Consistent, rational thinking about ends, motives, and means distinguishes ethical decisions that are "Christian" and "biblical" in Biblical Christian Ethics.

Taking as his starting point Romans 12:1-2 and its call to believers to be living sacrifices, David Clyde Jones finds the central theme of ethics in the statement that our "chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever."

Jones approaches ethics as a study of a way of life that conforms to the will of God. He examines principles and casuistry in such matters as the sanctity of life, sexuality, economic justice, and truthfulness. He discusses how love is reflected in law, the appropriate approach to moral conflict, and specific issues involving marriage and the family. And he applies biblical principles to dilemmas arising from divorce and marriage.

Throughout, the book draws together and explains the central ideas of philosophers and ethicists from Aristotle to Smedes.