Why Did I Write My New Book on Christian Ethics?
I wrote my new book Christian Ethics: An 
Introduction to Biblical Moral Reasoning (Crossway, 2018) for Christians who want to understand what the Bible teaches about how to obey God faithfully in their daily lives. I hope the book will be useful not only for college and seminary students who take classes in Christian ethics, but also for all other Christians who seek, before God, to be “filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” with the result that they will live “in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9–10).
But the book also contains a challenge. I am concerned that teaching about ethics has been neglected in many evangelical churches today—partly because the issues seem complex, partly because pastors do not want to be accused of sounding “legalistic,” and partly because the surrounding non-Christian culture is hostile to Christian moral values, so anyone who teaches biblical ethics is likely to be criticized by unbelievers. Therefore, I hope this book will help to meet a need among Christians today for more biblical ethical understanding. And I hope the book will challenge Christians to live lives of personal holiness in the midst of a secular culture.
This book is similar in its method to my earlier book Systematic Theology because both books seek to explain “what the whole Bible teaches” about various specific topics. However, Systematic Theology dealt with theological topics such as the Trinity, the person of Christ, the atonement, and salvation, while this book deals with ethical topics such as lying and telling the truth, war, abortion, euthanasia, racial discrimination, divorce and remarriage, homosexuality, stewardship of money, wise use of the environment, and many other topics. I hope this book will help to meet a need among Christians today for more biblical ethical understanding. And I hope the book will challenge Christians to live lives of personal holiness in the midst of a secular culture. Click To Tweet
I hope it will be useful for all Christians who seek to experience the great blessing of God that comes from walking daily in paths of obedience, knowing more of the joy of God’s presence, and experiencing his favor on our lives.
Here is an overview of the book:
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: Introduction to Christian ethics
Chapter 2: The Ultimate Basis for Ethics: The Moral Character of God
Chapter 3: The Bible: Our Source of Ethical Standards
Chapter 4: The Goal of Ethics: A Life Lived for the Glory of God
Chapter 5: The Joys and Blessings of Obedience to God and the Harmful Consequences of Sin
Chapter 6: How to Know God’s Will
Chapter 7: Christians Will Never Have To Choose the “Lesser Sin”
Chapter 8: How should Christians use the Old Testament for ethical guidance?
PART 2: PROTECTING GOD’S HONOR: “You shall have no other gods before me.”
Chapter 9: No Other Gods
Chapter 10: No Carved Images
Chapter 11: Purity of Speech
Chapter 12: Lying and Telling the Truth
Chapter 13: The Sabbath Commandment
PART 3: PROTECTING HUMAN AUTHORITY: “Honor your father and your mother.”
Chapter 14: Authority in the Family
Chapter 15: Equality and Leadership in Marriage
Chapter 16: Civil Government
Chapter 17: Other Authorities
PART 4: PROTECTING LIFE: “You shall not murder.”
Chapter 18: Capital Punishment
Chapter 19: War
Chapter 20: Self-defense
Chapter 21: Abortion
Chapter 22: Euthanasia
Chapter 23: Suicide
Chapter 24: Aging and Death
Chapter 25: Racial Discrimination
Chapter 26: Health
Chapter 27: Alcohol and Drugs
PART 5: PROTECTING MARRIAGE: “You shall not commit adultery.”
Chapter 28: Marriage
Chapter 29: Birth Control
Chapter 30: Infertility, Reproductive Technology, and Adoption
Chapter 31: Pornography
Chapter 32: Divorce and Remarriage
Chapter 33: Homosexuality and Transgenderism
PART 6: PROTECTING PROPERTY: “You shall not steal.”
Chapter 34: Property: The Goodness and Necessity of Private Ownership of Property
Chapter 35: Work, Rest, Vacations, and Retirement
Chapter 36: Increasing Prosperity: Is More Prosperity a Good Thing?
Chapter 37: Wealth and Poverty
Chapter 38: Personal Stewardship
Chapter 39: Borrowing, Lending, and the Question of Debt
Chapter 40: Business Ethics
Chapter 41: Stewardship of the Environment
PART 7: PROTECTING PURITY OF HEART: “You shall not covet.”
Chapter 42: Purity of Heart
Wayne Grudem
Wayne Grudem (PhD, University of Cambridge; DD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is research professor of theology and biblical studies at Phoenix Seminary, having previously taught for 20 years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is a former president of the Evangelical Theological Society, a member of the Translation Oversight Committee for the English Standard Version of the Bible, the general editor of the ESV Study Bible, and has published over 20 books.
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