In the first two chapters of his book, Biblical Christian Ethics, David Clyde Jones, a professor at Covenant Theological Seminary, lays some groundwork for his book about Ethics. I found the material to be interesting and helpful, especially in describing Christian Ethics as seeking an answer to the question, "What is God calling us, his redeemed people, to be and to do?" Jones' answer comes in three layers, "The controlling purpose of the Christian life is the glory of God; the impelling motive of the Christian life is love for God; and the directing principle of the Christian life is the will of God revealed in Christ and the Holy Scriptures" (16). This three fold answer he promises to expound upon in the next three chapters.
The second chapter discusses "The Goal of the Christian Life" which Jones' describes as encompassing the pursuit of four things: the Glory of God, the Image of Christ, the Kingdom of God and Eternal Life. It is these things which the Christian is aimed at, our finish line. And these four things are not stand alone goals but four aspects of the Christian aim, with overlap and significant linking between them. For instance, Jones says that, "God is glorified in the imitation of Christ in all things great and small, for the image of Christ is the supreme expression of the glory of God" (24).
Along these lines Jones also claims that glorifying God and enjoying him forever go together in the biblical end, or goal, of the Christian. This really got me thinking about glorifying and enjoying God forever, it seems that one could certainly glorify and value something without necessarily enjoying that thing. And that someone could enjoy something without necessarily glorifying it. I can certainly enjoy football without glorifying and setting it as the most valued thing in my life but with God, the two must go hand in hand.
Why is this? Well because God is not out simply for his own glorification but also for the good, happiness and joy of his creatures, which can only be ultimately found in Him. Therefore he orients the Christian life around glorifying and enjoying Him because through this glorifying and enjoying, the Christian is conformed to the image of Christ, which allows us to live in the Kingdom of God here on Earth and emulate the hope of life eternal.
All this to say, there was much that I really enjoyed and will be thinking about but one quote really stuck out to me in particular came at the end of chapter two while Jones wrapped up his discussion of practical implications. He says on page 36, “The fundamental principle of the Christian life is not adherence to impersonal law but allegiance to God the personal law-giver our of a desire to please him and to be conformed to him.” One of the best ways I’ve heard it put, thank you Dr. Jones.
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