Module 3.3.
Christian Ethics in Relationship with the Old & New Testaments
A. Old Testament Ethics
Christian ethics is grounded in the Old
Testament. The principles of the Old Testament
consist of the laws, and the character and nature
of God. The laws gave Israel their standard of what
was right and wrong. The governing principle
which is the nature and character of God is
summed up by the statement that the Lord was
holy (Lev. 19:2). The holy character of God cannot
tolerate evil or sin. Therefore, if we wish to please
God and guard our life from sin, we must live in
accordance with His nature and character.
The major contributions of the Old Testament to the study of ethics include: 1)
accountability to a monotheistic God; 2) humility, righteousness, and wisdom. It
emphasizes social responsibilities without diminishing individual’s accountability.
B. New Testament Ethics
The most significant contribution of the New Testament is Jesus Christ. His life,
teaching and ministry form the structure of the New Testament ethics. The common
ground of the New Testament with the Old Testament is the revelation of God and His
Word. The revelation of God in the New Testament assumes His lordship over His creation.
Therefore, all aspects of life – attitudes and actions are subject to God. The revelation of
God’s Word means that the New Testament ethics has a saving outlook on life. The Word
of God reveals that mankind fell into sin, but God offers reconciliation through Christ.
The principles governing the New Testament ethics are what Jesus said: 1) “Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and,
2) “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:37 -39) (Corbet, 2012).
With the common ground between the two testaments, the following are the basic
ethical understanding or concepts of God.
Concepts of God
1. God is Ethical. The ethics of God stresses the sacredness of human life. God does
not want human sacrifices. When Abraham was about to kill his son Isaac, to be
sacrificed as a burnt offering, God stopped his hands (Gen. 22:12). God’s ethics is
to preserve human life. God was not also happy when Manasseh sacrificed his own
son in the fire (2 Kings 21:6).
2. God is Creator. Behind the interpretation of evil as the corrupted good is faith in
God as the Creator. Human beings and everything else in the world have been made
by God. However, as Creator, he is not responsible for what is wrong with us. He
is not the source of evil that threatens us. He is the only source of what is right with
and about us (Rudnick, 1979).
3. God is Righteous. God is portrayed as righteous in the Old Testament. Because God
is righteous, he demands righteousness from all people. Righteousness is a moral
and ethical obligations of people in the society. It should be centered in the attitudes
of the heart. Psalm 11:7 says “The Lord is righteous, he loves justice, upright men
will see his face.”
4. God is Provider. El Shaddai or Jehovah Jireh is the name of God which stresses his
capacity to supply human needs. When the Israelites were hungry and thirsty, God
provided them with food and water. In one of the mountains of Galilee, Jesus also
fed the hungry multitudes with loaves of bread and pieces of fish (RE 2 Manual,
2005).
5. God is Justice. Justice is the property of law or measured by the standard of law.
Since justice is rooted in law, it easily develops the ethical conduct in accordance
with what is lawful. God emphasizes justice and upright living. He wants people to
repent from their sins and to live with what is just. “If a wicked man turns away
from his sins he has committed and keep God’s decrees, he will surely live, not
die”(Ezekiel 18:21), (Landero, 2002).
6. God is Merciful. Mercy is used in the Old Testament to express the unique quality of
God. Mercy is reciprocal by nature. It is to the merciful that God will show mercy.
“God will not show mercy when he judges the person who has not been merciful”
(James 2:13). The principle of reciprocity is seen also in the Lord’s prayer, “Forgive
us, as we forgive…” (Matt.6:12).
7. God is Savior. In the Old Testament God delivered the Israelites from the Egyptian
slavery. He saved the Hebrew patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; he saved
Moses and the slaves at the Red Sea. He saved the thief who had a penitent heart
at the cross of Calvary. The ethics of God is salvation for mankind. He sent His only
Son Jesus to save us from our sins.
8. God is love. The concrete love of God was seen in a manger. He concretized himself
in the form of human flesh and this human flesh is none other than His son, Jesus.
His ethical action was a transcendental one. He came down to identify with his loved
people. Since God is love, he challenged his people to love one another (I John 4:6-
8), (RE 2 Manual, 2005).
