Meaning of Life, Mission and Vision

• Ecclesiastes 1 discusses the vanity of life.
• Ecclesiastes 1:1-7 defines life based on nature.
• Ecclesiastes 1:8-11 defines life based on human experience.
• Ecclesiastes 1:12-18 discusses the futility of wisdom.
• The birth of a meaningful life involves fearing God and obeying Him as everyone's duty.
• Jeremiah 29:11 speaks about God's plan for humanity.
• Psalm 139:13-17 discusses God's foreknowledge in both creation and procreation.
• Psalm 8:1-9 portrays man's dignity and God's glory as perceived by humans.
• A person's relationship with God determines their position in life.
• A person's dominion over creation signifies their position in life.
• Mission is a task or job given to someone.
• Mission refers to a specific task assigned to an individual or group.
• Mission is a ministry by a religious organization to spread its faith or do humanitarian work.
• Vision is something seen or dreamed, especially in a religious or supernatural context.
• Vision relates to the future.
• Vision is a mental image or something imagined.
• The Great Commission is "Go and make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."
• The greatest commandment is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself.”

Key Concepts

• Worship: Celebrating God's presence and honoring Him with our lifestyle.
• Ministry: Meeting needs with love.
• Evangelism: Sharing the good news of Jesus Christ.
• Fellowship: Being known, cared for, held accountable, and encouraged in a spiritual journey.
• Discipleship: Strengthening believers to be like Christ.

Ethical Frameworks

• Unqualified Absolutism: Stealing is always immoral, and every violation has consequences.
• Graded Absolutism: Stealing is sometimes right if it follows a more important law.
• Conflicting Absolutism: Stealing is forgivable when facing moral dilemmas.
• Situationism: Stealing might be right if done as an act of love, such as preventing starvation.
• Generalism: Stealing is usually wrong, but may be permissible for a good result.
• Antinomianism: Stealing is neither right nor wrong, as there are no objective moral laws.

Definitions of Ethics

• Etymological Definition: Ethics comes from the Greek word "ethos," meaning custom, usage, or character.
• Traditional Definition: A practical study of the morality of human acts, focusing on action, human nature, natural law, duty, and justice.
• Modern Definition: A philosophical reflection on creative responsibility, emphasizing the person, truth, community, freedom, and love.

Morality and Human Acts

• Morality is defined as the quality of human acts.
• Human acts are actions done knowingly, freely, and voluntarily
• Ethics is a normative science covering a person's entire experience.

Christian Ethics

• Christian ethics is applying the way of life taught by Jesus to human problems and decisions.
• Christian ethics guides Christians in making right decisions based on Christian principles.
• Christian ethics assists people to determine and realize their goals in life.
• Christian ethics helps differentiate between what is vital and peripheral in life.

Significance of Christian Ethics

• Christian ethics tells us that in circumstances in which we cannot determine what is right or wrong, we need to consult Christian ethics.
• Christian ethics helps people weigh which concerns should be addressed first.
• Christian ethics explains that efforts toward realizing the end should be coupled with the efforts towards developing good principle, right attitude and acceptable way of life.
• Christian ethics explains that the efforts toward realizing the end should be coupled with the efforts towards developing good principle, right attitude and acceptable way of life.
• Christian ethics explains that the efforts toward realizing the end should be coupled with the efforts towards developing good principle, right attitude and acceptable way of life.

Elements in Making Right Decisions (Giles)

• One’s sense of values
• One’s belief in the dignity and worth of persons
• One’s responsibility towards neighbor

Biblical References for Key Concepts

• Worship: Romans 12:1 - Offering bodies as living sacrifices.
• Ministry: 2 Corinthians 4:1 - Ministry through God's mercy.
• Evangelism: Romans 15:20-21 - Preaching the gospel where Christ wasn't known.
• Fellowship: Ephesians 2:19 - Fellow citizens with other believers.
• Discipleship: Hebrews 6:1 - Moving on to maturity.

Matching Ethical Frameworks

• Generalism: Agrees that there are some general laws only
• Antinomianism: Opposes laws
• Conflicting Absolutism: Prefers lesser evil
• Situationism: Claims that love is the absolute law
• Unqualified Absolutism: Follows absolute laws
• Graded Absolutism: Chooses higher law

Matching Actions to Concepts

• "Love the Lord your God with all your heart" :Worship
• "Love your neighbor as you love yourself": Ministry
• "Go and make disciples": Evangelism
• "Baptizing them": Fellowship
• "Teaching them to obey": Discipleship

Conceptual Questions Across Disciplines

• (Logic) The Philosopher asks: Do I live morally?
• (Psychology) The Psychologist asks: Is my behavior morally right?
• (Sociology) The Sociologist asks: Is my relationship with other people morally right?
• (Economics) The Economist asks: Am I a good steward of God’s created world?
• (Education) The Educator asks: Am I developing moral and spiritual character?
• (Politics) The Politician asks: Do I make decisions for the spiritual benefit of the people?
• (Religion) The Christian asks: Do I believe and obey God?

Basis of Christian Ethics

• Scripture: God's has communicated principally through words, making the Bible a unity with creation.
• Will of God: Christian ethics is a form of God's command in accordance with His desire and unchanging moral character.
• Foundation of the Absolute: Christian ethics rests upon God and His unchanging divine character.
• Revelation of God: God has manifested in nature and in Scripture, expressed in general and special means.
• Character of God: Some things conform to His being, and some are opposed.
• Atonement: The new life springs out of a sense of debt to Christ. The regenerating power of forgiveness depends upon its cause, meaning Christ's death is the basis of Christian ethics.
• Prescriptive: Christian ethics is not descriptive; doing what is right is commanded by a moral God. He is both a lawgiver and a legislator.

Moral Qualities

• Following CPU rules is Moral.
• Violating CPU rules is Immoral.
• Choosing a course of action in CPU is Amoral.

Human Acts Example

• Knowledge: A CPU student knows the rule against cheating.
• Freedom: The student is free to cheat or obey the rule.
• Voluntariness: The student cheats, consequently violating the rule.

Explores the meaning of life through Biblical texts like Ecclesiastes and Psalms. Discusses humanity's role, God's plan, and the concepts of mission and vision in religious and humanitarian contexts. Examines man's dignity and God's glory.