The ethics decision we make supposed to be in accordant and based on Christian ethics decision which is always and oriented on Bible teaching.
A. TERMINOLOGY
Ethics derived from Greece word “ethos“, means tradition, habit, practice. To Aristotle, this term includes idea of “character” and “disposition” or tendency. Ethics is “knowledge about what is good and what bad, and about moral rights and obligations.”
Based on understanding above, it could be said that ethics is related with what said and done by human every day and how they do it, whether that all based on values of objective righteousness and values of universal moral teachings.
B. ETHICAL DUTY
In standpoint of Christian faith, we could say “ethics is study about how live should be based on what has been taught by Bible and Christian’s faith.” But we should realize that actually ethics itself has broader concept. It means we should understand many things about theory and concept in society, so that we can really know how to take the right ethics decision. So, it can be concluded that ethics is study that learning how to make or to take precise and right decision.
C. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ETHICS AND MORAL
Even etymologically the meaning of ethics and moral have same understanding, but not exactly same with morality. Ethics is like reviewers to human daily life activity, whereas morality is subject that became assessor of right or wrong.
D. TWO KINDS OF ETHICS
1. Descriptive ethics
Descriptive ethics is ethics which try to take view critically, rational and logic about human behave and attitude.
2. Normative ethics
Normative ethics is ethics which try to set various attitudes and ideal behavior that should be had by human in this life as something value. Normative ethics gives assessment and provide norms as basis and framework of action that will be decided. The good and bad assessment about individual action or in particular society group in normative ethics, is always associated with normative moral values, which is used as reference to lead someone in action right and correctly, so that he / she can be spared from bad things, vain, adverse, and dangerous.
ETHICS SOURCE
A. General Ethics
1. Family
The behavior of a child in the future is very influenced by parenting and moral education of the child. Parents’ role is the most influence in child’s moral development, and moral education system in family will be like as “software” that will be programmed in child’s mind in controlling his / her behavior and action in the future.
2. Religion
Religion is one of moral source and ethics to a child that is raised in a family.
3. Environment
In growth of children, they will start to interact with environment outside family environment where they raised, such as neighbor or school environment.
B. Christian Ethics Source
Christian ethics has three sources, namely: God, Bible and Jesus Christ. Christian ethics is sourced from God, so it can be said and believed that Christian ethics is normative. It means ethics norms which have been taught by Bible are absolutely true and must be manifested in daily life (in words and action).
1. God
From Bible we know God has perfect characteristics, and we should use all of it as guidelines and foundation of Christian ethics. God’s character also should be use as reference in taking decision. The eternal God’s character should we reflect in our daily attitude.
a. God is holy ==> Holy means separated from all dirtiness and uncleannes. In Him there is no sin. Realizing this matter, we as Christian must also free from uncleannes in our daily words and action. Human can not align with God without holy life.
b. God is fair and right ==> God always act based on righteousness and fairness. We must also live and act based on that in imitating God’s character.
c. God is love ==> It has been avowed by Him through His work to people who believe and worship Him. Therefore, we as the believer of God must live in love.
d. God is merciful ==> One of the God’s characters which is very prominent is His mercy to men. God’s compassion make Him do everything give kindness and help us.
e. God is forgive ==> Sin has no way out in every effort, for example self-goodness. Every human’s goodness has been stained by sin, therefore human may not be deigned in front of Holy God. But, Bible states not only about fact and reality of men’s sin, fact and reality of God’s punishment to sinned men, but also states about fact and reality of God’s glorious and beautiful mercy.
2. Bible
There are 4 Bible’s goodness in our daily life, namely :
a. Teaching ==> Bible as normative Christian ethics source teaches believed men about many things, such as : creation of God, men, sin, salvation, eternity life, and other.
b. To state error ==> Bible clearly and firmly states that men are guilty and sinned in front of God.
c. To fix error ==> Human’s behavior that has been damaged by sin, must be fixed and changed. If it’s not changed in accordance with God’s word, our every behavior will be accounted.
d. Teaching in truthness ==> Truthness which is improved by world, is not really true truthness and objective. World that has been felt into sin, is no longer obey truthness of God which has been revealed through general revelation (universe) and special revelation (Bible and Jesus Christ). As the children of God, we must always aware so that not follow truthness which is offered by this world.
3. Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ gives so many lessons and moral pattern that can be reference to believer. Jesus Christ’s teaching is ethics sourced from Kingdom of God. The very important lessons from Jesus Christ’s life is that we must do and use it as reference in ethics are :
a. Love
Love is the greatest ethics norm that could be seen in Jesus Christ, and that is reference in our every word and action.
b. Honesty
The honesty of Jesus Christ in doing God’s work during he lived in this world, was visibly seen and recognized by people. We as the believer of Jesus Christ must imitate His honesty in whatever we do.
c. Braveness
Jesus Christ fears nobody because He speaks every word and does every action based on truthness. Bravery is possible only if we live based on truthness.
d. Sacrifice
Jesus Christ sacrificed His life to redeem sinned men. This is the real realization of God’s love to us. Realizing the great love of Christ for this world and especially to us who believe Him, the we should be willing to sacrifice ourselves for our fellow.
Yolla Hully 