Can Christians Be Moral?
Christianity in the Age of Moral Insight
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the lord, and on his law he meditates day and night (Ps. 1:1–2).
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, he said that the entire Old Testament, both the Law and the Prophets, can be summarized in the following two commandments: (1) love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and (2) love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36–40). There’s much more to Christian ethics than loving God and loving your neighbor, however.
The Bible is full of commandments, but for Jesus, these two are the most important since from them, the rest necessarily follow. That is not to deny that secular philosophy cannot help guide Christians toward ethical behavior but rather that Scripture is the main authority for Christian ethics.
Considering these two commandments, it may come as a surprise to any reader of history that Christendom has such a bad record at behaving morally. It seems that Christians misunderstood the loving message of Jesus. Or did…
