Christian ethics according to the Bible cannot be separated from Christian theology because it is based on the character and personality of God. Its task for Adventist Christians is to determine what ethics are true to the character of God and what ethics are inappropriate or incorrect. We know that God's ethical order is the only source of true and perhaps more real morality in human life. The eternal moral order is a character of Christ as a human being and an attribute of God Himself (2 Corinthians 4:18) which can be reflected in the church as the Body of Christ.
As disciples of Christ who are blessed with the Word of God, we must obediently receive teachings about God's ethics. By having great grace in Christ, we can get great joy by doing the work given by God in accordance with the call to be true disciples of Christ (Ephesians 4: 1). This article discusses six characteristics or characteristics of Christian ethics according to the Bible, including:
Agreement is communal
This communal covenant constitutes the ethical characteristics of each of God's people. Morally, every people of God must be accountable to God, the Bible teaches that the ethical life that can be described in the Scriptures is intended specifically for those who are in relationship with God. An example is the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 1-2). Likewise, the ethics of love and the foundations of moral teaching in the New Testament, which every believer must uphold (John 13: 34-35; 1 Peter 4: 8; Hebrews 13: 1)
Grace of Love
1 John 4:19 "" We love, because God first loved us "is one consistent concept in the Bible. What God has done for us, which can be manifested in Christ, is the basis for what we do for God. In the Bible, we must live in Christian ethics, both spiritually and morally which is influenced by the understanding of the Bible (1 Corinthians 6: 9-11; Romans 1: 16-17) and the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives (Romans 5: 5; 2 Corinthians 5:14; Galatians 2:14; 3: 3). An example is we have to apply His grace to do our best and also learn to forgive others depending on the situation.
Heart Transformation
Biblical ethics comes from the inner life, where it comes from our hearts. This is in accordance with the verse Jeremiah 31: 31-33 "" I will put my Torah in our hearts and write it on our hearts ". This will cause the impulse of the life of the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts so that we can become our God and we will become His people (Romans 5: 5; Galatians 5: 22-25). This is one of the internal factors that characterize Christian ethics (Matthew 5: 27-28; 6: 1; 15: 18-20). An example is by doing a heart transformation, we must be disciplined spiritually through prayer, Bible reading, and so on.
Principles of life
Jesus showed the principles of life in his teachings about loving enemies (Matthew 5: 43-44), loving one's neighbor (Romans 13: 9-10; 1 Corinthians 13), materialism (Matthew 6: 19-24), the law (Matthew 5: 38-42). Paul also followed this principle of contraception in his teaching on sexual purity (1 Corinthians 6: 12-20; Colossians 3: 5-6), the bible verse on Christian marriage (Genesis 1:28) gender equality before God (Galatians 3: 28- 29; Colossians 3:11). Moreover, the principle of Christian life is also for every believer who is doing ministry (John 12: 1-6; Malachi 3: 17-18; 1 Thessalonians 1: 8-10; Ephesians 6: 5-8; Romans 12: 4- 7 4; Colossians 3: 23-24), stewardship in the Church (Psalm 24: 1; Haggai 2: 8; Exodus 19: 5; Genesis 39: 1-6; Matthew 25: 14-15; 1 Corinthians 4: 1- 2) and pay attention to the interests of others (Philippians 2: 1-3).
Integrity
Reaching out to every corner of human life, the ethical system described in the Bible deals with beliefs and behavior (Romans 12: 1; Ephesians 4: 17-24), private behavior and public morality (James 1:27), piety and communal justice ( Jeremiah 7: 1-11; Micah 6: 6-8). This characteristic is the identity of every believer with integrity in God's eyes (Romans 6; 1 Peter 2: 9-10). Therefore, their ethical life cannot be separated from other aspects of life.
Biblically, Christian ethics can be shaped and motivated by what God has done in Christ and what He promises us in the future (Titus 2: 11-14; 2 Peter 3: 13-14). Followers of Christ must want to pursue holiness by seeing God's role in Christian ethics. We can look back at what God has done, sent His Son, unite us to Christ, and place the indwelling Holy Spirit. And we also look forward to what God will do, as Christ returns the second time to judge and finally redeem His people from all sin and suffering. This is why we can study the Bible's teaching on eschatology that concerns not only the fate of individuals, but also human history (Luke 10: 23-24; Matthew 11: 4-5, 13: 16-17).
This is the information about the characteristics of Christian ethics in the Bible. Hopefully it can increase your knowledge of Christian science. You can learn to understand the fear of God by following a Christian ethical order and also living in Christ by applying good and true Christian ethics according to the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5: 22-26).