Jesus Was A Virtue Ethicist
Which is better? Simple compliance or wanting to do something based on your character?
Christianity is believed to be just a bunch of rules. I think Jesus takes it deeper, to the level of virtue ethics.
The prophets foretold a new covenant where instead of following an outside law, that law is internalized inside you by God. He turns our bent toward evil into a tendency toward good. (1)
Jesus gives examples of this in the Sermon on the Mount.
An easy one, don’t murder anyone—one of the big ten. However, Jesus says don’t even be mad enough to want someone dead. It’s not so easy now. By this standard, I’m a murderer.
Tim Keller’s Gospel in Life podcast discussed the passage. He said that dismissing someone is the same as killing them. You have to listen to it for context.
Our actions have to line up with our underlying intent. Begrudging obedience isn’t obedience. It’s compliance to keep the rules and/or peace.
James, whose book in the Bible draws heavily from the Sermon on the Mount, says, “Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” (2)
Like the commandment to not commit adultery. Even the desire to have sex with someone other than your spouse is a sin. Intent is once again as bad as action. Fantasizing is in view here, not our natural interest in the other sex.
Is God a buzzkill?
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