New Testament
Foundations of Ethics
Understanding Ethics
New Testament Foundations of Ethics
• Introduction
• Meaning of New Testament
• John the Baptist: Prepare the Way
• The Ethics of the Kingdom of God
• Jesus and the Law
• Repentance and Discipleship
• The Great commandment of LOVE
• The Cross and the principle of sacrifice
• Redemption in the New Testament: Hearts not Minds
• The Spiritual Israel: The Church and Ethical Living
• Apostles Teachings on Ethics
• The Ethical Significance of the book of Revelation
• Conclusion
Introduction
• Explain how citizenship in the Kingdom of God entails
certain Kingdom ethics, virtues and discipleship
• Identify ways the Early Church provides an ethical
model for Christian living
• Indicate how justification by faith leads to moral
freedom
• Sketch the ways the Christian community shapes life
in the power of the Holy Spirit
Meaning of New Testament
• New Testament = New agreement
– Hebs 9: 10 - 16
– The Old was between God & Israel
• Through Moses at Mt. Sinai; by birth & bloodline.
– The New is between God & all humans
• Through Jesus at Golgotha; by personal faith
• Writing the law of God on the HEARTS of men
not on their MINDS.
John the Baptist: Prepare the Way
• To get the ethics of the Kingdom of God, one has to
remove the hindrances that exist. It a personal
decision to repent.
– Matt 3: 1-3
– “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching…Repent
ye for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. For this is he
that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah…Prepare ye the
way of the Lord, make his paths straight”
The Ethics of the Kingdom of God
• To a Christian, ethics begins and ends with
responding positively to Jesus Christ and
joining the Kingdom of God
– Citizenship of the Kingdom
• Qualification (repentance, allegiance, identity, etc)
• Duties/responsibilities (heart, mind)
• Change in worldview
• IT IS A CHANGE OF HEART
– “INSIDE-OUT” not “OUTSIDE-IN”
Jesus and the Law
• Jesus taught that he came to fulfill the law not
to degrade it.
– What is the purpose of the law?
– The law was made for man not man
for the law
• The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made me free from the law of sin and death
Repentance and Discipleship
• It is not possible to live an sin-free life (ethical life)
without repentance. Repentance is confession of
one’s sins AND abandoning the evil lifestyle.
• Discipleship is living this life changed from sinfulness
to righteousness.
• Rom 6:18
• From slaves to sin you become slaves of
righteousness
LOVE ( AGAPE)
Asked by one of the Pharisees which is the
greatest commandment in the law (Matthew
22:36), Jesus names as the central
commandment of his teaching the practice of
love (agape) both towards God and one's
fellow men
The Great commandment of LOVE
• Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all
your mind and all your soul
• Love your neighbor as you love your self
• The one you love you can not hurt neither
can you lead into wrongdoing
The Cross and the Principle of Sacrifice
• The cross is central in the message of Jesus
Christ – and it is not possible for Christians to
live ethically without carrying the cross
• To this you were called, because Christ
suffered for you, LEAVING YOU AN EXAMPLE,
that you should follow in his steps
• 1 Peter 2:21
Redemption in the New Testament: Hearts
not Minds
• Ethical freedom is a result of the GRACE that
comes to us through FAITH in Jesus
• For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith – and this not from yourselves, it
is the gift of God – not by works, so that no-
one can boast.
• Ephesians 2:8-9
The Spiritual Israel: The Church and Ethical
Living
• Ethical living is possible within a community
called the CHURCH.
• Followers of Jesus shared all their possessions.
Many thinkers have condemned this as
socialism. But it is important to share. It is
ethical living.
Teachings of Apostles on Ethics
• Paul – we get freedom from sin by grace not
works but after becoming Christians our lives
have to normally do good works
• James – faith without works is dead. Good
works do not bring faith but faith brings good
works.
• John – loving one another is the proof that we
are true Christians
The Ethical Significance of the book of
Revelation
• Christians have to overcome problems to
enter the Kingdom of God.
• Problems in book of Revelation indicate that
those who have a vision of God’s Kingdom
need to be patient and to endure hardships.
(It helps in ethics)
• God controls time from beginning to end
Conclusion
• Christ came to give us freedom from the
bondage of sin but we still have to choose it
freely
• It is not possible to live ethically without this
freedom from sin which Jesus Christ brings
