The Bible as the Best Textbook (Parts 1 & 2): On Philosophy and Ethics

There exists today a widening consensus by many in our country that the Bible does not belong in the public square or in public education. Of course, this is nonsense. The Bible is the greatest Book ever written and the best textbook any serious student could ever encounter. This is not only a sentiment held by theologians throughout history but, also, it was the dominant opinion of our Founding Fathers. In the article below, Dr. Sam Thomas speaks to the Bible as the greatest textbook ever written in matters of philosophy and ethics.

-Dr. Jason J. Nelson (Editor-in-Chief)

THE BIBLE AS THE BEST TEXTBOOK ON PHILOSOPHY

This series of thoughts are focused around the idea that the Bible is the best textbook. In the first part of this series, I would like to point out that the Bible is the best textbook on philosophy from the Christian perspective.

Now, why would we say that? We say that because the Bible provides the best answers to the ultimate questions of human life.

So, what are some of the ultimate questions of human life?

1. How did everything come into existence? The question of origin.
2. Is there an ultimate reality? Is there a God?
3. If ultimate reality or God exists, what is he like or what is it like?
4. Where have we as humans come from? Where are we going?
5. What does it mean to be human?
6. What is the meaning and purpose of human life?
7. Is there anything wrong with human beings? And if there is, what is the solution to that problem?
8. What happens after death?
9. How should society exist and function?
10. Who decides what is right, what is wrong and on what basis?

Now, every religion tries to answer these questions. Every philosophy tries to answer these questions as well. And our answers to these ultimate questions provide us with a worldview with which we see the world, with which we interpret events, and with which we handle the crisis of our lives.

From the Christian perspective, the Bible is the best textbook on philosophy because it provides us with the best answers, the most coherent answers to these ultimate questions of life. The Bible provides us with the most meaningful and the most truthful answers to these questions. The Bible provides us with the right worldview – with which to view Reality, ourselves, others, the events around us, and so on.

The Bible is the best textbook on Philosophy!

BIBLE AS THE BEST TEXTBOOK ON ETHICS

Part two of the series Bible as the best textbook. Here we are going to argue that the Bible is the best textbook on ethics.

Ethics is concerned with the way we ought to conduct our lives. Now, according to the Bible, God is the author and the source of all ethics and morality. Ethics is not a human invention. It is not a social or cultural construct. It is rooted in God.

Throughout the Bible you would find principles, precepts, commands and guidelines instructing us on what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad, what is God-honoring and what is not.

I want to draw our attention to two Bible passages.

First, the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament. These were intended to be the ethical charter for the people of God, the Israelites. Through these Ten Commandments, the Israelites were instructed on how to love God and how to love their neighbor. In fact, the entire law and the entire prophets can be summarized with these two commandments.

Firstly, love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your strength, and with all your mind. And secondly, love your neighbor as yourself. God expected the Israelites to follow these ethical principles. When they forgot to do so, God sent them the prophets to remind them. And when they insisted on disobedience and unethical behavior, God sent them punishments and judgments.

Secondly, Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament. Here again, Jesus emphasized loving God and loving one’s neighbor. However, He also raises ethics to a higher level. Jesus turns ethics from mere external actions to internal desires, motives and intentions. One could argue that the ethics of Jesus is the epitome of human ethics. It is unique and it is unsurpassed.

The rest of the New Testament explains the ethics of Jesus as the ethics of love. We are told not just to love God and our neighbor, but also to show love to strangers. Interestingly and uniquely, we are called to love our enemies.

I Corinthians 13 is the best description of what it means to love. The biblical commands on forgiveness, generosity, etc. are all grounded in love. The ethics of Jesus is the highest expression of human ethics. It is unique and unsurpassable.

This is why we say that the Bible is the best textbook on ethics ever!