The Knowledge Of Good And Evil: Who Decides What Is Morally Right And Wrong? - Softcover

Hildebrandt, Joshua K.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1452021767 ISBN 13: 9781452021768

Verlag: AuthorHouse, 2010

Inhaltsangabe

What is morally right and wrong differs from one individual to the next. From the big issues of abortion and sexual expression to the life choices of integrity, these differing opinions exist throughout human culture. Who is right and who is wrong? Is mankind fit to decide what is good and evil-or is this decision too great a responsibility for us to handle? As the moral fabric of the individual, the family, the nation, and the world disintegrates, we are faced with the dilemma: "Who really decides what is morally right and wrong" In "The Knowledge of Good and Evil" Joshua K. Hildebrandt takes us back to the beginning . . . to a man and a woman and a tree in a garden . . . to discover how this question can be answered, and to show us the freedom that can be ours in laying down the right to choose!

Über diesen Titel

Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

The Knowledge of Good and Evil

Who decides what is morally right and wrong?By Joshua K. Hildebrandt

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Joshua K. Hildebrandt
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-2176-8

Contents

Letter to Reader..................................................xiIntroduction......................................................xiiiCHAPTER ONE: Life Before Man......................................1CHAPTER TWO: Morality Defined.....................................15CHAPTER THREE: Morality Before the Fall...........................25POEM: The Glory of God in Man.....................................33CHAPTER FOUR: Morality After the Fall.............................35POEM: The Loss of Innocence.......................................45CHAPTER FIVE: Righteousness.......................................49CHAPTER SIX: Overcoming Immorality................................59POEM: The Pull of Pornography.....................................70POEM: The Pull of Grace...........................................71CHAPTER SEVEN: The Knowledge of Good and Evil.....................75Appendix 1: DEFINITIONS...........................................87

Chapter One

Life Before Man

In the beginning, God created ... Genesis 1:1

"In the beginning, God created" is the first thing we read from Scripture. This is the creation of all physical order, including humanity. With this declaration, we are given a reference point, the very point of origin to which we can tie our reasoning mind. A sort of imagery is created with these five words. This imagery creates a picture that our imagination can dream about, a map of sorts, which leads us back to the beginning. Once there, we find three things:

1. There was a beginning.

2. God was there.

3. He created the beginning.

These three statements contain the very building blocks of our existence. They are the purest, truest and noblest thoughts; for creation itself screams these truths.

When a man acknowledges these truths in his heart, he is given a trajectory of sorts that steers the rest of his thinking in the proper direction. With this proper trajectory, correct ideologies can be established. The economic, political, social, and educational systems of a society will either have at their core this understanding and thus be positively affected, or they will be absent it and thus be negatively affected.

Without these truths at the core of man's understanding, his ideologies are destined for despair and destruction. Truly, these three statements are the linchpin that allows all of our reasoning to be sound. To properly understand the knowledge of good and evil and its place, we must understand these three points.

There Was a Beginning

All of us can think back to our beginning. We can go back ninety to a hundred years in our mind and we've predated ourselves, some even far less than that. If you're a teenager just imagine twenty years ago for a moment. Think about the world before you came on the scene. How did it function? How did it feel? How was it different? If you think about it, in its broadest sense, you will see that nothing is different in the nature of man from before you were born until now. Although your arrival was important, it did not change who or what man is. Man is the same. One thing is for sure though: we had a definite beginning—a marked time that is unique to only us. A beginning is defined as; "the process of coming, or being brought into being." Every beginning implies three things: One, every beginning implies creation. Two, every creation implies a creator. And three, every creator implies design or purpose. No matter how insignificant a thing is, if it exists, it was created for a purpose. The Bible declares that God created nothing in vain. Everything, down to the smallest atom, exists for a purpose. But what is that purpose? Let's look at Colossians 1:16:

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ESV

Everything was created by Him and for Him. The ultimate purpose of all things is to bring glory to God. He created every galaxy in the universe, placed every star in its precise location, set every planet in its exact orbit, and formed man in his own image, all for His own pleasure. The very fact that you had a beginning declares the existence of God. The question remains: Are we too arrogant to see what is clearly implied?

God's Existence - Man's Existence

The ability to trace our beginning is one of the greatest differences between God and man. Man's days can be counted; a definite value can be placed on them. Even though this number will continue to rise, it can be counted, and thus measured. God, on the other hand, cannot be traced back to a beginning. Having no beginning or ending of days, we see then that man's beginning came from Him. We can assume this based upon the first two implied concepts of a beginning:

1. Every beginning implies creation.

2. Every creation implies a creator.

If God alone existed at our beginning and every beginning requires a creator, then our creation is dependent upon Him.

There is no number that represents God's existence. He cannot be defined numerically, but man can. We are asked, "How old are you?" and we reply, "I'm 25" or "35" or "65", and in doing so we define ourselves by this number. This is not so for God. Ask God, "How old are you?" and what you get is something far greater than a number that represents His existence, we may hear Him reply, "I am that I am, I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end—who was, who is, who is to come."

In "The End for Which God Created the World," Jonathan Edwards said this concerning the above:

When God is so often spoken of as the last as well as the first, the end as well as the beginning, it is implied that as he is the first, efficient cause and fountain from whence all things originate; so, he is the last, final cause for which they are made; the final term to which they all tend in their ultimate issue. This seems to be the most natural import of these expressions; and is confirmed by other parallel passages; as Romans 11:36: "For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things." Colossians 1:16: "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him." Hebrews 2:10: "For it became him, by whom are all things, and for whom are all things." And in Proverbs 16:4, it is said expressly, "The LORD hath made all things for himself."

In other words, not only was everything created by Him, but it was also created for Him as well. He is the beginning of it all and the end for which it was created. This is important for us to know because it sets a priority for things, with God being at the top. It humbles man's pervasive self-worth and allows us to glory in His worth. It's not all about you and me! It's about Him! Even our salvation is not for our own glory. That too belongs to Him. Furthermore, we can see the ever-existence of God displayed in this mystery concerning Christ....

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: AuthorHouse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2010
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1452021767
• ISBN 13: 9781452021768
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 116
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Friedensallee 273; Hamburg; 22763; Deutschland