Van Til Group #12 - The Christian Philosophy of Behavior
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- Опубліковано 28 лют 2024
- In this installment of Van Til Group, we turn to the section of Defense of the Faith (pp. 69-72), which begins the chapter titled “The Christian Philosophy of Behavior.” This section outlines the Christian perspective on ethics, drawing from the Reformed confessions to emphasize that human actions, or behavior, should aim to glorify God. It presents a confessional scheme focusing on three key aspects: the highest good (summum bonum) that humans should strive for, the criterion for achieving this good (which must be based on God’s revealed will in Scripture), and the motivation for pursuing this good, highlighting the necessity of faith and regeneration by the Holy Spirit for genuine ethical action.
The chapter then considers the relationship between ethics and the Christian philosophy of knowledge. It asserts that understanding God’s nature is fundamental to grasping the essence of Christian ethics, with God’s absolute personality serving as the ultimate interpretative category for human existence. This perspective contrasts with non-Christian views by emphasizing that the good is defined by God’s nature and will, rather than existing independently.
The section on “Man as Made in God’s Image” discusses the original moral perfection of humanity, created in the image of the Godhead, and underscores the derivative nature of human moral consciousness. Unlike non-Christian ethics, which may view moral consciousness as the ultimate arbiter of good, Christian ethics sees it as reliant on divine revelation. This foundational difference in epistemology between Christian and non-Christian thought underscores the Christian belief in a receptive rather than creative construction of moral knowledge, with humanity’s moral nature and external revelation jointly guiding ethical understanding.
00:00:07 Introduction
00:04:56 The Christian View of Ethics
00:21:06 Motive, Standard, and Goal
00:32:02 The Summum Bonum
00:39:44 The Euthyphro Dilemma
00:45:13 God’s Nature and Will
00:51:58 Man Made in the Image of God
00:55:53 Christian Epistemology
01:08:58 Conclusion
This is Christ the Center episode 844 (www.reformedforum.org/ctc844)
Thankyou gentlemen for a wonderful explanation of Van Til and all at RF for these brilliant videos. Great to see Van Til group back on track.
This is gold! Thank you, Brothers!
This is really good. Focusing on 1:04:00 in which I agree….
Calvin’s 2nd use of the law (general implications for civil law) is relatively dependent upon consultation with the true church, to even be properly binding as far as curbing / deterring evil with punishment. As we can see, atheists (practical or self-defined) transformationalists (will seek to subvert this.
“It’s a few clicks above Wikipedia.” 😂
Finally, if Darwinism, Naturalism & gnostic-paganism informs societal standards & norms, which is seemingly the default posture of the state and various thought-leaders & influencers in our day, than national (sustaining) pillars of government (and society) will start to crumble. The absence of proper perspective and influence is ultimately self-defeating.
I would conclude that Calvin's 2nd use of the law applied requires Church authority and influence over society. Not in terms of Theonomy but for a political theory of natural law to have any teeth. The depravity of man and the potential for the usurpation of law and order cannot be properly accounted for without divine influence. A corrupt church and a corrupt magistrate will not maintain these things to the detriment of civil society.
1:03:57 Romans 2? It appears that some capacity is maintained and granted to natural man. Bav seems to ground natural law and biblical law laid down in scripture rooted in divine revelation and thus validates a particular form of natural law, but in a limited mode
No one denies natural law ontologically. The fight is over content and means of defining it.
Calvin taught the revealed content of the moral law was the content of the natural law stamped on man.
Natural law theories detach themselves from needing to rely on Scripture, as if its content can be independently discovered and objectively defined.
Aquinas was wrong.
As to Romans 2, the Confession handles that. They do what the law requires in the sense that they don’t sleep with their parents (Remember Paul said, “even the Pagans don’t do this,” to the Corinthians), and don’t cheat on spouses, etc.
Obviously sinners do these things but the point is not all of them.