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Reformed Ethics #1
Reformed Ethics : Volume 1: Created, Fallen, and Converted Humanity
Herman Bavinck's four-volume Reformed Dogmatics is one of the most important theological works of the twentieth century. Leading Bavinck expert John Bolt edited that work, which has received wide acclaim. Now Bolt brings forth a recently discovered manuscript from Bavinck, in print for the first time, which serves as a companion to Reformed Dogmatics. Reformed Ethics mines the moral teachings of the early church and medieval and Puritan spirituality while addressing a variety of topics, offering readers Bavinck's mature reflections on ethical issues. This book is the first of three planned volumes.
540 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 18, 2019
46 people are currently reading
341 people want to read
About the author
Herman Bavinck
112 books195 followersHerman Bavinck (1854-1921) succeeded Abraham Kuyper as professor of systematic theology at the Free University of Amsterdam in 1902.
His nephew was Johan Herman Bavinck.
His nephew was Johan Herman Bavinck.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 10, 2020
“Whereas Dogmatics is concerned with Gods word to us, Ethics then is interested in what it is that God expects from us as he works in us. In other words, what do we do for him? In dogmatics, God descends to us, he is ours; in ethics, we ascend to God, we are his.”
This volume is worthy of an in-depth careful review, but unfortunately you will not find that here from me. But I will provide a few brief thoughts.
This was an enriching read and definitely worth reading, especially the latter half on converted humanity.
The beginning chapters are important for all that follows, finding especially helpful ch 3-6 Self against Neighbor and God, Fallen Image of God, Human Conscience, & The Sinner and the Law.
Of enormous practical benefit for insight into my own spiritual life, were ch 9-12 on The Imitation of Christ, Persevering in the Christian life, Pathologies of the Chr. Life, and Restoration and Consummation of the Chr. Life. Id encourage all Christians to read these chapters, as they are important for all no matter the stage or progress one has made or yet to make in Christ.
Bavinck’s treatment of Scripture throughout was lucid and illuminating as always. I am very much looking forward to the next two volumes.
This volume is worthy of an in-depth careful review, but unfortunately you will not find that here from me. But I will provide a few brief thoughts.
This was an enriching read and definitely worth reading, especially the latter half on converted humanity.
The beginning chapters are important for all that follows, finding especially helpful ch 3-6 Self against Neighbor and God, Fallen Image of God, Human Conscience, & The Sinner and the Law.
Of enormous practical benefit for insight into my own spiritual life, were ch 9-12 on The Imitation of Christ, Persevering in the Christian life, Pathologies of the Chr. Life, and Restoration and Consummation of the Chr. Life. Id encourage all Christians to read these chapters, as they are important for all no matter the stage or progress one has made or yet to make in Christ.
Bavinck’s treatment of Scripture throughout was lucid and illuminating as always. I am very much looking forward to the next two volumes.
August 19, 2022
The sections on the will and affections were excellent. Followed closely by the pathologies of sin.
December 25, 2019
For the past several years, the world of Reformed theological scholarship has been in a state of elated anticipation for the publication of Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Ethics. This project was set in motion in 2008 when Dr. Dirk Van Keulen “stumbled across” Bavinck’s (mysteriously) heretofore unpublished manuscripts in the archives of the Free University of Amsterdam. Thanks to the labors of John Bolt and his team of editors and translators, the wait is over, and Baker Academic has released the first of a projected three-volume work. This work is a partnership of sorts with Bavinck himself, for in publishing the manuscript, the scholars involved have accomplished what Bavinck never even attempted. The question looming over the entire project is “Why?” Why would Bavinck go through the multi-year trouble of writing a masterpiece without making it public? Although Bavinck surely had his own reasons at the time—and perhaps even had intentions of publishing the work at some point—were he to assess matters with hindsight, he would no doubt chalk up the (near two century-long) delay to divine providence. Indeed, the arrival the RE’s first volume seems to have been intended for such a time as this.
Bavinck begins RE with the subject of ethics: man. After his introduction—which provides a historical overview of Christian ethics, definitions of terminology, an outline of divisions within the subject of ethics, and a brief account of his foundations—Bavinck divides the rest of his volume into two books: “Humanity before Conversion” and “Converted Humanity.” By structuring the book in this way, Bavinck ensures that the reader conceives of ethics in theological terms: the antithesis is basic on the topic of ethics. Since ethics is preeminently concerned with the questions, “what is man in relation to God?” and “what ought man do in light of his relation to God?”, Bavinck naturally deals with these questions from the two distinct vantage points of unconverted man (i.e., man against God), and converted man (i.e., man for God). This is an important point for Bavinck to make, for although fallen man and redeemed man are equally man—creatures made in the imago Dei—they are radically different. Fallen and converted man are irreducibly anthropos. Unconverted mankind is not sub-human, and converted mankind is not super-human. But ethically speaking, they are entirely different creatures. Their allegiances differ, and thus their ethical states differ.
In his first chapter, “Essential Human Nature,” Bavinck argues that the “image of God” is not the essence of humanity, but is a natural part thereof. It functions, Bavinck argues, when humans operate as they should (namely, in obedience to God). This means that fallen man is fully human, having the imago Dei, but he is nevertheless unable to act in true accord with his humanity. For Bavinck, the imago Dei is there, but is not so apparent. This all means that God is the ethical archetype, man his ectype, living truly human when displaying God.
One of the key insights of this chapter is Bavinck’s description of the body/soul relationship. According to Bavinck, there is a distinct reciprocity in this relationship: “the body is an organism of the soul which inspirits, spiritualizes, eternalizes, and governs it” (pg. 46). The subject of this body/soul relationship’s unity is the I: “Everything else lies around it and is near to it and attaches to it: I have intellect, feelings, a will, a body, hand, foot, etc., but I am… I… The I is a wonder, inexplicable, and simply to be accepted” (pg. 46). Bubbling up in this discussion are Bavinck’s dual motifs of organism and mystery. The body/soul relationship is inconceivable apart from these two underlying principles: first, the heart of theology is mystery, and second, all reality is organically interconnected.
For the next three chapters, Bavinck explores man’s relation to God, self, neighbor, and creation after the invasion of sin. In his chapter, “Humanity Under the Power of Sin,” Bavinck argues that the organizing principle of sin is self-love, as opposed to God-love. God is the good with which ethics is concerned, and as such, “ethical evil” is none other than godlessness. Being of the infectious nature that it is, the principle of sin, says Bavinck, has affected all of human nature: the intellect, the feelings, the will. In other words, sin has affected all that is entailed in body and soul. Chapter three is a deep dive into hamartiology, with a fascinating taxonomy of sin.
The chapter, “Human Conscience,” is by far Bavinck’s most sophisticated stretch of philosophical development in the volume. In this chapter, Bavinck argues that by definition, the human conscience is bound to the law of God. This is its function. This, however, does not mean that it is incapable of erring, which it does by necessity when the “god” to whom it is bound is an idolatrous invention:
A good conscience exonerates while a bad conscience accuses. In a certain sense, relatively speaking, the natural person can also have a good conscience. This is not, however, an objectively good conscience because the standard or norm can be wrong, the consciousness might not correctly reflect the person’s being, and the conscience can draw a false conclusion. Only a regenerated person can have an objectively good conscience, at least in principle (pg. 207).
Bavinck concludes this first section of his book, with an exploration of the sinner’s relationship to the Law of God. Here, Bavinck defines and describes the Law, explores its uses, and then elaborates on how the Law is appropriated into the various spheres of human life.
Chapter seven marks the start of Book II: Converted Humanity. This chapter specifically concerns the Christian’s “life in the Spirit.” Bavinck distinguishes between the “spiritual life” and other aspects of humanity, and then characterizes the spiritual life as being over and against the life of the natural, sinful man. The contrast, says Bavinck, may be summarized as the difference between a life directed selfishly inward, and a life directed doxologically Godward.
Bavinck goes on to identify the substance of maturation in the Christian life: imitating Christ. The primary actions of this imitation consist of (a) self-denial, and (b) cross-bearing. This maturation process, according to Bavinck, is an organic principle of the believer growing up into Christ. Bavinck thus shows where moral behavior comes from.
For the rest of the book, Bavinck addresses questions concerning the completion of the Christian life: perseverance, security, assurance, pathologies (including spiritual sicknesses), restoration, and consummation. In these last three chapters of RE, Bavinck subverts expectations for a book on ethics and plunges headlong into pastorally tinctured insights on spiritual disciplines and solutions for deep insecurities. In this way, Bavinck comes full circle and concludes where he began. He begins and ends with the conviction that ethics is theology with skin in the game.
Christians will reflect on RE for many years to come, and one review can hardly do more than scratch the surface of Bavinck’s insights. In the spirit of scratching, then, this review will merely highlight four important contributions from RE.
First, Bavinck demonstrates the interconnectedness between theology and ethics. He recognizes that while theology is concerned with God’s revelation to man, ethics is concerned with man’s response to God. He summarizes: “Dogmatics proceeds from God; ethics returns to God. In dogmatics, God loves us; in ethics, therefore, we love him” (pg. 22). If ethics deals with the practices and behaviors and dispositions of “man,” then the question of his ontology is paramount. “What man is” determines “what man ought to do,” and one can make no sense of either consideration if man is abstracted from God. “The good does not exist in abstraction;” says Bavinck, “it is impossible to love the good in itself. It is only because the All-Good One exists that the good also exists” (pg. 104). Doxology and ethical living are therefore not distinct callings for man. They are, in fact, identical.
Second, Bavinck shows that no part of existence stands in absolute neutral indifference to any other part. All of reality organically relates. Bavinck’s contribution of this particular insight has been convincingly demonstrated by James Eglinton’s work (Trinity and Organism: Towards a New Reading of Herman Bavinck’s Organic Motif) apart from the publication of RE, but this volume only further evinces Eglinton’s point. With Bavinck’s organic motif of unity-in-diversity starting from the ontological top (i.e., Trinity), it seamlessly takes shape as an organizing principle all the way down. This includes the organic relationship among people (pg. 60), the shape of the Christian’s growth that “takes place organically, not mechanically” (pg. 271, cf. 346-347), the relationship between body and soul (pg. 332-333), the manner in which the Spirit works Scripture into the believer (pg. 350), the way that spiritual diseases and spiritual vitality involve the whole person (pg. 417) and more. In this way, Bavinck is a radically consistent thinker. He is not content with compartmentalizing his system—the conclusion in one area of thought necessarily has implications on many others, and Bavinck is disciplined in tracing them out.
Third, Bavinck speaks with penetrating insights on the egocentric nature of sin. In nearly all areas of Western culture today, radical self-absorption dominates. Through the noise of the typical contemporary self-obsession one finds in conventional worldly wisdom, Bavinck speaks with bone-chilling clarity:
Positively, who is now human’s god? They must have gods for whom they live and to whom they dedicate themselves. Sin consists concretely in placing a substitute on the throne. That substitute is not another creature in general, not even the neighbor, but the human self, the “ego” or “I.” The organizing principle of sin is self-glorification, self-divination; stated more broadly: self-love or egocentricity. (pg. 105 emphasis added).
This is a most needed insight on ethics for the Church today. With the help of historical distance, Bavinck is able to speak with prophetic clarity to we who are ignorant of this aspect of sin on account of our proximity to the spirit of this age. The solution to ethical disarray, argues Bavinck, is not more obsession and adoration and love of the self, but less.
Fourth, Bavinck stands to alleviate our incessant craving for worldly approval with his comments on gender and sexuality. Against the radical egalitarianism that pervades Western thought (and even shapes the subconscious imaginations of many “complementarians”), Bavinck praises the differences between men and women as crucial for a full-orbed appreciation for anthropology. This point may be illustrated, ironically, by the way contemporary readers will surely flinch upon reading, “We naturally differ by sex: the woman is a being of feelings, the man of reason; the woman is a creature of emotions (heart), the man of deeds (will)” (pg. 419). If and when we are able to push through the short-sightedness that often accompanies proximity to controversy, we will see that Bavinck is by no means drawing exclusive distinctions; as if to say women are unable to reason or men to feel. Indeed, he goes on to show that the full spectrum represented among the sexes in general (i.e., from emotion to reason) are represented among the apostles in particular (pg. 420-421), and are perfectly realized in the person of Christ: “[Jesus] was not a man primarily of thought or of feeling or of will. He was a male, yet with womanly tenderness; he cannot be classified; in him there was complete harmony” (pg. 419).
The point Bavinck so helpfully makes—and which we so desperately need, in our confused era of distinction erasure—is this: distinctions need not imply devaluing. In Bavinck’s conception, the egalitarian vision of anthropology is drab in comparison to what he proposes:
These differences are precisely what makes for the richness of life, and abolishing them would make all people the same, whereas everywhere there is variety in unity (e.g., in leaves of the tree), and beauty is based on this variety. Variety as such does not imply sinfulness or pathology; the distinction between men and women existed also before the fall” (pg. 420)
In this way, Bavinck steps into our twenty-first century context and speaks to us with a bit of objectivity. If we refrain from the anachronism of faulting Bavinck for failing to answer today’s questions in a way that satisfies us from his context of yesteryear, we may indeed be pleasantly surprised. His flatfooted analysis from yesteryear may come to instruct us on how we ought to frame today’s questions. On questions of gender and sexuality, we cannot gain a wider perspective by listening to the future. Our only chronological resource for contextual mapping is the past. In this sense, the publication of this hidden work could not have been timelier.
Samuel G. Parkison
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Bavinck begins RE with the subject of ethics: man. After his introduction—which provides a historical overview of Christian ethics, definitions of terminology, an outline of divisions within the subject of ethics, and a brief account of his foundations—Bavinck divides the rest of his volume into two books: “Humanity before Conversion” and “Converted Humanity.” By structuring the book in this way, Bavinck ensures that the reader conceives of ethics in theological terms: the antithesis is basic on the topic of ethics. Since ethics is preeminently concerned with the questions, “what is man in relation to God?” and “what ought man do in light of his relation to God?”, Bavinck naturally deals with these questions from the two distinct vantage points of unconverted man (i.e., man against God), and converted man (i.e., man for God). This is an important point for Bavinck to make, for although fallen man and redeemed man are equally man—creatures made in the imago Dei—they are radically different. Fallen and converted man are irreducibly anthropos. Unconverted mankind is not sub-human, and converted mankind is not super-human. But ethically speaking, they are entirely different creatures. Their allegiances differ, and thus their ethical states differ.
In his first chapter, “Essential Human Nature,” Bavinck argues that the “image of God” is not the essence of humanity, but is a natural part thereof. It functions, Bavinck argues, when humans operate as they should (namely, in obedience to God). This means that fallen man is fully human, having the imago Dei, but he is nevertheless unable to act in true accord with his humanity. For Bavinck, the imago Dei is there, but is not so apparent. This all means that God is the ethical archetype, man his ectype, living truly human when displaying God.
One of the key insights of this chapter is Bavinck’s description of the body/soul relationship. According to Bavinck, there is a distinct reciprocity in this relationship: “the body is an organism of the soul which inspirits, spiritualizes, eternalizes, and governs it” (pg. 46). The subject of this body/soul relationship’s unity is the I: “Everything else lies around it and is near to it and attaches to it: I have intellect, feelings, a will, a body, hand, foot, etc., but I am… I… The I is a wonder, inexplicable, and simply to be accepted” (pg. 46). Bubbling up in this discussion are Bavinck’s dual motifs of organism and mystery. The body/soul relationship is inconceivable apart from these two underlying principles: first, the heart of theology is mystery, and second, all reality is organically interconnected.
For the next three chapters, Bavinck explores man’s relation to God, self, neighbor, and creation after the invasion of sin. In his chapter, “Humanity Under the Power of Sin,” Bavinck argues that the organizing principle of sin is self-love, as opposed to God-love. God is the good with which ethics is concerned, and as such, “ethical evil” is none other than godlessness. Being of the infectious nature that it is, the principle of sin, says Bavinck, has affected all of human nature: the intellect, the feelings, the will. In other words, sin has affected all that is entailed in body and soul. Chapter three is a deep dive into hamartiology, with a fascinating taxonomy of sin.
The chapter, “Human Conscience,” is by far Bavinck’s most sophisticated stretch of philosophical development in the volume. In this chapter, Bavinck argues that by definition, the human conscience is bound to the law of God. This is its function. This, however, does not mean that it is incapable of erring, which it does by necessity when the “god” to whom it is bound is an idolatrous invention:
A good conscience exonerates while a bad conscience accuses. In a certain sense, relatively speaking, the natural person can also have a good conscience. This is not, however, an objectively good conscience because the standard or norm can be wrong, the consciousness might not correctly reflect the person’s being, and the conscience can draw a false conclusion. Only a regenerated person can have an objectively good conscience, at least in principle (pg. 207).
Bavinck concludes this first section of his book, with an exploration of the sinner’s relationship to the Law of God. Here, Bavinck defines and describes the Law, explores its uses, and then elaborates on how the Law is appropriated into the various spheres of human life.
Chapter seven marks the start of Book II: Converted Humanity. This chapter specifically concerns the Christian’s “life in the Spirit.” Bavinck distinguishes between the “spiritual life” and other aspects of humanity, and then characterizes the spiritual life as being over and against the life of the natural, sinful man. The contrast, says Bavinck, may be summarized as the difference between a life directed selfishly inward, and a life directed doxologically Godward.
Bavinck goes on to identify the substance of maturation in the Christian life: imitating Christ. The primary actions of this imitation consist of (a) self-denial, and (b) cross-bearing. This maturation process, according to Bavinck, is an organic principle of the believer growing up into Christ. Bavinck thus shows where moral behavior comes from.
For the rest of the book, Bavinck addresses questions concerning the completion of the Christian life: perseverance, security, assurance, pathologies (including spiritual sicknesses), restoration, and consummation. In these last three chapters of RE, Bavinck subverts expectations for a book on ethics and plunges headlong into pastorally tinctured insights on spiritual disciplines and solutions for deep insecurities. In this way, Bavinck comes full circle and concludes where he began. He begins and ends with the conviction that ethics is theology with skin in the game.
Christians will reflect on RE for many years to come, and one review can hardly do more than scratch the surface of Bavinck’s insights. In the spirit of scratching, then, this review will merely highlight four important contributions from RE.
First, Bavinck demonstrates the interconnectedness between theology and ethics. He recognizes that while theology is concerned with God’s revelation to man, ethics is concerned with man’s response to God. He summarizes: “Dogmatics proceeds from God; ethics returns to God. In dogmatics, God loves us; in ethics, therefore, we love him” (pg. 22). If ethics deals with the practices and behaviors and dispositions of “man,” then the question of his ontology is paramount. “What man is” determines “what man ought to do,” and one can make no sense of either consideration if man is abstracted from God. “The good does not exist in abstraction;” says Bavinck, “it is impossible to love the good in itself. It is only because the All-Good One exists that the good also exists” (pg. 104). Doxology and ethical living are therefore not distinct callings for man. They are, in fact, identical.
Second, Bavinck shows that no part of existence stands in absolute neutral indifference to any other part. All of reality organically relates. Bavinck’s contribution of this particular insight has been convincingly demonstrated by James Eglinton’s work (Trinity and Organism: Towards a New Reading of Herman Bavinck’s Organic Motif) apart from the publication of RE, but this volume only further evinces Eglinton’s point. With Bavinck’s organic motif of unity-in-diversity starting from the ontological top (i.e., Trinity), it seamlessly takes shape as an organizing principle all the way down. This includes the organic relationship among people (pg. 60), the shape of the Christian’s growth that “takes place organically, not mechanically” (pg. 271, cf. 346-347), the relationship between body and soul (pg. 332-333), the manner in which the Spirit works Scripture into the believer (pg. 350), the way that spiritual diseases and spiritual vitality involve the whole person (pg. 417) and more. In this way, Bavinck is a radically consistent thinker. He is not content with compartmentalizing his system—the conclusion in one area of thought necessarily has implications on many others, and Bavinck is disciplined in tracing them out.
Third, Bavinck speaks with penetrating insights on the egocentric nature of sin. In nearly all areas of Western culture today, radical self-absorption dominates. Through the noise of the typical contemporary self-obsession one finds in conventional worldly wisdom, Bavinck speaks with bone-chilling clarity:
Positively, who is now human’s god? They must have gods for whom they live and to whom they dedicate themselves. Sin consists concretely in placing a substitute on the throne. That substitute is not another creature in general, not even the neighbor, but the human self, the “ego” or “I.” The organizing principle of sin is self-glorification, self-divination; stated more broadly: self-love or egocentricity. (pg. 105 emphasis added).
This is a most needed insight on ethics for the Church today. With the help of historical distance, Bavinck is able to speak with prophetic clarity to we who are ignorant of this aspect of sin on account of our proximity to the spirit of this age. The solution to ethical disarray, argues Bavinck, is not more obsession and adoration and love of the self, but less.
Fourth, Bavinck stands to alleviate our incessant craving for worldly approval with his comments on gender and sexuality. Against the radical egalitarianism that pervades Western thought (and even shapes the subconscious imaginations of many “complementarians”), Bavinck praises the differences between men and women as crucial for a full-orbed appreciation for anthropology. This point may be illustrated, ironically, by the way contemporary readers will surely flinch upon reading, “We naturally differ by sex: the woman is a being of feelings, the man of reason; the woman is a creature of emotions (heart), the man of deeds (will)” (pg. 419). If and when we are able to push through the short-sightedness that often accompanies proximity to controversy, we will see that Bavinck is by no means drawing exclusive distinctions; as if to say women are unable to reason or men to feel. Indeed, he goes on to show that the full spectrum represented among the sexes in general (i.e., from emotion to reason) are represented among the apostles in particular (pg. 420-421), and are perfectly realized in the person of Christ: “[Jesus] was not a man primarily of thought or of feeling or of will. He was a male, yet with womanly tenderness; he cannot be classified; in him there was complete harmony” (pg. 419).
The point Bavinck so helpfully makes—and which we so desperately need, in our confused era of distinction erasure—is this: distinctions need not imply devaluing. In Bavinck’s conception, the egalitarian vision of anthropology is drab in comparison to what he proposes:
These differences are precisely what makes for the richness of life, and abolishing them would make all people the same, whereas everywhere there is variety in unity (e.g., in leaves of the tree), and beauty is based on this variety. Variety as such does not imply sinfulness or pathology; the distinction between men and women existed also before the fall” (pg. 420)
In this way, Bavinck steps into our twenty-first century context and speaks to us with a bit of objectivity. If we refrain from the anachronism of faulting Bavinck for failing to answer today’s questions in a way that satisfies us from his context of yesteryear, we may indeed be pleasantly surprised. His flatfooted analysis from yesteryear may come to instruct us on how we ought to frame today’s questions. On questions of gender and sexuality, we cannot gain a wider perspective by listening to the future. Our only chronological resource for contextual mapping is the past. In this sense, the publication of this hidden work could not have been timelier.
Samuel G. Parkison
Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
March 9, 2024
There are sections in this volume that are real gems, his history of various movements within church history are especially helpful but don’t expect much else. These are lecture notes Bavinck did not intend for publication so many thoughts are left incomplete. I suggest people interested in Bavinck put this on the back burner.
January 8, 2022
4.5 stars rounded up. Bavinck through the editorial work of Bolt and others, provides an insightful introduction to Christian ethics. Some highlights were the sections on Imitation, the Spirit’s work in us, and the last chapter which goes over spiritual disciplines. I appreciate that the main body doesn’t contain copious Greek/Hebrew (those are reserved for footnotes). The footnotes were generally helpful, but seeing wiki links on an academic publication is always disappointing.
April 9, 2023
Ethics is sorely missing in today’s society.
As is the case for most of what I’ve read from Bavinck, his writings are especially pertinent to every day life while being saturated in Scripture. Every sentence is carefully written as to be helpful to the reader but also to anchor his thoughts in the word of God. I look forward to reading the second edition.
As is the case for most of what I’ve read from Bavinck, his writings are especially pertinent to every day life while being saturated in Scripture. Every sentence is carefully written as to be helpful to the reader but also to anchor his thoughts in the word of God. I look forward to reading the second edition.
October 24, 2025
I liked it
July 6, 2021
Difficile de faire mieux.
Dans son premier volume sur l'éthique, Herman Bavinck pose les fondations de sa méthodologie sur le sujet.
Dans une optique téléologique; Moralité naturelle, conscience (avec l'aide de William Ames et William Perkins), piétisme et méthodisme, etc. sont des sujets que l'auteur touche afin de justifier sa position qui prendra réellement forme qu'à la deuxième demi de l'oeuvre.
Bavinck argumente pour une éthique "Imitatio Christi" (Imitation de Christ) duquel il interprète plusieurs passages des Écritures sur le sujet.
Il développe également sur la vie chrétienne, les pathologies possible, les réponses aux pathologies, la prière, le jeune, les voeux, etc.
Pour compléter le tout, Bavinck nous offre un chapitre complet sur l'assurance du salut qui est excellent.
Un volume très complet, le meilleur sur le sujet selon moi.
Dans son premier volume sur l'éthique, Herman Bavinck pose les fondations de sa méthodologie sur le sujet.
Dans une optique téléologique; Moralité naturelle, conscience (avec l'aide de William Ames et William Perkins), piétisme et méthodisme, etc. sont des sujets que l'auteur touche afin de justifier sa position qui prendra réellement forme qu'à la deuxième demi de l'oeuvre.
Bavinck argumente pour une éthique "Imitatio Christi" (Imitation de Christ) duquel il interprète plusieurs passages des Écritures sur le sujet.
Il développe également sur la vie chrétienne, les pathologies possible, les réponses aux pathologies, la prière, le jeune, les voeux, etc.
Pour compléter le tout, Bavinck nous offre un chapitre complet sur l'assurance du salut qui est excellent.
Un volume très complet, le meilleur sur le sujet selon moi.
November 27, 2024
In this much needed work in Reformed ethics, Herman Bavinck provides the central tenets and theological principles for a distinctly Reformed understanding of ethics and theological anthropology. Divided into two main sections, humanity before conversion and humanity after conversion, Bavinck elucidates Christian ethical teaching, spanning multiple systematic loci, including creation, anthropology, and soteriology.
Bavinck’s contribution to theological ethics is particularly unique due to his own theological commitments and contributions, especially his organic motif as applied to divine revelation and human psychology. Bavinck advances theological anthropology and its ethical corollaries in particular by seriously reflecting on the relationship between God, the world, and humanity, and how these three entities organically relate to each other in a revelatory way.
Bavinck is also writing at a crucial point in history wherein he is able to address many ethical and ecclesial issues that are still relevant for the church today. His chapter on mysticism, for example, is highly relevant as the informed reader can trace the symptoms of mysticism, quietism, etc. through American evangelicalism. The reader may have even had interactions with congregations colored by these traditions, and is thus able to relate to Bavinck’s assessments.
Additionally, this work is highly pastoral, especially in its final chapters on issues relevant to the Christian life. Not only does this volume function as a good introduction to Bavinck’s systematic thought in several areas, but it is highly practical and encouraging for the Christian reader.
Due to the nature of how the volume came about, the only criticism I have pertains to the structure of the book. The volume ultimately derives from Bavinck’s lecture notes on ethics, and since it was never consolidated into a form ready for publication, there are instances of both redundancy (e.g., several references to and discussions of mysticism) and insufficiency (e.g., a single paragraph on the meditation on death). This is a passing criticism though; it is better to have Bavinck’s consolidated lecture notes now in this volume than it is to not have any of Bavinck’s thoughts on ethics at all.
Overall, Bavinck’s Reformed Ethics represents mature theological reflection and articulation on Christian ethics from a Reformed perspective that accounts for theological anthropology, soteriology, psychology, and more. It will serve as a foundational work for future development in Reformed ethics and casuistry to come.
Bavinck’s contribution to theological ethics is particularly unique due to his own theological commitments and contributions, especially his organic motif as applied to divine revelation and human psychology. Bavinck advances theological anthropology and its ethical corollaries in particular by seriously reflecting on the relationship between God, the world, and humanity, and how these three entities organically relate to each other in a revelatory way.
Bavinck is also writing at a crucial point in history wherein he is able to address many ethical and ecclesial issues that are still relevant for the church today. His chapter on mysticism, for example, is highly relevant as the informed reader can trace the symptoms of mysticism, quietism, etc. through American evangelicalism. The reader may have even had interactions with congregations colored by these traditions, and is thus able to relate to Bavinck’s assessments.
Additionally, this work is highly pastoral, especially in its final chapters on issues relevant to the Christian life. Not only does this volume function as a good introduction to Bavinck’s systematic thought in several areas, but it is highly practical and encouraging for the Christian reader.
Due to the nature of how the volume came about, the only criticism I have pertains to the structure of the book. The volume ultimately derives from Bavinck’s lecture notes on ethics, and since it was never consolidated into a form ready for publication, there are instances of both redundancy (e.g., several references to and discussions of mysticism) and insufficiency (e.g., a single paragraph on the meditation on death). This is a passing criticism though; it is better to have Bavinck’s consolidated lecture notes now in this volume than it is to not have any of Bavinck’s thoughts on ethics at all.
Overall, Bavinck’s Reformed Ethics represents mature theological reflection and articulation on Christian ethics from a Reformed perspective that accounts for theological anthropology, soteriology, psychology, and more. It will serve as a foundational work for future development in Reformed ethics and casuistry to come.
February 17, 2021
This first volume feels like it is to Ethics what Prolegomena is to Systematics. Bavinck basically lays out how we are ethical people before and after the fall as well as after conversion. His sections on conscience and assurance of faith especially stand out to me. There's also good discussion of Pietism, Mysticism, and other ways people veer off from true religion. At times it feels like Bavinck is distilling the results of Reformed Scholasticism without using their methods. It can be hard at times to discern whether he is giving you his position or somebody else's and it does read at times as rambling since it is based off his manuscript for classroom lecturing. I look forward to the other 2 volumes whenever they are published and hope there will be more on the 10 Commandments and ethical decision making guidelines.
July 8, 2020
As an academic book, it is brilliantly written with sophisticated language and clear logic, although moderately challenging to understand properly. With a strong emphasis on natural theology, Bavinck analyses the essence of human nature, conscience, the Natural Law, the origin and consequences of sin and the way of sanctification, together with some historical views on such issues. Despite my disagreement with Calvinism theology, I have to say it is an excellent and explicit summary on Christian ethics in general, solidly built upon biblical truth and citations.
April 17, 2023
Read only the introduction and Bavinck’s history of ethics. Already can see the keenness of Bavinck’s mind, his steadfast biblical theology, and breadth of knowledge of historical and systematic theology.
I gained insight especially into the nuanced relationship between dogmatics and ethics - neither separate or synonymous - and the way he spoke about his Reformed allegiance.
Very excited to read his dogmatics someday soon.
Even more excited at the prospect of apprenticing myself to the man and his Scripture-based writings. Spirit lead me.
I gained insight especially into the nuanced relationship between dogmatics and ethics - neither separate or synonymous - and the way he spoke about his Reformed allegiance.
Very excited to read his dogmatics someday soon.
Even more excited at the prospect of apprenticing myself to the man and his Scripture-based writings. Spirit lead me.
February 17, 2021
A companion to Reformed Dogmatics, this work is has been reconstructed from Bavinck's notes, and the notes of his students, from the ethics class he taught at the Theological School at Kampen (Netherlands). It's a very thorough work, and involves more than ethics, at least how we usually think about the term. There is much here on spiritual life, including the nature of humanity, sin, the imitation of Christ, the Holy Spirit, growth in grace, assurance, mysticism, and a host of other topics.
March 8, 2022
Similar in method to his dogmatics, Bavinck produces a wonderful ethics that is the fruit of dogmatics. Dogmatics is concerned with God and what he does for us. In ethics we are concerned with what God expects of us. Dogmatics proceeds from God and ethics returns to God. In dogmatics God loves us and in ethics we love him (RE, Page 22).
March 6, 2024
Splendid! The best work of anthropology I've read. This first volume has two parts. Book One deals with humanity before conversion, and Book Two deals with converted humanity. Classic Bavinck. Reformed. Clear. Thorough. Biblical.
October 3, 2019
Fantastic
March 3, 2020
Quite Good
April 1, 2022
Really good. It feels more like a prolegomena on Ethics from a Reformed perspective.
July 18, 2023
An overview of Reformed theology focusing on application and affection. Bavinck does an incredible job focusing on the heart that should flow from the text.
January 3, 2024
An excellent newly uncovered gift to the church from the lectures of one of the sharpest theological minds she has ever seen. Highly recommended for those who loved his Dogmatics.
November 22, 2021
When I first read this volume, I thought it'd be interesting for me as a theology student, what's surprised me is how practically helpful it has been for me as a pastor. I constantly come back to Bavinck's brilliant analysis of various issues in pastoral contexts, whether it be assurance, addiction or whatever else and find it to be immensely helpful.
Pastors, don't let this one collect dust on your shelf.
Edit: even better on the second read through. Pathologies of the Christian Life and the Restoration of the Christian life are practical+pastoral to the max
Pastors, don't let this one collect dust on your shelf.
Edit: even better on the second read through. Pathologies of the Christian Life and the Restoration of the Christian life are practical+pastoral to the max
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