Ethics in Christianity Essay Example

A guidance into how we fathom our personal experience is motivated by our ethical behaviour. Ethics is the systemisation of governing the behaviour of individuals. It surrounds the prevalence of what is morally “right” or “wrong”. In the context of Christanity, the spiritual-immanent embodiment, God, enables Christians to evade woeful sins as they are  taught “what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives''. With the inclusion of the stimulus, I will explore the ubiquity of ethical behaviour embedded through scripture. Scripture is deemed as the body of sacred writings rooted in the bible, as “All Scripture is inspired by God”. The New and Old Testament combine to exemplify the ethical teachings: The Beatitudes and Jesus’s commandment of love. The principal beliefs of scripture guides Christians to behave in an ethical manner, interlacing the perpetual relationship with God. Christian adherents are guided through the corrections of wrongdoings by: ‘Death and resurrection’ and ‘Salvation’. These principal beliefs underpin ethical behaviour in essence of becoming a disciple and providing them the righteous direction in life, orientated by the covenant of God. 

A central doctrine of Christianity is the principal belief, ‘Death and Resurrection of Christ’. This divine plan to save humanity is noted through Jesus’s suffering on the cross, as one of the “first fruits who slept” to finally sacrifice all of mankind’s sins, lawfully detaining us for our penalties. In, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Peter 1:3), reiterating the hope of “new birth” is characterised by a purposeful present, not just a glorious future. Holistically, to let us prosper from agape love, create intercession for believers and restore broken relationships with God is achieved from new birth. Moreover, Jesus rose three days following his crucifixion to reach a celestial, supernatural dimension, so we begin to “walk in the newness of life” (Rom 6:4). Furthermore, Jesus’s crucifixion portrays his selflessness even into death as a clear model for discipleship, as he teaches us “what is right”. Nevertheless, This guides Christians to symbolically recognise the glorified death of an innocent being as the ultimate consequence of selflessness. 

The ‘Death and Resurrection of Christ’ is commemorated through the time of Easter. As Christians celebrate Jesus’s rebirth from sacrifice, they take part in the remembrance that death isn't the end. Indifferently, it’s an exhibit into eternal life, “that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have an eternal life” (John 3:16). By reflecting the attitudes of a ‘true disciple’ through Jesus’s ethical teachings, adherents to the faith are granted the promise of Jesus into eternal life. An example of Jesus’s ethical teachings is The Beatitudes. The new testament ethics, The Beatitudes derive from the opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount as delivered by Jesus. It presents “blessed sayings” which Jesus expresses the promising “divinely happy and fortunate are those who possess these inward qualities”, in the idyllic state that a believer is rewarded and protected by eternal spiritual blessings. Noted in the second Beatitude, “Blessed are the poor in spirit , for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”, exemplifies that our satisfaction is not prided by our fortune. Juxtaposingly, Jesus compares our world’s means of happiness with spiritual prosperity as it “teaches us to do what is right”. An omnibenevolent fellowship with God is justified as the core of true happiness. Consequently, in the period of penitential preparation for Easter, Christians experience the enviable state of blessed-immanent spirit through the practice of lent, as an act of selflessness and appreciation. During lent, Christian adherents relinquish treasurable possessions in their lives, for a period of forty consecutive days, to replicate the sacrifice Jesus has shown in ‘Death and Resurrection’ of Christ. Through this, Christians demonstrate their faith in Christ as selflessness and appreciation in life are blessings for eternal life and merciful love, “inspired by God”. The immaculate covenant between God and believers is established by faithfulness, seeking the elixir of longevity “and this is the promise that he has promised us - eternal life” (1 John 2:25). 

Expressed in the Christian voice, ‘Salvation’ is the free liberated gift granted through and by the grace of God for those who have divine faith in Jesus. To be engaged in the devotion of Christ, the simple expression of ‘Good works’ is constituted. Highlighting personal obligations of followers to act on behalf of the poor and dispossessed would refer to testimony into the afterlife. This commences on the ‘Day of Judgement’ through ‘Justification by works’. This is where Jesus separates the "sheep from the goats" (Matthew 25:31-46). Conversely, this notion incentivises “teaches us to do what is right” as it is a true indicator of salvation and critiques worthiness to be welcomed into heaven, accumulated by the way a follower has treated the “least of these" (Matthew 25:40). Conclusively, it poses the requirement that it is sincere faith which is enlivened within ‘Good works’. 

The dynamic of ‘Good works’ is explored in the new testament with the ethical teaching: Jesus’s commandment of love. In, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, so you also love one another” (John 13:34), the commandment to love is traditional, but the magnification by Jesus to motivate each other's love through the self-sacrificial love Jesus has shared, is introduced for Christians. The sentiment of “what is true” married with “what is right” is taught here as adherents aspire to be a true disciple, reinforced by “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:35). Essentially, to love each other is the living faith that comes from the holy relationship with God. The concept of love is the central gateway to any practical ethics because ‘the moral life’ is one which devotes to the virtues of Christian love. However, to love in a Christian context is an reciprocative idea. The new testament Matthew 7:12 verse (also referred to as the ‘Golden rule’) highlights this in “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12). The significance of “This is the law” coupled with “the prophets”, emphasised “what is right” in the old testament, as the law and prophets were the divine intermediaries. However, the source of ethically-righteous supernatural teachings in the new testament is Jesus and his teachings e.g. The Beatitudes. 

An act of love to each other, predominately in our community to “least of these”, is presented by The Salvation Army. The organisation prides themselves on “bringing hope to people who may be experiencing hardship or injustice” characterised by “preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in his name with love and without discrimination”. The Salvation Army reflects the model of Jesus’s commandment of love as they practice love to God and to neighbours as they worship the practice of giving, that is conceived and “inspired by God ''. Ordinarily, they demonstrate ‘Good works’ actions through providing food, shelter and food distribution centres. The Christian organisation has considered contemporary ethical manners as they recognise those who have difficulty in times of crisis, including: “Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people who identify as LGBTIQA+, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and people with disabilities'”. Although people are challenged as they may be “wrong in our lives'”, the commandment circulates the ministry of universal love, as they mirror to the community how a true disciple acts through the abidance of loving others. Conclusively, Salvation is gifted through the faith of Christ. To attain the multitude of being faithful to Christ, Jesus’s commandment of love is a model interpretation of teaching how to collectively love in the ambition to be divine. Through the example of the Salvation Army, believers are able to realistically understand “what is true and make us realise what is wrong in our lives”, as they strive to help one another through charitable love.  

Thus, a belief structural frame is proposed to guide ethical behaviour for Christian adherents. A representation of reaching a divine perspective from Christ is explored through scripture as the ‘Death and Resurrection’ of Jesus exhibits how adherents may achieve eternal life, inspired by ethical teachings of The Beatitudes. Additionally, ‘Salvation’ is gifted through the faith of Christ where we learn to love like Jesus’s commandment of love, “to love one another”, as they fulfill the competency of what it ultimately takes to be a good disciple of Jesus.