STEEMCHURCH....... CHRISTIAN ETHICS

Peace be with you all parishioners from the world. Today let us share the word of God.

Christian as a subject deals with what is morally right and wrong with Christians. Christians Ethics is therefore based on God's will. Christian Ethics is something we ought to do. It depends on God's unchangeable moral character and it is in accordance his moral attributes. Christians Ethics is uniform all over the world, but the philosophical ethics differ from culture to culture. Compare the following :

• Lev. 11:45 - God's holiness is the basis of the Israelites holiness. God says I am holy.
• Matt. 5:48 - Be perfect because your Heavenly Father is perfect.
• 1 John. 4:16 - The basis of our living is because God is Love.
• Matt. 22:39 - Thou shall love your neighbors as yourself.

Christian Ethics is absolute because God's character does not change. Therefore anything that comes him or from his nature does not change. Therefore absolute moral duty binds on all times in all places.

• Mal. 3:6 - I the Lord does not change so you the descendants of Jacob do not change.
• James 1:17 - Every good perfect gift is from the Lord who does not change from generation to generation.

If you want to be predictable then base your behavior on God's unchanging way. Christian Ethics is perspective rather than descriptive

Old Testament Ethics

Christianity comes from the Old Testament, is. To say the root of Christianity is the Old Testament. As a result we need to know something about the Old Testament ethics.

Ethics Of Revelation

1. This is the ethics that make human being in his activities responsible to the will of God
   This ethics is more than what is called ' Ethos 'by the Greeks - Which is habit or custom. It is more than what the Greeks call duce - which is an accepted standards of conduct. It is more than what the Greek call nomos - unaccepted custom.

2. It is an ethics that is rooted in history One's personal history guides him of future. Deut. 7:18,8:2,24:16,22.
   The Israelites remembered the history of being delivered by God. This has two implications
   • God has the right to speak.
   • He has the right to speak to the Jew's. And so God had the right to speak to them about how they should behave.

3. It is an ethics that is tied up in the idea of covenant
   Deut. 7:6-8 - "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God, the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, out of all the peoples that are on the face of the earth"...... This covenant between God and the Israelites brings God's grace into their life, nevertheless, this grace bring it's obligation. Although God has chosen them, they must prove themselves worthy of this choice.
   

4. Old Testament ethics brings the idea of Israelites as the bride of God
   Isa. 54:5 - "For your maker is your husband,the Lord of host is His name and the Holy one of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called"
   Isa. 61:10,Hosea 9:1
   "Rejoice not, O Israel! Exalt not like the people, for you have played the harlot, forsaking your God. You have loved harlots hire upon all threshing floors"
   Isa. 62:4-5
   The next strongest relationship after man and God is that of husband and wife. This type of relationship is a special relationship. One of the strongest relationships that exist. This makes God to be jealous over the Israelites when they are strolling away. God does not expect them to marry another god. They must be faithful bride.

5. Old Testament ethics has something to do with the idea of being chosen
   That means God chose the Israelites. They specifically belong to God. This brings certain consequences:
   • It brings a terrifying sense of responsibility. This tells us that, the greater one privilege is, the greater is his responsibility. Amos 3:2
   • Being chosen must result in obedience Deut. 27:9-10. As a result of this idea of obedience, the law or commandment becomes very important to the Jew's
   • When the Israelites obey their obedience brings the idea of difference, separation and holiness which they must be ready to accept.
   • This idea of holiness result into total exclusiveness of the Jew's. Because of this, they must have no covenant with other nations. (Ex. 23:32 - "*You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods)
   • No intermarriage with the people of other nation Ex. 34:16 - You eat of his sacrifices and you take their daughters for your sons, and their daughters play the harlot after their god and make your sons play the harlot after their gods. Also everything that will tint their purity must be stamped out their way Deut. 7:5. But thou shall you deal with them you shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim and burn their graven images with fire Deut. 13"12-19
   Another thing that makes the Israelites different is there ceremonial law. Also they carried their religion into their dialy activities. To them there is no religion without ethics Hosea 6:1

Thanks for reading, this is your brother @bigssam from #teamghana, @sc-g