Intro to Ethics

OBJECTIVE

Our thoughts, words, and deeds are all reflections of Christ. As His children, we are called to choose what is right and to do what is right in the face of wrong, always.

  • Introduce the concept of ethics.
  • Introduce students to the importance of having a "moral compass" embedded in our Lord Jesus Christ.
  • Create an atmosphere where the tension of right and wrong is felt.

HOLY SCRIPTURE - 2 Minutes

Memory Verse: "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." Matthew 5:48

INTRODUCTION & HOOK -5 Minutes

Please review the previous week's lesson. (2 minutes)

You and a partner are working on a project at school. Your partner approaches you two days before the project is due and shows you that he has completed it on his own. The guidelines were that the two of you must work on the project equally. He tells you not to worry about it and to just go along because "no one will ever know."

A parallel story occurs in Genesis 39. Joseph and Potiphar's wife aren't working on a project together, but the Egyptian ruler's wife does approach Joseph and asks him to forsake his responsibility and commit adultery with her. The reality is that no one probably would've found out. Joseph demands her to leave him alone and insists on being faithful to what his boss has asked him to do.

CONTENT (KEY POINTS) - 15 Minutes

We experience "ethical dilemmas" like this all the time. There are multiple examples of ethical, or moral, dilemmas in the Scripture.

What are "Ethics?"

  • The morals we have that shape the way we behave
  • How we view what is right and what is wrong
  • How we base our decisions

What are our ethics as Coptic Orthodox Christians?

  • As children of God, we have a duty to live as God intended us to live--to be perfect just as our Father in Heaven is perfect (Matt 5:48).
  • Our moral compass--how we make decisions and view the world around us--should be influenced by Christ, the Bible, the Fathers of the Church, the Saints, and our Spiritual Advisors.
  • As Christians and representatives of our Lord, how we behave matters. We are examples of Christ to everyone we meet. We are His ambassadors.
  • We are to live for an audience of One, so it doesn't matter whether or not other people see what we're doing. Christ, the only One we live for, is always watching.
  • So how we behave all the time, always matters to Him. Which is all that matters.

DISCUSSION- 25 Minutes

Read Genesis 39: 1-10

Discussion Questions:

  • How is this different or similar to our scenario that started off this lesson (see INTRODUCTION & HOOK STORY)?
  • How can something be right or wrong, even when no one seems to get hurt either way?
  • It has been said that the true character of a person is shown when no one is looking. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Read Genesis 12:10-13

Discussion Questions:

  • Is hiding the truth to save someone ever okay? Why or why not?

Suppose your long time friend is not a good athlete and just decided they want to try out for the school basketball team. You know the other players on the team are much more skilled and the coach will cut your friend from the team after tryouts. Your friend asks you if you think they will make the basketball team.

  • What do you do?
  • How do you handle this situation?

Suppose you and your long time friend head to the candy store to get your favorite candy. Once at the store, you realize you left your wallet at home and your friend doesn't have any money. Your friend steals the candy. Your favorite candy

  • Once outside the store, do you have some of the candy when your friend offers it to you?
  • What do you do?
  • How do you handle this situation?

Suppose you and your long time friend, who sits directly behind you in math class, are about to take a test. Your friend tells you that they are nervous about the test because they are failing math and need a good grade on the test to pass the class. Math just so happens to be your favorite subject and you are getting an A. Right before the test is being passed out, your friend leans in and asks you to give them a good view of your answers so your friend can cheat.

  • What do you do?
  • How do you handle this situation?

LIFE APPLICATION - 10 Minutes

  • The rules we use for Christian ethics is our Lord Jesus Christ's Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7; Luke 6:17-59)
  • What separates us from other faiths and moralities is Salvation through our Lord: acting in Christ's perfection on earth so that we can attain Everlasting Life with Him.
  • In the Sermon on the Mount, our Lord introduces us to the kind of life that will lead us to the Kingdom of God.
    • Actions aren't the only thing that is important, but every thought, every word, every deed. So, what we think is just as important as what we do.

ACTIVITY

Activity is the same as the discussion.

SERVANT RESOURCES

HOMEWORK

Memorize this week's memory verse