Ethics in Christianity - Essay Example

Ethics in Christianity The Christian code of ethics can be found throughout the entire Bible such as in the Ten Commandments and in the various teachings and lessons of Jesus. One of Jesus’ greatest concepts in regard to ethics involves letting the heart lead and to do everything with obedient love (Stoddart, 2008). What this means is that ethics in Christianity are observed and practiced by allowing God and Jesus to take control to help decide what is or is not right. This is essentially where the age-old adage What Would Jesus Do came from.

If Jesus does not believe that it is right to kill someone, then ethically it is not right to kill someone. The Ten Commandments cover ten of the most major ethical points in the Christian religion. These ten ethical concepts range from treating family members and elders with respect, to not committing murder, stealing, or being adulterous. There are also commandments that focus on the the role of God and the purpose of God in the lives of others, making it clear that Christians are not allowed to look to any other god or idol as the one true God.

While this may not immediately seem to have anything to do with ethics, as aforementioned God and Jesus play big roles in the ethics that people accept and implement into everyday life. Other idols might not preach the same concepts of ethics, so it becomes vital for Christians to keep their eyes only on God and Jesus to help lead them to the right response. The Bible itself can be viewed as a guideline for Christian ethics. Especially in the New Testament there are stories upon stories about how Jesus treats others, emphasizing on the importance of treating others the way that you would want to be treated (Muntzel, 2010).

This is yet another method to decide what is considered ethical or unethical in the Christian faith. The Bible is full of these lessons laid down by Jesus and his followers. Chapters upon chapters are devoted to showing people what is right and what is wrong, and why. Absolute truth is when something is true in all times and places, while relative truth is only true at one time and in one place (Krasemann & Thiroux, 2008). The Christian world view of ethics is considered to be absolute truth, though there are going to be people that disagree with this assessment.

Most cultures adhere to the same ethic principles that can be found in Christianity such as not murdering or stealing and treating elders with respect. The only aspect of these ethic principles that are not absolute are the ones in regard to the role of God in the lives of people. The Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you - is also a universal concept, and one that can be viewed as the center of Christian ethics. It can also be viewed as the center of ethics in general.

The concepts regarded by Christians are regarded by others despite their location and their religion. Ethics tends to transcend these differences between people. The greatest problem that could be created by Christian ethics in the position of absolute truth in this controversy is the connection that these ethics have with a specific religious group. The use of the Ten Commandments in public locations like schools and courthouses have become controversial; the majority of people follow these commandments, but there is a large portion that follow them independently of a religion, thus feeling offended to see religious material in public locations.

Ethics usually do not pose a problem with society until it is regarded as religious behavior or beliefs, going against those that do not share the same beliefs.ReferencesKrasemann, K. W., & Thiroux, J. P. (2008). Ethics: Theory and Practice (10 ed.). Alexandria, VA: Prentice Hall.Muntzel, P. (2010). Christian Ethics and the Moral Psychologies. The Society of Christian Ethics, 30(1), 228-231.Stoddart, E. (2008). Who Watches the Watchers? Towards an Ethic of Surveillance in a Digital Age. Studies in Christian Ethics, 21, 362-381.