Basis for Christian Ethics

Basis for Christian Ethics
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Basis for Christian Ethics
Christian morality and ethics consist of one living their life in the light of the
scriptures and the Christian1. In other words, the Christian ethics are mainly obtained from
the scriptures. For Christians, the bible is the major reference when it comes to ethics. A
study of the bible reveals that it provides for what is ethical and what is not. Although the
bible was written centuries ago, Christians take its teaching as relevant even in the
contemporary society3. They believe that the bible contains the word of God or rather is the
word of God. The word of God is alive and is like a double edged sword2. One of the main
contributors to Christian ethics is apostle Paul. Paul wrote several letters, especially to the
gentiles with the aim of preaching the good news and encouraging the church to emulate
Christ. In this paper, we will focus on some of the teachings of apostle Paul to determine the
basis for Christian ethics. Particularly, the essay will mainly draw from the book of Romans
chapters 8 and 12.
In Romans chapter 8, Paul encourages the Romans to live in the spirit. Any person
who received Christ is no longer condemned. They are no longer under the law of sin and
death. It appears from the text that the first step that a Christian should take to lay a good
foundation for Christian life is to accept Christ and his teachings. After doing this, Christ will
honour His promise and will send the holy spirit to guide the person. Therefore, one of the
greatest pillars in laying a foundation for Christian ethics is accepting Christ or living in the
spirit. When a Christian takes this step, the holy spirit of God will guide them towards doing
1. Hill, Alec. Just business: Christian ethics for the marketplace. InterVarsity Press,
2017.
2. Vardy, Peter. The puzzle of ethics. Routledge, 2016.
3. Wadell, Paul J. Happiness and the Christian moral life: An introduction to Christian
ethics. Rowman & Littlefield, 2016.