What is Christian ethics?

Ethics is a “set of moral principles, the study of morality.”  Therefore, Christian ethics would be:

1) A system of values based upon the Christian Scriptures.

2) Principles of behavior in concordance with the behaviors of Christian prophets.

3) Standards of thought and behavior as taught by Jesus.

While God’s Word may not cover every situation we face throughout our lives, its principles give us the standards by which we must conduct ourselves in those situations where there are no explicit instructions.

Christian ethics is well summarized by Colossians 3:1-6, “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience…”  

Francis Schaeffer explains the uniqueness of Christian ethics, “One of the distinctions of the Judeo-Christian God is that not all things are the same to Him.  That at first may sound rather trivial, but in reality, it is one of the most profound things one can say about the Judeo–Christian God.  He exists; He has a character, and not all things are the same to Him.  Some things conform to His character, and some are opposed to His character.” 1.

Muslims believe that moral norms are random, a product of God’s decree, and therefore can change as God chooses.  Marxists and Secular Humanists rely almost exclusively on their economic or naturalistic philosophy to determine ethics.  Postmodernists argue for a morality based on shared “community” values and Cosmic Humanists assume that everyone acts morally by following inner truth determined on an individual basis.

The Bible gives us detailed instructions on how we should live the Christian life.  However, the Bible does not always clearly cover every situation we will face in our lives.  How then is it sufficient for the all the ethical dilemmas we face?  That is where Christian ethics comes in.

For example, the Bible does not say anything specifically about the use of illegal drugs, yet based on the principles we learn through Scripture, we can know that it is wrong.  For one thing, the Bible tells us that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and that we should honor God with it. (See 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Knowing what drugs do to our bodies, and the harm they cause to various organs, we know that by using them we would be destroying the temple of the Holy Spirit.  That is certainly not honoring to God. The Bible also tells us that we are to follow the authorities that God Himself has put into place. (See Romans 13:1)

Given the illegal nature of drugs, by using them we are not submitting to the authorities but are rebelling against them.  Does this mean if illegal drugs were legalized it would be ok?  Not without violating the first principle.

By using the principles we find in Scripture, Christians can determine the ethical course for any given situation.  In some cases, it will be simple, like the rules for Christian living we find in Colossians, chapter 3.  In other cases, we need to do a little digging.  The best way to do that is to pray over God’s Word.

The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, and part of His role is teaching us how to live, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26)

“And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” (1 John 2:27)  So, when we pray over Scripture, the Spirit will guide us and teach us.  He will show us the principles we need to stand on for any given situation.

Christian ethics and the Christian ethical system is both like and unlike any other system ever proposed. Every ethical system contains some grain of the truth found in the Christian code, but no other system can claim to be the whole truth, handed down as an absolute from God to humanity.

As Christians who recognize the truth of God’s law, we must dedicate our lives to obeying it.  This dedication is far too rare today.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer asks, “Who stands fast? Only the man whose final standard is not his reason, his principles, his conscience, his freedom, or his virtue, but who is ready to sacrifice all this when he is called to obedient and responsible action in faith and in exclusive allegiance to God—the responsible man, who tries to make his whole life an answer to the question and call of God.  Where are these responsible people?” 2.

Such Christians are those who are willing to treat God’s moral order with the same respect they show His physical order; who love God with their whole body, soul, spirit, mind, and strength; who treat others as they desire to be treated.  They may be in the halls of government, standing firm against tyranny and slavery, or in the mission field, sacrificing everything for the sake of the gospel.

More often they are quite ordinary Christians living extraordinary lives, showing the world that Christ’s truth is worth believing and living.

(For biblical examples of ethically responsible men and women, see Hebrews 11:32–12:3)

1. Francis Schaeffer, “Christian Faith and Human Rights,” Simon Greenleaf Law Review, 2 (1982-3), 5. Cited in John Montgomery, Human Rights and Human Dignity (Dallas, TX: Probe Books, 1986), 113.

2. Joan Winmill Brown, ed., The Martyred Christian (New York, NY: Macmillan, 1985), 157.

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