earticle

영어

The purpose of the present study is to arrive at a way of orienting ethical preaching commonly available from Korean pulpits by the guideline of Jonathan Edwards’ ethical theology and sermons. As love is the sum of all within the law of God and the sum of all duties which the Word of God requires, love is also the wellspring of Christian ethics. Accordingly the love of God is the one true virtue, which in turn generates all other edifying forms of love. Love is an eternal and perfect virtue, in fact the only virtue that will transcend earthly human conduct and continue in heaven. Consent to the love of God is the summum bonum that Christians seek. The new
heaven and earth will witness the consummation of the love between God and His creature that the Bible tells. From the analysis of Edwards’ ethical theology and sermons, the author presents thoughts concerning the predominant orientation of Korean church’s ethical preaching. First, in order to help raise Korean believers’ awareness of Christian ethics, preachers need to reduce the
frequency of blessing-heavy sermons that have been the staple of Korean preaching for decades; they must instead increase the frequency of ethical sermons rooted in absolute truth and ultimate ethics, put more emphasis on individual’s responsibility than on society’s for ethical decisions, and help the lay form their own identity as disciples of Christ and equip them
with the insights to tell true virtue from seeming virtue. Second, they need to preach the universal principle of love by distinguishing, in clear terms, between the love of self, the love of neighbors, and the love for God. Third, the preacher is to preach ethical issues in connection with sound doctrines drawn from the texts, particularly those with eschatological significances. Fourth, the preacher needs to develop a lucidly expressed ethical theology of his own and master the necessary rhetorical style to deliver it, and to enhance his understanding of religious affections of his audience.