The Ten Commandments (Van Til)

You hold in your hands an unpublished work by Cornelius Van Til, prepared around 1933. In addition to his responsibility of teaching Apologetics at Westminster Theological Seminary, Van Til also had the responsibility of teaching Ethics before John Murray (1898-1975) began teaching this subject.

 In addition to the manuscript, we have included a biographical introduction by a close friend of Van Til, Robert den Dulk (1938-2007). We also decided to add two appendices, an obituary of his death and a letter to Francis A. Schaeffer (1912-1984). We hope that together they can provide an introduction to Van Til's thought in an intimate and personal way. For those familiar with his books, they will recognize that reading them is not easy; however, those who persevere find many riches.

 In his inimitable style, Cornelius Van Til begins his treatment of the Ten Commandments by reminding us that ethics must be rooted in the being and authority of the God of the Scriptures. The only alternative, Van Til says, is to ground supposed ethical obligations in something other than God—that is, in something finite. Van Til pushes us to ask whether ethical obligations or values based on finite authorities, hopes, or motives truly govern ethical behavior in any universal way. That is, on this basis, is anything—even actions that may initially seem beautiful or cruel to us—right or wrong? Is anything truly good or evil? Van Til’s conclusion is clear: ethics must first be about God and His righteousness, or it is about nothing at all.

Pages: 148
ISBN: 9786280108513