Chapter 4 The Naming of God and Ethics

• God loves you with a passion – proven by the Bible, God’s covenant with Moses, and the new covenant made with Jesus

• Christian ethics bases itself on the intimate relationship God has with human beings

The Bible contains a number of stories of God calling people and imparting to them a mission. When God calls us, God does not leave us alone.

TERM DEFINITION

A binding agreement between two parties that spells out the conditions and obligations of each party. God’s commitment is founded in love.

A meeting with somebody or something, usually unexpected and brief. In the context of religious it’s a meeting with one’s personal God in a spiritual form.

A call from God, Jesus calls all people into the family of God. God also calls each one of us personally to a way of life that is founded on the love of god and the love of neighbour.

VOCATION

CALL STORY

COVENANT

ENCOUNTER

TERM DEFINITION

REVELATION

SIN

PROPHET

PASSOVER

SELF-REVELATION

Jewish festival beginning on the 14th day of Nisan and continuing for seven or eight days in commemoration of the exodus of the Hebrews from captivity in Egypt.

Somebody who interprets or passes on the will of a deity or God

People have the ability to come to know God through God’s works. But there is a higher order of knowledge which comes not from human reason. God makes Himself known fully by sending his beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Surprising or valuable information that is newly disclosed by one’s own self through experience or a moment of enlightenment.

An act, a thought, or behavior that goes against the law or teachings of a particular religion (i.e. the Ten Commandments), especially when the person who commits it is aware of this.

We call the Bible the Word of God.

God speaks to humans everyday, although He cannot be heard unless you are willing to listen.

Although it may seem as though God hides himself – He is always revealing Himself, we just need to be open to His revelation.

God speaks to humans in the midst of everyday life rather than the expected major revelation (of lighting bolts and thunder).

God helps us to discover who we actually are and come to the conclusion of “I am what I do.”

The sacred Scriptures are a privileged way to listen to God. In order to understand what they say view it in a sacred and special way.

1. I am the LORD your God you shall have not have strange or other gods before me

2. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain

3. Remember to keep holy the LORD’s day

4. Honour your father and your mother 5. You shall not kill.

6. You shall not commit adultery 7. You shall not steal

8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour

9. You shall not covet your neighbour’s wife

10. You shall not covet your neighbour’s goods

Your name is sacred in the eyes of God as it asks “Who are you?”

Moses is given a new name for God: YHWH. It reveals who he is and what He will do for His people.

A name has the capability to liberate people and potentially free those who you love.

God’s name also has power and changes the course of history.

The covenant between God and the people is ethically based on God’s name and the everlasting power that it has.

The Name of God is both a blessing and a curse. As we are punished or feel a sense of guilt when we do not stay true to the covenant that we have created with God and his Name.

We, like the Israelites, understand our relationship with God as the covenant in continuity with the Jewish people; the Ten Commandments will always describe our covenant to the LORD.

There are many other stories in the Bible the portray the meaning of the covenant that we have with God. These stories often contain various founding fathers of our faith;

Moses is not the only person called by God to perform a specific mission. When God calls His prophets he gives them new identities and transforms them into new people. The identity given to you by God becomes your vocation – in essence, which you become.

The tragedies in Israel’s history have to be put into terms of God’s covenant – in order to understand them. Although God may seem absent during these times of need, God was teaching Israel that the road to its freedom involved recognizing their sins and their faults.

Upon admitting their faults, everyone can realize their covenant stands infinitely before God.

Sin, means realizing, when standing before God that our actions do not measure up. No one can be as Holy as God is.

Sin points to the heart of a human being. If sin is deeply rooted within a person, their heart turns to sin and they become not even alive. Prophets confront the hardness of people’s hearts in order to help them realize they are turning away from God – the Holy One.