual roundup of the best books of 2020.

For a nice list of free lectures in theology and biblical studies, check out How to Get an Advanced Bible Degree for Free.

Receive a free 30-day trial subscription to Zondervan’s MasterLectures. They have lots of great lectures available from leading evangelical scholars. You can listen to or watch the videos on your computer or phone, or on your TV through Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.

Save 25% on an annual streaming subscription to Seminary Now. Use code FRESHSTART at checkout. There’s also a 7-day free trial.

From Peter S. Williams on Twitter: “Here's the first open access issue of the Nordic Journal 'Theofilos', a special Supplement issue on "Science, Natural Theology, and Christian Apologetics", to which I contributed several pieces and which I was privileged to guest edit.” https://theofilos.no/issues/theofilos-supplement-2020-1/.

See the trailer for Against the Tide, featuring John Lennox and Kevin Sorbo. “Against the Tide is a travelogue, an examination of modern science, an excursion into history, an autobiography, and more. But at heart, it is the story of Prof. John Lennox’s stand against the tide of contemporary atheism and its drive to relegate belief in God to society’s catalogue of dead ideas.”

Book Deals

Look here for Faithlife’s free eBook of the Month. Visit here to get the Logos Free Book of the Month. You can download the free version of Logos which will allow you to access the monthly free books. Logos 9 is a great investment, though, and has tons of tools that make Bible study easier and richer.

Also, get another free book from Logos this month on Aquinas, plus several other discounted titles on Aquinas. And, check out the New Year’s Sale for some significant discounts.

Save up to 70% on print books from Lexham Press, while supplies last, with free US shipping.

Zondervan is running a great sale on several apologetics titles!

Becoming C. S. Lewis (1898–1918): A Biography of Young Jack Lewis by Harry Lee Poe, $5.99

The Pilgrim’s Regress by C. S. Lewis, $3.99

In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture by Alister McGrath, $4.99

A Reader's Guide to the Major Writings of Jonathan Edwards edited by Nathan A. Finn and Jeremy M. Kimble, $5.99

Free to Believe: The Battle Over Religious Liberty in America by Luke Goodrich, $1.99.

Evangelism in a Skeptical World: How to Make the Unbelievable News about Jesus More Believable by Sam Chan, $4.99

Investigating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: A New Transdisciplinary Approachby Andrew Loke is available free on Amazon.

Loving God with Your Mind: Essays in Honor of J. P. Moreland edited by Paul Gould and Richard Davis, $2.99

Does God Exist? by William Lane Craig, $3.99

Lost In Transmission?: What We Can Know About the Words of Jesus by Nicholas Perrin, $3.99

The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth Behind Alternative Christianities by Darrell Bock, $4.99

Think Christianly: Looking at the Intersection of Faith and Culture by Jonathan Morrow, $4.99

God and Stephen Hawking: Whose Design Is It Anyway? by John Lennox, $4.45

God Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents God ed. by Douglas Huffman and Eric Johnson, $4.49

The Philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas: A Sketch by Stephen L. Brock, $2.99

(These deals were good at the time of writing, but prices or offers may change without notice.)