Skriftuurlike grondslae vir die gereformeerde teologiese etiek

Abstract

The discipline of ethics is concerned with the question as to whether interpersonal acts are good or bad. Subsequent questions concerning who or what determines whether an act is good or bad, lead one toward the underlying Scriptural principles of Reformed theological ethics. These underlying principles are the following: the creation of all things by God and his dominion over everything; sin, the covenant of grace, redemption from sin by Christ, the ascension and reign of Christ, the descent and work of the Holy Spirit, the second coming of Christ; the Word (and especially the law) of God as norm for the life of man. Scripture provides clear norms regarding matters such as murder, adultery and theft, but there are no specific norms for ethical questions such as abortion, euthanasia, family planning, etc. This fact gives rise to the distinction between revealed, concretised and contingent norms.