There are two crucial areas where anyone venturing today to write on Christian ethics takes his life in his hands: namely, the understanding of man’s nature and the analysing of moral thought. In both areas, Christian views face strong secular attack, and in neither are Christian minds always clear. But clarity here is necessary if ever we are to see how God’s law should order our lives, and how law-keeping perfects our nature. The territory may not be by-passed just because it is disputed. This essay, which is a theoretical (though not on that account unpractical) study of how individuals come to discern and do God’s will, takes us straight to both battlefields, and our first step must be to set up our flag on the ground we intend to occupy.

J.I. Packer tackles the provocative subject of "ethics" in this article, which bears firmly upon a Christian's sanctification. In discussing ethics, Packer first and rightly begins by delving into the very nature of man as seen by various schools of thought and that of the biblical record. Only when one understands the true nature of man can one begin to understand what bearing God's demands have upon him and how failure to abide in and by them. The way men act accordingly and why they do so is also discussed.

I'm sure you will not want to pass this one up.

Read now here: Conscience, choice and character

For later reading, it can be found in the "Praxis" section in "Calvinism and the Reformed Faith. Just scroll down the page and it is listed under the heading for "Miscellaneous".

In His service and grace,