In a world of mounting corruption, crime, and violence, the applicability of ethical principles to build healthier societies is undervalued. Laws alone are incapable of addressing the dynamism and complexity of life. Ethical guidelines complement laws and help society navigate its path safely. Understanding ethics is especially beneficial for Christians because God called Christians to set the standard for society with lifestyles of love, righteousness, and integrity, traced from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
What is ethics?
Derived from the Greek word “ethos,” which means character, ethics is a philosophy concerned with human conduct, but more intensely, the behavior of people of a particular class, group, or culture. Morals refer to individual standards of right or wrong, usually bound by a higher-order and follow a code of ethics consistent with that system. Christians are, first, moral beings that follow a code of ethics consistent with Christianity.
Christian ethics is a discipline that emphasizes the scriptures to cultivate ethical norms and solve ethical issues. God did not singly call Christians to spread the Gospel, profess their faith, and worship God; He summons us to live lives of truth and obedience to His Word, an ethical routine. Christian ethics is intrinsic to Christianity.
Love
The Christian code of ethics stands on the resounding principle of love. The Gospel is about God’s love for the world, freely given to humanity as a model for life. This condition of love is scrutinized in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8;
“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
Outlined in Paul’s presentation is the underlying necessity for love, its characteristics, unequivocal superiority, and eternal solidity. Love is a more excellent way of life. Without love, morality and ethics are valueless. Love is holy, wise, and useful, and the Apostle directs his audience to pursue the Divine love of God as the highest form of living. Out of all the pleasures on this earth, love proves to be the worthiest endowment. We can be graceful, eloquent, superior, influential, and extremely educated, yet we amount to nothing if we are destitute of love.
Love is Godly devotion and goodwill to all men. God calls Christians to love Him with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. Paul’s discussion of love specifically denotes kindness in relationships, generosity to the poor and needy, and candor in judging people’s motives and intentions. However, people perform acts merely out of their humanity or due to credulous beliefs about “giving” or “doing good.”
These actions, however noble, are unmerited if they do not originate from a place of love. Human love flows from God’s love to man and man’s love for God. Without this, we are merely tinkling cymbals. Gifts without love is a flashy and indecipherable conflict but love that expels from the heart of God is a manifestation of beauty and grace. We should be aware that presents are transitory, virtues are timeless, and humankind’s most outstanding quality is love.
Righteousness
The preeminent principle of righteousness guides the Christian ethical stance. The Apostle explores the standard of righteousness in his address to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts…” (1 Corinthians 6:9). Righteousness is a requirement of Christianity. Two overriding points seep through Paul’s discussion. First, the unjust and villains will not enter God’s Final Kingdom, and second, people deprive themselves of this heritage because of their sensual indulgences. The gist of Paul’s message is that righteousness is the only point of entry into eternal bliss.
The loss of righteousness caused angels to be cast out of heaven, Adam to be expelled from the Garden of Eden, and people to fall short of God’s glory. Injustice and unrighteousness conflict with the nature of God, so he established His judgment seat where all can stand before Him to account for their actions. Sinners are not fit for God’s Kingdom, and all unrighteousness is sin, so God found a way to prevent saints from being tarnished by sinners with His introduction of heaven and hell. There is no greater danger than that of disregard for ethics and morality because they determine our future.
Religion is not a façade, but a spiritual life measured by holiness. There is a self-deception among people that is quite risky and misleading. People are inclined to cajole themselves with their wisdom, wealth, and aptitude, which encourage them to live in sin, still thinking they can inherit heaven.
Nevertheless, Christ makes it clear that those in the flesh cannot please God (Romans 8:8). Indubitably, it is impossible to live in the flesh and inherit the eternal. Galatians 5:19-21 defines a worldly life and its repercussions, “…sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
The Apostle Paul outlined the classes of sinners that make up the universal curse and stain of unrighteousness. He encouraged people to be conscious of their vulnerability, false beliefs, dishonest teachings by leaders, and passivity about truth. These issues are relevant because our souls are infinitely valuable; heaven’s loss is a colossal regret and hell, a thunderous curse.
Integrity
The conversation on ethics is incomplete without reference to God’s philosophy of integrity. Proverbs 11:3 highlights, “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.” People who stand on Godly principles are successful and blessed, but God rejects the depraved and deceitful who undermine their morality and lose their awareness of truth.
Integrity alludes to sincerity and obedience to God. It is walking after Him and not by the demands of society. It makes the Bible a lamp to one’s feet and a light to one’s path and having an honest heart. It is knowingly and willingly stepping aside from shady paths, synthesizing heart and hands, honesty in word and deed.
God guides those with integrity, but those devoid of moral character break God’s ethical code. These people are perverse in ways, words, and actions; they disrespect God and man and, finally, destroy themselves. A lack of integrity allows humanity to build treasures on earth, idolize people, and worship sin. They are corrupted and pathetic.
How many of us overlook integrity without realizing it is an abomination to the Lord? Look on the humble; they are quiet, secure, and prudent. Look on the honest, steady in their principles, God protects them from danger and their path is clear. Look on the faithful; they never reveal what is entrusted to them, except for the honor of God. Look on the wise; they never judge others, pious and discreet, they esteem and respect all people. Holiness brings happiness, but evil makes misery.
The end of life for people of integrity heralds an end to fear, but death equates to shrinking hope for the sinful. When we fail to exercise modesty and discretion, we abuse the things of life and displease God. Nations prosper, and people feel secure when wickedness is rebuffed, and integrity prevails. If we are not people of integrity, we are a fragile community.
Conclusion
God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures is the standard for Christian ethics. Christ is the ultimate authority on heaven and on earth. He is the personification of morality because He is a Perfect, Righteous, and Good Father. We can gain a sense of ethical living by reading and studying God’s Word and through prayer and divine revelation. Humanity was created in the Father’s image and likeness to conform to His moral values and ethical insights. Christians are the portal through which ethical sustenance can be understood and emulated.
