Jesus Christ and Ethics

Jesus Christ and Ethics research papers report that throughout the New Testament, ethical codes that are overly concerned with proscribing specific actions are repeatedly scorned as being removed from genuine spirituality. This is most clear in His harsh recrimination of the excessive prescriptivism practiced by the Pharisees (cf. Matthew 23:23, 25-26). A key characteristic of Christian ethics, therefore, is that the believer is expected to engage in active reflection, introspection, and mental self-talk ensuring a proper attitude towards God and fellow people. If a principled ethical outlook based on the Great Commandments is achieved and actively maintained, Jesus' teachings suggest, ethical actions, behavior, and choices will necessarily result.

While this directive may seem simple, the record of Jesus' life as set forth in the New Testament demonstrates that embodying a uniquely Christian ethical mindset is a practice that is comprised of a great many component behaviors, actions, and attitudes, including the following:

• Humility
• Charity
• Mercy
• Unconditional love

Although these traits and attributes would be commendable as displayed in any context, they attain a more profound level of meaning when they are framed within the larger ethical system that Jesus sets forth in His teachings. In this context, all of these values can be regarded as manifestations of the two Great Commandments to love God and to love one another absolutely and without reservation. Within the system of Christian ethics, the act of aspiring to emulate and embody the principles that Christ demonstrated and discussed transcends the level of mere good deeds and aspires toward the fulfillment of a higher, overarching purpose.