Ethics is a strange realm. We're always operative in it, and yet we're often less intentional with our choices than we'd expect. It's not just the simple questions we fail to ask in the moment: "Why am I choosing this instead of that?" "What is the right thing to do in a given context?" It's the deeper questions we're ignorant of: "What pattern am I being shaped to if I choose X?" "What biblical theme is guiding me here?" In this setting, T. David Gordon's book Choose Better has been a breath of fresh air.

What I Loved

Gordon's prose is tough to beat for clarity, and the layout of the book is simple and straightforward. He offers five biblical models that the church has used to make ethical decisions.

• The Imitation Model: Does this decision allow me to emulate God or to cultivate human traits that reflect his image?
• The Law Model: Has God, in Holy Scripture, commanded or prohibited this behavior?
• The Wisdom Model: What is the likely outcome of this decision? 
• The Communion Model: How might this decision enhance or inhibit my communion with God? 
• The Warfare Model: Will this decision likely serve the forces of good or the forces of evil? 

These models intersect with one another and may even be described as "perspectivally related" (that is, each serves as a perspective on all of the others), which is an influence of John Frame's thought, one that I find helpful. We don't select only one of these models and discard the rest, though we might emphasize one in a given situation.

Gordon is upfront about the prevalence of the law model in Christian history. And that makes sense: people gravitate towards concrete rules (preferably written in stone). But an over-emphasis on the law model can lead to legalism or hypocrisy. The imitation model draws out our inherent drive to imitate our Maker. The wisdom model helps us see how life choices are causally related. The communion model keeps our intimacy with God central, and the warfare model reminds us of the constant battle that surrounds us. In sum, all of these models bring a component of God's revelation into focus (the image of God, God's authoritative word, God's wisdom, our personal relationship with God, and our ongoing spiritual formation).

An Example

A personal example might help flesh out what each model brings to the table. Let's say I have to choose whether or not I'll strictly follow the speed limit on my way to work. How does each model contribute a perspective on the situation?

• The imitation model: Is following the speed limit going to help me cultivate a human trait that reflects God's image? Probably. I can think of at least the traits of patience (being content to drive at a slower pace), trust (accepting that God will get me where I need to be without my rushing), and faithfulness (in driving the car with a license, I'm legally agreeing to follow the speed limit set in place by the authorities). As I choose to follow the speed limit, I'm choosing (under the sovereignty of God's Spirit) to be more like God in some way. Isn't that amazing? 
• The law model: God has not directly commanded or prohibited my driving at or under the speed limit in 21st-century America. But he has instituted the authorities in this country to uphold good behavior and punish evil (Rom. 13:1-7). Since the authorities have set the speed limits, following them would be considered "good," and thus I would be indirectly obeying a principle God has put in place.
• The wisdom model: The likely outcome of not following the speed limit is a potential speeding ticket, which costs both time and money. There's also the possibility that I would endanger myself and other drivers by breaking the speed limit. The wisdom model calls me to consider what good or evil would likely result from a decision to drive under vs. above the speed limit.
• The communion model: If the goal and hope of my life is communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, then my choice should factor in which option would potentially draw me closer to God. If following the speed limit helps me imitate God's character in some way, then that sounds as if it would bring me closer to God. I also grow closer to God as I join him in caring for creation. I can do a better job of that if I'm driving safely, which protects both the construction workers (made in God's image) and any animal that might cross my path.
• The warfare model: Choosing to break the speed limit has clear ties to internal desires for control and manipulation, which is part of spiritual warfare. Breaking the speed limit would thus be aiding the forces of evil in the world, forces that aim to violate God's word and mar God's image bearers. Choosing to follow the speed limit would be aiding the forces of good.

These models bring out the deeper meaning behind our everyday decisions. Something as simple as following the speed limit can actually be a catalyst for communing with God, joining in spiritual warfare, seeking wisdom, and imitating elements of God's character. No decision is a "mere" decision. What we choose is always shaping us or contributing to something larger and broader than our tiny personal lives.

Favorite Quotes

Here are some of my favorite quotes from the book.

• "Broadly, God's works consist of making, sustaining, and redeeming" (20).
• "As an ethical model, the imitation model encourages considering, at each decision-making moment, whether the choices before us allow us to imitate God by making, sustaining, or redeeming" (20).
• "Every biblical law is governed by two things: the Creator's innate, morally praiseworthy, and unchanging moral character, and the Creator's purposes for particular creatures" (49).
• "The communion model approves that which enhances our vital experiences of life with or before God, and it disapproves that which damages this vital experience" (79).
• "Do our choices foster our communion with God, or do they detract from it?" (79)
• "To make sense of life, or to accept life, without seeking communion with one's Creator is the essence of fallenness and rebellion" (90).
• "Human life is essentially discursive; it is essentially social and relational, and above all relations is the relation to God" (92).
• "Scripturally, we find again and again that the primary weapons in Satan's arsenal are deceit and desire" (110).
• "Among the church's foremost weapons are faith and repentence--these are the antidotes, respectively, to deception and desire" (115).

What I Would Have Liked

Given the focus and aim of the book, I don't have too much to critique here, but perhaps having more examples would help illuminate the models at work, especially when ethical decisions are complex and multi-faceted. After all, many of our decisions have more to them than a simple initiative or denial. But, in Gordon's defense, our complex decisions are likely times when we'll use multiple biblical models to arrive at the best decision. In that sense, I think it's wise for readers to keep all of these models in mind, since each can reveal something different in a given dilemma.

Should You Read It?

YES. Gordon is a clear writer with a solid understanding of Scripture and its application. The concision of this book makes it easy to work through, and yet there's much that can be pondered and prayed over when it comes to applying what he's proposing. I highly recommend it as a resource for Christians looking to see what the broader biblical teachings are concerning ethics. We will need to have these teachings close at hand as we make decisions in a fallen world. In fact, as you read, it might be helpful to consider what the secular version of each model might be. That will show how far Scripture is from popular culture, a gap that only continues to widen.

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