Ethics is one of the most controversial topics in modern times. Each religion (sometimes even each denomination within a religion) has its own code of ethics, some irreligious people piece together a make-shift ethical code based on their own vague standards, and many atheists go so far as to deny altogether the objectivity of ethics. The ethics of Christianity, specifically New Testament ethics, is not totally distinct from that found in the Old Testament (some would argue that the former is a summary and/or intensification of the latter), but Christian ethics does have its own particular set of emphases. As I continue to study the New Testament and weigh the relationship between the Old and New Covenants, I am becoming increasingly more aware that New Testament ethics is fundamentally concept-based as opposed to being based upon particulars. The New Testament dedicates more space to general motivations and character traits than to the particular applications thereof (though certainly there are many of those to be found as well). Here are a few of those concepts or themes:
1) Christians are to be Spirit-led. This is perhaps the most dominant and defining attribute of Christian ethics. The Christian is Spirit-filled and Spirit-led, which compensates for the dearth of particulars found in the New Testament. We live our lives by wisdom, choosing that which is excellent and not merely that which is acceptable. This is, of course, guided by Scripture, but goes beyond the bare application of laws to life. In Galatians 5:16 Paul commands us to walk by the Spirit and not to gratify the desires of the flesh. He goes on to dichotomize those two concepts--Spirit and flesh. The following chapter features the famous Fruit of the Spirit, which are character traits that are necessarily produced by the presence of the Holy Spirit in an individual.
2) Christians are to imitate Christ. In Romans 9:29-30 we find the so-called Golden Chain of salvation. An integral part of this chain is the fact that those who have been foreknown by God have also been predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. God is a holistic Savior. If he saves you from the guilt of your sin, He also saves you from the power of it. If we are united to Jesus in His sacrifice, then we are also united to Him in His life. Jesus's life and death are imputed to us, but they also act as the basis for how we live, and even die, as His followers. His teaching forms part of that basis, but His teaching is reinforced by his ever-consistent behavior. He taught us how to live, but He also showed us. We are to pick up our cross and follow Him.
3) Christians are to be Heavenly-minded. As Christians we are to have transcendent affections, which basically means that we are to care about stuff that is deeper and more profound than the here and now. Our decisions and behavior are to be guided by the reality that our hope is in Heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father. We are aliens, making our way through this world, seeking to redeem our time for Christ's Kingdom. When we bicker over whether or not any given act is acceptable, we're missing the bigger picture. What/where are our priorities? What is our focus? Where is our heart? Matthew 6:21 tells us that our heart is wherever our treasure is. What does that say about us?
4) Christians are to love as brethren. Jesus made this clear when He told his 12 Disciples that they were to love each other as He had loved them. That's a pretty tall order! That is a standard of which we all fall short daily. Peter echoes his Lord's teaching in 1 Peter 1:22 when he tells his audience to love each other fervently from a pure heart. This, he continues, is the natural result of our having been reborn. Those who are mutually reborn and indwelt by the Holy Spirit must love each other. Christians must love each other, both vigorously and genuinely. Nothing else that we do matters if we fail to love each other.
5) Christians are to be slaves of righteousness. Paul goes to great lengths in the book of Romans to persuade his readers that what they really need is a righteousness that is external to themselves. They need the imputed righteousness of Christ. He then anticipates a potential abuse of this sublime doctrine when he reminds them that their freedom from the law is not freedom to sin but slavery to righteousness. He vigorously denies all antinomian notions, insisting that grace motivates to righteousness instead of license. The New Testament authors emphasize our freedom, but that freedom is never pictured as an excuse to violate God's moral standards. Such freedom a true Christian would never desire.
6) Christians are to treat others as they would be treated. We call this the Golden Rule. Jesus gave us this simple-yet-oh-so-difficult command in Matthew 7:11ff amidst his famous Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon He sets forth the Kingdom ethic, and part of that ethic is treating others as you would like to be treated. We have a special duty to love our brethren in Christ, but all men are deserving of this basic respect. This is how citizens of Christ's Kingdom are to behave.
These six fundamental themes are not exhaustive of New Testament ethical teaching, but as you can see from even this brief survey, the New Testament emphasizes that Christians are to be defined not merely by their actions, but by their attitudes and motivations. Our Savior and His Apostles emphasized the heart and mind, not simply outward behavior. Apathetic conformity to an external standard is worse than meaningless. The entire Word of God provides concrete expressions of these principles, but life is complex and the application of God's Word will vary in different eras and cultures. These principles transcend time, geography, and social context. Despite the fact that the latest parts of the New Testament are nearly 2000 years old, these ethical fundamentals maintain fresh and enduring significance for the modern Christian.
1) Christians are to be Spirit-led. This is perhaps the most dominant and defining attribute of Christian ethics. The Christian is Spirit-filled and Spirit-led, which compensates for the dearth of particulars found in the New Testament. We live our lives by wisdom, choosing that which is excellent and not merely that which is acceptable. This is, of course, guided by Scripture, but goes beyond the bare application of laws to life. In Galatians 5:16 Paul commands us to walk by the Spirit and not to gratify the desires of the flesh. He goes on to dichotomize those two concepts--Spirit and flesh. The following chapter features the famous Fruit of the Spirit, which are character traits that are necessarily produced by the presence of the Holy Spirit in an individual.
2) Christians are to imitate Christ. In Romans 9:29-30 we find the so-called Golden Chain of salvation. An integral part of this chain is the fact that those who have been foreknown by God have also been predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. God is a holistic Savior. If he saves you from the guilt of your sin, He also saves you from the power of it. If we are united to Jesus in His sacrifice, then we are also united to Him in His life. Jesus's life and death are imputed to us, but they also act as the basis for how we live, and even die, as His followers. His teaching forms part of that basis, but His teaching is reinforced by his ever-consistent behavior. He taught us how to live, but He also showed us. We are to pick up our cross and follow Him.
3) Christians are to be Heavenly-minded. As Christians we are to have transcendent affections, which basically means that we are to care about stuff that is deeper and more profound than the here and now. Our decisions and behavior are to be guided by the reality that our hope is in Heaven, seated at the right hand of God the Father. We are aliens, making our way through this world, seeking to redeem our time for Christ's Kingdom. When we bicker over whether or not any given act is acceptable, we're missing the bigger picture. What/where are our priorities? What is our focus? Where is our heart? Matthew 6:21 tells us that our heart is wherever our treasure is. What does that say about us?
4) Christians are to love as brethren. Jesus made this clear when He told his 12 Disciples that they were to love each other as He had loved them. That's a pretty tall order! That is a standard of which we all fall short daily. Peter echoes his Lord's teaching in 1 Peter 1:22 when he tells his audience to love each other fervently from a pure heart. This, he continues, is the natural result of our having been reborn. Those who are mutually reborn and indwelt by the Holy Spirit must love each other. Christians must love each other, both vigorously and genuinely. Nothing else that we do matters if we fail to love each other.
5) Christians are to be slaves of righteousness. Paul goes to great lengths in the book of Romans to persuade his readers that what they really need is a righteousness that is external to themselves. They need the imputed righteousness of Christ. He then anticipates a potential abuse of this sublime doctrine when he reminds them that their freedom from the law is not freedom to sin but slavery to righteousness. He vigorously denies all antinomian notions, insisting that grace motivates to righteousness instead of license. The New Testament authors emphasize our freedom, but that freedom is never pictured as an excuse to violate God's moral standards. Such freedom a true Christian would never desire.
6) Christians are to treat others as they would be treated. We call this the Golden Rule. Jesus gave us this simple-yet-oh-so-difficult command in Matthew 7:11ff amidst his famous Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon He sets forth the Kingdom ethic, and part of that ethic is treating others as you would like to be treated. We have a special duty to love our brethren in Christ, but all men are deserving of this basic respect. This is how citizens of Christ's Kingdom are to behave.
These six fundamental themes are not exhaustive of New Testament ethical teaching, but as you can see from even this brief survey, the New Testament emphasizes that Christians are to be defined not merely by their actions, but by their attitudes and motivations. Our Savior and His Apostles emphasized the heart and mind, not simply outward behavior. Apathetic conformity to an external standard is worse than meaningless. The entire Word of God provides concrete expressions of these principles, but life is complex and the application of God's Word will vary in different eras and cultures. These principles transcend time, geography, and social context. Despite the fact that the latest parts of the New Testament are nearly 2000 years old, these ethical fundamentals maintain fresh and enduring significance for the modern Christian.
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