TheUltimateSourceofEthical.mp3
👆Click and listen to this training as you get ready or drive somewhere.
When readers turn to Chapter 3 of Wayne Grudem’s Christian Ethics, they find themselves faced with one of the most important claims in the entire book: the ultimate source for knowing what is right and wrong is the written Word of God. Titled “The Ultimate Source of Ethical Standards: The Bible,” this chapter clarifies that Christian ethics cannot be grounded in shifting cultural opinions, personal reasoning, or even church tradition alone. Instead, the Bible stands as the clear, sufficient, authoritative, and ultimate guide for the moral life of believers.
This chapter builds on the previous two by establishing the logical order: if ethics flows from the moral character of God (chapter 2), then the way we know that character and His will for us is through His Word (chapter 3). For readers, this is a profound lesson. Ethics is not guesswork. God has not left His people in the dark, groping after moral truth without clarity. Instead, He has spoken, and His speech is preserved in the Scriptures.
From the very beginning, the reader is introduced to a central claim: the Bible alone is the ultimate and final authority for Christian ethics. While reason, experience, and tradition may play supporting roles, they must always be measured against Scripture. This conviction sets the tone for everything that follows in the book.
One of the first things a reader learns in this chapter is why the Bible is necessary for ethics. Grudem shows that without divine revelation, humanity is left to moral confusion and relativism. Though people may have some moral instincts through conscience or common grace, these are insufficient to guide life fully. The reader quickly sees that only God’s Word gives us an infallible, comprehensive, and trustworthy revelation of His will.
The Bible’s necessity is anchored in passages like 2 Timothy 3:16–17, where Paul affirms that “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” For the reader, this text highlights that Scripture equips believers not partially but fully for the moral life. Without Scripture, Christian ethics would be incomplete.
The reader also learns that the Bible’s necessity is pastoral, not merely theoretical. In the real world, Christians face questions about sexuality, economics, technology, politics, and countless other issues. Human wisdom cannot provide consistent answers. Only the Word of God can speak authoritatively into every dimension of life.
Next, readers find a strong emphasis on the authority of Scripture. Grudem insists that because the Bible is God’s Word, it carries God’s own authority. To disobey the Bible is to disobey God. For the reader, this is a sobering reminder that Christian ethics cannot be separated from obedience to Scripture.
The authority of the Bible is contrasted with human opinions. Cultures change, philosophies shift, and traditions develop—but Scripture stands firm. Readers are reminded of Jesus’ declaration in Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” God’s Word is enduring, and therefore its ethical authority is unshakable.
This teaching challenges readers to evaluate their own approach to ethics. Do they see the Bible as merely one voice among many, or as the final word in every moral debate? Grudem presses home the point that Scripture’s authority is absolute. For the Christian, there is no higher court of appeal.
Readers also encounter the doctrine of the clarity of Scripture. Grudem emphasizes that the Bible is understandable to ordinary believers. While not every passage is equally easy to interpret, the overall message of Scripture is clear enough to guide ethical life. This is a crucial encouragement for the reader: ethics is not reserved for scholars or clergy. Every Christian, by the Spirit’s help, can discern God’s moral will through the Scriptures.