The matter
of Christian conduct has always been open to debate on matters
where the Bible was not clear or specific. How are we to determine
appropriate Christian conduct? Are lists of rules and “church
covenants” of no value? Certainly not! However, it seems that
the Apostles approached the matter of conduct from an entirely
different perspective, for example: For the Apostle Paul, an
appeal to characteristics such as; pride, duty and disciple were
of utmost importance.
This week’s study is based on
Christian Conduct; biblical words for conduct and scripture
references are taken from the class notes and
lectures by James M. Grier, Th.D. from his course,
Christian Ethics, produced by the
Institute of Theological Studies
Dr. Grier is Distinguished Professor of
Philosophical Theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary
(USA), where he served for fifteen years as Executive Vice
President and Academic Dean. He has taught and pastored for over
thirty years. A recognized authority in the area of ethics and
moral theology, he has served on numerous hospital boards as a
counselor for medical ethics. Dr. Grier is in high demand as a
conference speaker on philosophical theology and worldview.
Our
Conduct
We believe that a Christian should live for
the glory of God and the well-being of his fellowmen, that his
conduct should be blameless before the world, that he should be
a faithful steward of his possessions, and that he should seek
to realize for himself and others the full stature of maturity
in Christ.
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Psalm 101
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1 Corinthians 10:31
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1 Thessalonians 5:11
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Ephesians
4:13
The English poet and literary critic
Matthew Arnold stated:
Ø
“Conduct is three-fourths of our life and
its largest
concern.”
Author
Charles E. Orr states:
Ø
“Since we have come
into the glorious fullness of God’s salvation and bear His
beautiful holy image in our nature and life, it now remains for
us to show forth His glory and praise and life by bearing the
excellent fruits of righteousness on to the end of our life’s
journey.”
The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language defines conduct
as:
Ø
The way a person acts,
especially from the standpoint of morality and
ethics.
Biblical
Words for Conduct
In order for us to understand the word
ethics according to The American Heritage
Dictionary of the English Language, there are two biblical
words that exist, for
example:
1.
’ethos
Ø
The Greek word ’ethos
means ethic, translated in Latin means moral
Ø
’ethos is used 12 times in the New
Testament
Ø
Almost always means: custom,
usage or practice as prescribed by law (manner and
custom)
2.
’anastrophe
Ø
In the Old KJV ’anastrophe
means conversation
Ø
Should be translated as
conduct
Ø
Has to do with manner of life,
behavior or conduct
Ø
Used 13 times in the New
Testament, 9 times it is used in a good and positive sense and 4
times used in the negative
sense.
Examples
of Biblical ’anastrophe
(Conduct)
-
Galatians
1:13:
“For you have heard of my
former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God
beyond measure and tried to destroy it.”
Ø
This describes the Apostle
Paul’s quality of moral life before regeneration.
Ø
He is saying you have heard of
my former ’anastrophe (i.e. my conduct) which was characterized
by Judaism.
- Ephesians 4:22:
“That you put off, concerning your
former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to
the deceitful lusts.”
Ø
Here conduct is
used negatively, it characterized life in a pre-regenerative
state
Ø
Paul tells us that
we must put off according to our former ’anastrophe (i.e. our former conduct) before
regeneration; there are certain things that characterize our
conduct now that God’s spirits has renewed us. Therefore, the former
conduct is no longer appropriate for God’s
people.
- 1 Timothy 4:
12: “Let no one
despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in
word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in
purity.”
Ø
Here Paul is saying
that the believer should be an example in word, in ’anastrophe (i.e. conduct), “in love, in spirit, in
faith and in purity.”
Ø
Paul is instructing
Timothy by his apostolic delegate to the church, that he is to
be a role model to the believer. This role model is going
to be demonstrated by the words he chooses to use, by the
conduct he chooses to implement and by the relationships he
chooses to sustain.
This is a very strong use of this word, in its
relationship to godly conduct.
Ø
The Pastor is to be
the person who is to be a pattern, a moral pattern for life, not
only in speech but in conduct. Not in general conduct
but conduct that expresses genuine love for
God.
- Hebrews 3:
7: “Remember
those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to
you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their
conduct.”
Ø
The writer Paul tells us:
remember your leaders who have spoken to you the Word of God, of
whom considering their conduct imitates their faith.
Ø
It is the quality of the
conduct of the leaders that bears imitation by the believers.
- James
3:13:
“Who is wise and understanding
among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are
done in the meekness of
wisdom.”
Ø
James poses this
question: “Who is wise and understanding among you?”
Ø
He is saying here:
the wise man ought to be able to demonstrate his wisdom by
showing out of his excellent conduct (out of the excellence of
his conduct, let him demonstrate that he is wise and
understanding).
Ø
Here is the best
use of ’anastrophe (i.e. conduct): A wise man is equal to a
man whose conduct can be described as
excellent.
- 1 Peter 1:15:
“But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all
your conduct.”
Ø
The New Testament
writer who used the word conduct the most is
Peter.
Ø
Peter is saying: Be
holy in all your conduct
Ø
In verse 13 he
reminded us: “Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be
sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be
brought to you at the revelation of Jesus
Christ.”
Ø
“Having girded up
the lions of your mind, while in the state of spiritual
subrightly. Set your hope on finality of grace being brought to
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Not fashioning yourself
according to your old lust that characterized your pagan life
but of children of obedience, be ye therefore holy in your
conduct as your Father is heaven is
holy.”
Ø
In this passage, we
have a very strong correlation between one’s thought life and
one’s conduct life.
Ø
Peter suggests that
none of us will ever be holy if we indulged our minds in every
idea that comes and seeks lodging in its place—“gird up your
minds, be spiritually sober.”
- 1 Peter 1:
18: “Knowing that
you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or
gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from
your fathers.”
Ø
Here Peter talks
about your vain conduct that characterized your life in
paganism
Ø
Or: your useless
conduct which characterized the quality of your actions while in
a state of spiritual blindness.
- 1 Peter 2:12:
“Having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when
they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good
works which they observe, glorify God in the day of
visitation.”
Ø
Peter spoke about
your ’anastrophe (i.e. your conduct) among the
people
- 1 Peter 3:1:
“Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that
even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may
be won by the conduct of their
wives.”
Ø
Peter talks about
the ’anastrophe (i.e. conduct) of the wives, those wives
by their conduct are going to win their
husbands
Ø Verse
2: He calls the conduct
pure
Ø Verse
16: He calls it good and therefore,
Peter here is encouraging wives of un-regenerative husbands to
demonstrate the quality of the Christian faith by the kind of
way they conduct their lives: pure and
good.
- 2 Peter
2:7: “And
delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy
conduct of the wicked.”
Ø
Here Peter talks about
lawless (wicked) ’anastrophe (i.e. conduct) that describes those who
walk in rebellion against the living
God.
- 2 Peter
3:11: “Therefore,
since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of
persons ought you to be in holy conduct and
godliness.”
Ø
Peter after describing the
coming universal catastrophic judgement by fire from heaven
(verses 10), he encourages all of us by saying “what manner of
men ought we to be in all holy ’anastrophe—all holy conduct.”
Scripture reference for this study: New King James Version
(Copy right 1982 by Thomas Nelson,
Inc.)
Points of Fact
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The
Bible and its instruction are the basis for our conduct
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The
apostle Paul gave basic guidelines for a Christian. He said that the true
believer must live in the world: i.e. function within the
society in which he finds himself but must not become a part of
the practices, actions, or attitudes that are contrary to God’s
way of life.
Ø
John
wrote that while Christians must be “in” the world, they are not
a be “of” the world.
Ø
Jesus prayed that God would
“protect” His disciples from evil in the world, not to take them
“out” of the world (John 17:15)
Ø
Peter also encouraged us to
walk holy in an evil world
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Read James
1:26
Our
Prayer
May God bless and guide you this week as
you study and reflect upon biblical conduct. As we strive to be
obedient to God, may we continually pattern our lives according
to God’s holy way.
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Remember, any holiness we may
have in character and conduct is received from God’s Holy
Spirit.
Questions or Comments? (Please contact
us)
