Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics

If you want to know what the Bible says on several ethical issues of our day, this is a great resource. I am already reading it a second time to glean what I missed on the first reading.

Murray writes a convincing, concise, and easy to understand Christian ethic in this book, and does an excellent job of keeping the focus on ethics, while viewing it through the scope of the doctrine of the nature of man. I'm a full time (15 credit hours/semester) theology student, and this was my favorite theological book I read this entire semester. Extremely well written, recommended to anyone.

Great book and very technical (plenty of biblical references to the points he makes). Overall, great book that highlights many difficult questions in the Bible.

Chapter three on Marriage ordinance and procreation is worth the price of the whole book. John Murray was a giant among giants in the Christian world!

I love this book.

Thanks.

Scottish born John Murray (1898-1975) was a professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, rightly esteemed as one of the most exceptional Reformed theologians of the 20th century. He studied under J. Gresham Machen at Princeton Theological Seminary. In "Principles of Conduct: Aspects of Biblical Ethics" Murray discusses ethical issues such as:- Marriage- Divorce- Capital punishment- Lying and deception- The Sermon on the Mount- Law and Grace.Professor Murray guides the reader to the Bible and the Decalogue as the indispensable foundation to discern proper Christian conduct and morals.The author insists on a clear distinction between the law of God and grace provided by the Gospel of Christ. Hence a Christian is saved and perseveres by grace alone as he obeys God's word because he IS saved and desires to please the Lord. The "truth is that if law is conceived of as contributing in the least degree towards our acceptance with God and our justification by him, then the gospel is" nullified (p. 182).I would personally assert: Our epistemological means of discerning what is good and right is found in the Bible. That is our authority and our guide. Man is not the standard. Reason is not the standard. Pragmatism is not the standard. And utilitarianism is not the standard. Why? Because only the Bible can provide a standard based on an all-knowing and unchanging being, God. The standard must be based on an immutable and omniscient source or ethics could change. Only an all-knowing being could make laws that should be universally applied to all men at all times. If moral laws were based on finite humanity: lying and murder could be good. This is impossible and collapses the shelf that it sits on. If lying could be good, there can be no truth, which is a truth claim. This is self-impaling.We are ruled by a sovereign God who gives us laws and proscriptions that do not change because He cannot change. There is no place for autonomy. Nietzsche and Hitler proclaimed an ethic based on autonomy and survival of the fittest. Their values led to the deaths of millions. If a philosopher, judge, or politicians try to dismiss God from ethics, they end up with mass graves; it's self-stultifying Liberty is not autonomy. Liberty is freedom to be who you are and what you want to be within the values of God's word. Without Biblical restrictions from an immutable God, injustice would flourish. To have upstanding people, a nation must have a moral code from an unchanging and all-knowing God. Only He can provide an unchanging standard of good since He alone is unchanging.The Christian is to be taught that obedience is to be motivated by love. The believer is to follow God's law because he loves God and his fellow man. God is good and loving. This truth infuses obedient love into the believer's heart, by the power and person of the Holy Spirit, through faith. If you love Jesus, you are called to follow His moral law. If a church loves Jesus, it is going to instruct and admonish its members to follow God's law.For most modern Christians, Murray is not a smooth read, yet this work is profound and unambiguous. Yes for the theological novice it may be difficult to comprehend, but it is well worth the effort. I urge all theologians, ethicists, ministers, and apologists to read this superb treatise. There Are Moral Absolutes: How to Be Absolutely Sure That Christianity Alone Supplies

Essential reading for Christians