Lesson 1

Question 1

What’s Christian morality based on?

Answer 1

Christian morality is largely based on the view the God is omnipotent and omniscient and so is the lawgiver and the controller of all things and must therefore mean that God is the controller of morality.

Question 2

DCT

Answer 2

Protestant Christians will follow Divine Command Theory believe that in action is morally good only if it is commanded by God

Question 3

Catholic NML

Answer 3

Those who follow Catholic Natural Moral Law teachings follow the teachings of Aquinas natural law is that part of God’s eternal law the human beings can understand simply through the application of reasonable

Question 4

Situation ethics

Answer 4

Those who follow Joseph fletchers Christian situation ethics focus on one rule only; the law of agape and apply this situationally.

Question 5

What are some deistic beliefs?

Answer 5

-Some deistic Christians believe that since God has left the governance of the world to humans, humans have complete freedom to interpret the Bible as they wish.

-In particular, Process theologians will reject any ethical ideas which tend to separate humanity from its environment

)According to Whitehead, ethics needs to be grounded in the idea of reality as an undivided whole, so ethical decision-making has to include the interests and needs of the environment as a whole.

Question 6

What do Christian’s agree and disagree on?

Answer 6

Christians are agreed about the need for good conduct, but they disagree about what format good conduct should take.

Question 7

Why is good conduct important for Christians?

Answer 7

-brings the reward of earning a place in heaven, and it also avoids being sent to hell.

-Faith in Jesus is the basis for good conduct, since Christians try to follow Jesus’ example in what he taught and the way be behaved

-Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, Paul urges them to abandon bad conduct and to put on the new moral nature that befits what they learned in Christ (4:17 5:20).

-they must abandon deceitful lust, speak the truth, put thieves to honest work, indulge in no evil talk, abandon bitterness and anger, abandon slander and malice and be kind/tender-hearted and forgiving towards each other.

Question 8

Jesus teaching - sermon on mount

Answer 8

At one point, Jesus says, Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Mathew 5:16)

Good conduct therefore glorifies God.

Question 9

Matthew 22:35-40,

Answer 9

Jesus says that the greatest commandments is to love God with all one’s heart, soul and mind and that a second commandment is like it, namely to love your neighbour as yourself; because on these two commandments depend the law and the prophets

Good conduct, then, is based on loving God and other people.

Question 10

Justification by faith

Answer 10

-Justification by Faith is a theological concept that emphasises the belief that faith in Jesus Christ is the means by which individuals are justified or declared righteous in the eyes of God.

-often associated with the teachings of the Protestant Reformation -Martin Luther, John Calvin.

Question 11

What does justification by faith mean?

Answer 11

-puts forward the concept that sin is so evil, only the omnipotent gracious God can remove it.

-Sin has corrupted humanity, so it is argued that even living a good life will not be enough to save you from sin. It is argued that only the grace of God can save you.

-By ‘grace’ we mean the action of God working in our lives.

Question 12

What does Protestant theologian say about justification by faith?

Answer 12

-In Protestant theology, when a person is before God, they are given they goodness and righteousness of Jesus.

-God does not see them full of sin and evil, he sees Jesus. Anyone can be saved, no matter the sin, if they have faith in Jesus.

Question 13

Calvins beliefs about justification by faith

Answer 13

-Calvin talking about how a person can be considered righteous or good in the eyes of God.
-He says that a person becomes righteous not by doing good things, but by having faith.​
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-According to Calvin, when someone believes in and trusts Jesus Christ, they are essentially “laying hold of the righteousness of Christ.”, they are accepting the goodness and perfection of Jesus as their own.​
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-instead of trying to be good enough on their own, a person is considered righteous by God because they have faith in Jesus and His goodness.​
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Question 14

Calvin analogy

Answer 14

-Calvin imagines this like putting on a coat – when you have faith in Christ, you “clothe” yourself in His righteousness.

-This means that when God looks at you, He sees you not as a sinner (someone who does wrong) but as righteous (someone who does right).​
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-In summary, Calvin is emphasizing the idea that faith in Jesus, rather than our own efforts, is what makes us right with God. It’s like trusting in Jesus’ goodness to make us good in God’s eyes.​

Question 15

Faith as the Instrument of Justification key points

Answer 15

-According to this doctrine, individuals are not justified by their good works or adherence to religious laws, but rather by their faith in Jesus Christ.

-This emphasis on faith as the instrumental cause of justification distinguishes it from other views that stress the importance of good deeds or sacraments.

Question 16

Rooted in scripture -JBF

Answer 16

-Advocates of justification by faith often point to biblical passages,to support the concept of justification by faith.

-Romans 3:28 states, “For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”

-verses emphasise that righteousness is imputed to individuals not through the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.

-Romans 1:16-17 where Paul claimed that salvation comes to “everyone who has faith”, which Paul based on the Old Testament passage “He who through faith is righteous shall live”. 

-St Paul claims that God’s grace is not something humans are good enough to earn, because we all sin.

-We cannot do good enough works to be deserving of God’s grace, therefore justification by faith must be more important. St Paul illustrates with Abraham, pointing out that Abraham had faith in God which made him “righteous” (Romans 4:3).

Question 17

Martin Luther’s contribution

Answer 17

-Martin Luther, a key figure in the Protestant Reformation, played a significant role in promoting the idea of justification by faith.

-He argued that salvation is a gift of God’s grace, received through faith alone, and not something that could be earned through human effort.

Question 18

What did Luther base his ideas on?

Answer 18

-Luther based his ideas on Romans from the Bible and believed that what Jesus did on the cross, by dying and taking on sin (atoning), he paid the ‘debt’ of humanity.

-Humans could never have paid this debt, only Jesus could have, because he is God (incarnate).

-Thus, Jesus is the only one to save you and it is faith alone, not good works.

Question 19

Sola Fide - JBF

Answer 19

-Latin phrase that translates to “faith alone”.

-This concept is often associated with the Protestant Reformation, particularly with the teachings of Martin Luther.

-In the context of justification by faith, “sola fide” emphasises the belief that faith in Jesus Christ alone is the means by which a person is justified or made righteous before God.

-According to this theological perspective, salvation is not achieved through good works or adherence to religious rituals but is solely based on faith in Jesus Christ.

Question 20

Imputation of Righteousness (God freely giving righteousness) - JBF

Answer 20

-A crucial aspect of justification by faith is the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to believers.

-This means that, through faith, believers are considered righteous in God’s eyes because of Christ’s atoning work on the cross.

Question 21

Relationship with grace - JBF

Answer 21

-The concept of justification by faith is closely tied to the idea of grace.

-Protestants assert that salvation is a result of God’s unmerited favour, and faith is the means by which individuals appropriate this grace.

-It’s not about earning salvation through good deeds but receiving it as a gift.

Question 22

Response to legalism - JBF

Answer 22

-The emphasis on justification by faith can be seen as a response to what reformers perceived as legalism within the Catholic Church during the medieval period.

-Legalism, in this context, refers to a reliance on human effort and adherence to religious laws for salvation, which proponents of Justification by Faith would reject.

Question 23

Contrast with Catholic doctrines

Answer 23

-The Protestant understanding of justification by faith stands in contrast to certain aspects of traditional Catholic doctrine.

-The Catholic Church historically emphasized the cooperation of faith and good works for justification.

-The Council of Trent (1545–1563) responded to the Reformation, reaffirming the importance of both faith and works.

Question 24

James JBW main argument

Answer 24

-What is the point of faith without works? If a brother or sister lacks food or clothing and someone says that they love them without doing anything about it, that is useless; so faith without works is dead.

-Rather, faith can be shown by works.
-Faith on its own is useless, because even the demons believe in God.

-Abraham: he had faith, sacrificing Isaac

-So, a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.

So, just as a body without a spirit is dead, faith without works is dead.

Question 25

Immoral commands in the bible

Answer 25

-Some moral commands in the Bible are seen as immoral.

-For example, in the Letter of Paul to Titus, part of the moral advice given is to slaves, who must be ‘submissive to their masters and respect give satisfaction in every to show entire and true fidelity…’, which appears to condone slavery by requiring slaves to put up with their situation.

Question 26

Christians who see Jesus command as fully human

Answer 26

-As another example, those Christians who see Jesus’ authority as merely human are perhaps likely to question his command to ‘turn the other cheek’.

-Whether or not Jesus is commanding pacifism here, there is no doubt that many Christians today take the passage in this way, whereas others might find pacifism impractical and immoral, since it does not defend the innocent and allows evil to have its way

Question 27

Jesus - divorce

Answer 27

-Jesus (in Matthew) rules that whoever divorces his wife for any reason other than unchastity (marital infidelity), and then marries another, commits adultery, and Christian Churches differ in their interpretation of this principle.

Question 28

Some Christian beliefs about good conduct

Answer 28

-Some Christians insist that good conduct is not a matter of following rules for the sake of a reward (such as heaven) or to avoid punishment (including that of hell), but is a matter of doing right for right’s sake.

-In the Unitarian movement, for example, it is assumed that members have free will to make moral choices: religious doctrines are an aid to choosing, but it is free reason that makes the choice

Question 29

Liberal Christian’s

Answer 29

Some liberal Christians see concepts of heaven and hell as psychological realities, so that those who practise good moral conduct create God’s Kingdom here on earth rather than after death.

Question 30

Christian - kingdom of god

Answer 30

-Many Christians for whom the Kingdom of God is a future reality place particular importance on the New Testament doctrine of the Atonement, which we looked at earlier.

-It teaches that the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus atone (make up for) for the original sin of humanity, as expressed in the story of the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

-The theology is complex, as you have seen in earlier chapters, but essentially, it explains death as a consequence of original sin, and it explains further that Jesus’ death restores the relationship between God and humanity, so that those who accept Jesus and God’s Holy Spirit can have the gift of eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

Question 31

Doctrine of justification

Answer 31

-This is where the doctrine of ‘Justification’ (to be declared righteous) comes in. How is it that a sinner can be declared righteous? You need to look at three sets of ideas:

1 That a Christian can be justified by faith.
2 That a Christian can be justified through good works.
3 That a Christian is predestined to enter God’s Kingdom.

Question 32

Theme of justification developed by God

Answer 32

-The theme of justification by faith is developed by St Paul, whereas the idea of justification by works is raised in the Letter of James. For some, their ideas conflict, although for others they do not.

-We shall start with justification by faith.

-The debate about justification by faith and justification by works (also about predestination) is very complex, so you will need to understand the main points rather than the detail.