Biblical Readings Question #2

          The biblical reading for this week was very intriguing to me. Each one of the different stories all the way from the two different chapters of exodus, Mathew, and Romans shared different types of moral decision-making. Even though all four of the readings were interesting to me there was one that was the most clear to me in showing the decision though process that was being used.

            The passage covering Romans 7:14-25 was my favorite. Romans, which was written by Paul is about a “confession that he could not always control his desires and that he did not always understand his own actions.” He is saying that he wants to do the right thing but sin in living within him and does not always act in the right way. He says that he wants to do the right thing and the only way he can stray away from sin is through Jesus Christ. “I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin”.  This chapter is truly great to read, because Paul who was an apostle struggled with sin just as much as everyone else does and admits to making the wrong decisions in life and believes the only way to make the right decisions is by living through Jesus Christ. 

            Another passage that stuck out to me was Exodus 20: 1-17. During this chapter the commandments were stated and shows duty-based ethics, because each of the Ten Commandments is being told by an external source of authority. The Ten Commandments are laws that are supposed to be followed and are very straight forward for example “You shall not murder”. This verse is as straightforward as it can be, just as the rest of them. By following the Ten Commandments there is no way that anyone can justify murdering, because the laws are straight forward saying to not do something no matter what the reason.

            Overall the readings for this week were easy to understand. Each of the different passages was showing different ways that moral decisions were being made in the bible. I never really thought that there were different ways that decisions were made in the bible, but rather that there were specific right or wrongs like that of Exodus 20: 1-17 and duty-based ethics. After reading the different chapters I quickly understood that it was not necessarily that simple. Even an apostle such as Paul had a tough time making the right decisions, which let me understand that it is not easy to make the right decisions even if you have the right intentions.