Christian Moral Reflection

Context for Christian Moral Reflection Reflecting on our morals, as Christians, can sometimes be a difficult task. As Christians, we all hold many morals and beliefs on specific issues and happenings that occur in our world. We are surrounded with different ethical concerns. How we approach these issues depends on our morals and ethics. As Christians, we gather information on our morals through passages and teachings that occur in the Bible. The Bible is full of important stories that can be interpreted and applied to our every day lives and common issues in the world. McCarthy states that, “The primary role of Scripture in moral discernment is to open our lives to seeing and experiencing […]” (McCarthy, 44). The Scripture can give great insight to how to live a moral life and also reflection on our moral beliefs. From Scripture, we can gather much information on how to be moral beings. The scripture includes many different stories that were told by Jesus that offer messages on how to live ethical and moral lives as Christians.

Almost every passage in the Bible can be interpreted as delivering an important ethical message. For example, the Ten Commandments provide a list of rules to follow in order to reach the kingdom of Heaven. The Ten Commandments play an extremely significant role in our journey in becoming the most moral and ethical people we can be as Christians. Also, the Beatitudes provide another list of ways for us, as Christians, to continue our path to heaven and being moral individuals. Although these passages provide lists on ways to be good people, they also require prayer and studying in order for the reader to receive the most important message from the readings. As stated before, there are several important passages from the Bible that give significant information that can be used for moral reflection. One of the most important of the passages in the Bible is the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes are a list of blessings and lessons from Jesus that were recorded so that we could learn from them and be better individuals. The Beatitudes are most significant for several reasons. Although the Bible is not necessarily always easy to comprehend and understand, the Beatitudes are basically straightforward. They provide a simple list that can easily be followed so that we are able to live happy lives.

We are happiest when we follow the rules of Jesus and live as moral human beings. There are eight Beatitudes that are recorded in the Gospel of Matthew. The Beatitudes are basic and simple and easy to learn from. For example, the eighth Beatitude says, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10). In other words, Jesus is delivering the message that anyone who is willing to die or be persecuted because of his or her morals and beliefs will be rewarded and able to go to heaven. This is just one example of how the Beatitudes deliver basic messages on how to live moral lives. From the Beatitudes, we can gather lessons and information on how to lead better lives. Through examining the works of scripture, we can learn a great amount about our ethical and moral beliefs as Christians. McCarthy states that, “[…] Scripture is shaped by and continues to shape the worship of the church […]” (McCarthy, 21). The scripture and bible provides great insight into how we should approach ethical and moral issues. Most specifically, the Beatitudes provide a list of simple rules to follow as Christians. The most significant context for Christian moral reflection is the scripture, as many people have passed it on throughout the years so that we, as Christians, can learn from the stories that were told by Jesus and his earliest followers. Without scripture and the traditions provided in the passages, we would have no guidance of moral thinking and ethics.

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