Apologetics & Morality
The word "apologetics" (from the Greek word “apologia” means giving this for your faith.
a reasoned defense?
Abba Poemen called God this.
the Standard (or the Ruler)
Righteousness means aligning our hearts and actions with this.
God's perfect standard
The Three Holy Youth lived in this kingdom with this ruler.
Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar
goodness is an attribute of this.
God's nature
Morality is the standard of this and comes from this source.
right and wrong, comes from God
St. Antony called the conscience (the natural guide that helps distinguish good from evil) this.
the light of the mind
Righteousness means being "in the right" with this person.
God
The king ordered everyone to worship this, which the Three Holy Youth refused to do.
a golden statue
God's character is described by these three qualities.
righteousness, justice, and mercy
Apologetics and morality are connected because both reflect this.
God's Divine Nature
According to St. Antony, after the natural law came this written law.
the Ten Commandments
Christians should do good because God's law is based on this.
love
Instead of eating royal food, they chose this simple diet because the king's food was offered to the idols.
grains, fruits, and vegetables
Sin is described as the absence of this.
God (or God's light)
Morality does not come from these three things.
human opinions, intellect, or the human mind (God's moral law is written on the human heart).
God gave us this to restore His law.
Jesus Christ (the Incarnate Word), who said "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."
Righteousness is about more than simply following these.
rules
The furnace was heated this many times hotter.
seven times
The goal of the Christian life is not simply to be well-behaved, but to become this.
God-like in goodness
Living according to the Gospel becomes this kind of defense of Christianity.
What is a living defense
Fr. Tadros Malaty said morality is the re-stamping of this on our souls.
God's image
God's truth is constant, consistent, and unchanging, and without it, people judge others by this.
their own opinion
King Nebuchadnezzar saw this number of men walking in the fire.
four (the Three Holy Youth and the Son of God)
True morality points to the existence of this.
God