Church Family,  

As I mentioned in the June 29 sermon from Exodus, we are about to study the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20). These commandments comprise the introductory headings from which the detailed laws for Israel were derived (Exodus 21-24). While the Ten Commandments comprise headings for the Old Covenant Law for Israel, they are reflective of the nature of God overall and thus find a general application and extension even in our New Covenant age. Jesus completes what the Ten Commandments call for. That is, Jesus, in His incarnation, perfectly lived according to the intentions of all of the Old Covenant Law. To live “in Christ,” then is to live as He lived and with His life empowering ours. That means that the ethical implications of the Ten Commandments will still be visible as we live out the Christian life. The New Testament does not radically depart from the Old Testament ethical standards. 

What then should a Christian’s ethics look like? I want to explore a Christian approach to ethics. How does theology impact ethics? And how does ethics impact worship? These are critical questions for us to address. And they are relevant ones. What determines a genuinely Christian ethic? What does the Bible say about marriage and divorce? How should Christians view issues related to life and death (i.e., abortion, IVF and euthanasia)? Our culture is constant grappling with issues related to race and justice. What is a Christian view? How should a Christian’s ethics shape his or her view of their physical stewardship, wellness and health? How does a Christian construct their viewpoint about these issues? 

For the next several weeks, we will look into these issues. Starting this Sunday, July 20, 5:00 pm, we will address the subject of Christian ethics and its implication for a number of current cultural topics. The format will be simple. I will give a one hour talk on a particular matter and then we will dialogue for a half hour over the subject. 

Here is the schedule of topics: 

• July 20 - The Bible, Ethics and Worship 
• July 27 – The Bible and Marriage 
• August 3 – The Bible and Sexuality 
• August 10 – The Bible and Life and Death 
• August 17 – The Bible and Race and Justice 
• August 24 – The Bible and the Body 

Feel free to attend any you wish. Our aim is simply to think in a biblical way about ethics in general and in a few specific contemporary issues. We will be recording the audio of these talks for you to reference in the future.

I look forward to the time with you. 

Bret Capranica