This is the basic fundamental foundation or Creed of
Christendom regardless of what religion you’re from.
Morpheus are
you suggesting to Sofia Lose that
you’re a Christian? If so, what denomination. At what point does your overture
hold this concept. Keep in mind, this philosophy is not derived from JW’s.
Nevertheless I believe Sofia Lose also stated she didn’t wish to be a JW
anymore. So the soul searching is within her, and her alone as stated by DOC.
What Does the Bible Say About Christian Values and
Christian Life?
Frequently
Asked Questions
- How can I follow and obey God's will and live a Godly
life?
- How can I be faithful to God in my everyday life?
- What does it mean to do good works?
- What are Christian moral and ethical values?
- What does God require of us?
- How can I obey the Word of God?
- How can I live my life in Christ?
- What should I do to avoid sinning?
- How can I be a child of God?
- How can I show my love for God?
- What values are taught in the Bible?
- What are the Christian virtues?
Many people sincerely want to live
Godly lives but we often hear conflicting ideas of what that means.
Introduction
Worldly values include wealth,
power, pleasure, revenge, fame, vanity and status. These are the most important
things to people who perceive no power or purpose beyond themselves. Worldly
values promote jealousies, resentments and conflicts among people in accordance
with the purposes of Satan (John 8:44, Acts 5:3, Romans
16:17-20, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians
2:1-3, 4:25-32, 2 Timothy
2:22-26, 1 John 3:8-10).
The values taught in the Bible are
often the opposite of worldly values: kindness and respect for all people
instead of power; humility instead of status; honesty and generosity instead of
wealth; self-control instead of self-indulgence; forgiveness instead of
revenge. Christian values promote peace and good will among people in
accordance with the purposes of God. We will never achieve perfection in this
life, but those people who strive to obey God often find a sense of joy and
peace that no worldly rewards can match!
Here is a list of ten values or
principles for living that are emphasized most strongly in the Bible:
1.
Worship Only God
One day, a religious leader asked
Jesus which of the commandments was most important:
"The most important one,"
answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is
one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
all your mind and with all your strength.' (NIV, Mark 12:28-30)
The Hebrews of Old Testament times
tended to lapse into worship of pagan deities and statues of animals or other
objects, but anything that takes the place of our devotion to God becomes an
idol or false god, and that is forbidden by the first of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-6).
Jesus particularly singled out love of wealth as a false god (Matthew 6:24;
Luke 16:13),
and other Bible passages mention greed, covetousness, arrogance, gluttony and
pride as being equivalent to idolatry.
In today's world, many things
compete against God for our devotion. These are some of the things that are not
necessarily bad in moderation, but can become modern-day idolatry if we let
them become too important to us:
- Excessive attention to material things such as houses,
cars, clothes, jewelry, physical appearance, entertainment, etc.
- Pursuit of wealth, power, fame, pleasure or status
- Excessive devotion to self, job, hobbies, country,
ideologies, heroes, leaders, even family
Bible references: 1 Samuel
15:23, Matthew 6:31-34, 22:34-40,
Mark
12:28-31, Luke 10:25-28, Acts 14:11-15,
1 Corinthians
10:14, Galatians 5:19-21, Ephesians 5:5,
Colossians
3:5, Philippians 3:18-19, 1 Timothy
6:6-11, 6:17-20, 2 Timothy
3:1-5, Hebrews 13:5, 1 Peter
4:1-6
Other references: Love the Lord Your God, What Does the Bible Say About Money and Wealth?, Wealth
2.
Respect All People
After saying "Love the Lord
your God" is the most important of the commandments, Jesus continued,
The second is this: 'Love your
neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." (NIV,
Mark 12:31)
The English word "love"
has many different meanings, but the Greek word, agape, used in the New
Testament, is commonly known as "Christian love." It means respect,
affection, benevolence, good-will and concern for the welfare of the one loved.
In His Parable of the Good
Samaritan, Jesus made the point that we should extend our Christian love to
all people of the world, regardless of race, religion, nationality or
any other artificial distinction. We must practice that Christian love even
toward our enemies! (Matthew 5:43-48)
Jesus' Golden Rule is, "Do unto
others as you would have them do unto you." We should not say or do
anything unless we can answer "Yes" to the question, "Would I
want that said or done to me?" Neither should we fail to do the good
things we would expect of others.
Bible references: Leviticus
19:18, Matthew 7:12, 22:34-40,
Mark
12:28-31, Luke 6:31, 10:25-28,
John
13:34-35, Romans 13:8-10, 15:1-2,
James 2:8
Other references: Love Your Neighbor as Yourself, What are the Greatest Commandment and the Parable of the
Good Samaritan?, What Does the Bible Say About Love?
3.
Be Humble
Humility or being humble is a
quality of being courteously respectful of others. It is the opposite of
aggressiveness, arrogance, boastfulness, and vanity. Acting with humility does
not in any way deny our own self-worth. Rather, it affirms the inherent worth
of all persons. Humility is exactly what is needed to live in peace and harmony
with all persons. It dissipates anger and heals old wounds. It allows us to see
the dignity and worth of all God's people. Humility distinguishes the wise leader
from the arrogant power-seeker (Proverbs 17:7, Matthew
20:20-28).
Bible references: Matthew 5:5-9,
20:25-28,
Mark 9:35,
1 Corinthians
10:24, Ephesians 4:1-6, Philippians
2:2-8, 2 Timothy 2:22-25,
Other reference: Humility
4.
Be Honest
Honesty and integrity are held as
very important values throughout the Bible, and any deception to gain an
advantage or harm another is prohibited by the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16)
and other Bible passages. Deception may be by false statements, half-truths,
innuendo, or failing to tell the whole truth. It is all too common in
advertising, business dealings, politics and everyday life. We must strongly
resist the temptation to engage in any form of theft, cheating, deception,
innuendo, slander or gossip.
Rationalization is a form of
self-deception by which we convince ourselves that sinful actions are justified
in order to achieve a good result, but this is really just another form of
dishonesty (Galatians 6:7-8, James 1:26,
1 John
1:8). Holiness is in living by the commandments, not in
achieving an end result (Matthew 4:8-10, 16:26).
In Biblical teaching, the ends do not justify the means!
Bible references: Exodus 20:15,
Leviticus
19:35-36, Deuteronomy 16:19-20, 25:13-16,
Psalms
15:1-5, 24:3-5, Proverbs 10:9,
11:1,
11:3,
12:22,
16:28,
19:1,
20:10,
24:28,
28:6,
28:20,
Isaiah
33:15-16, Zechariah 7:9, Mark 10:19,
Luke
3:12-14, 16:10-12, 2 Corinthians
4:1-2, 2 Corinthians 7:2, 2 Corinthians
8:21, Ephesians 4:25, Philippians
4:8-9, Colossians 3:9, Hebrews 13:18,
1 Peter
2:12, 3:10
5.
Live a Moral Life
Do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You
are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your
body. (NIV, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Jesus gave a list of actions that
constitute immoral uses of the body: evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual
immorality, theft, false testimony, slander, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness,
envy, arrogance and foolishness. The apostle Paul gave similar lists.
We often think of morality in terms
of sexual sins, but according to Jesus, sins such as slander, greed,
covetousness, deceit, and arrogance are equally immoral.
Bible references: Exodus
20:1-17, Matthew 5:27-28, 15:18-19,
Mark
7:20-22, 10:11-12, Romans
13:11-14, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians
5:16-26, Ephesians 5:1-7, Colossians
3:5-10, 1 Thessalonians 4:3-9
6.
Be Generous with Time and Money
The Bible tells us to share
generously with those in need, and good things will come to us in turn. Each of
us has something to offer to someone in need. We can give our money and our
time to charity, be a friend to someone who is sick or lonely, do volunteer
work or choose a service-oriented occupation. We may give unselfishly of our
time to our spouse, children or parents.
This does not mean we are obligated
to share our time or money with people who are clearly not in need but just want
to use or abuse us (2 Thessalonians 3:10-12).
Bible references: Leviticus
19:9-10, 25:35-38, Deuteronomy
15:7-11, Proverbs 14:21, 28:27,
Isaiah
58:10-11, Matthew 5:42, 6:1-2,
25:31-46,
Luke 6:38,
12:33,
21:1-4,
Acts 20:35,
Romans
12:6-8, 2 Corinthians 9:5-7, Hebrews
13:1-3, 13:15-16, 1 Timothy
6:17-19, 1 John 3:17,
Other references: What Does the Bible Say About Generosity and Duty to the
Poor?, What Does the Bible Say About Using Time, Talents and
Wealth?, What Does the Bible Say About Money and Wealth?
7.
Practice what you Preach; Don't be a Hypocrite
If there was any one group of people
that Jesus couldn't stand, it was hypocrites! The Pharisees of Jesus' time were
a religious and political party that insisted on very strict observance of
Biblical laws on tithing, ritual purity and other matters. At the same time,
many of the Pharisees forgot the true spirit and intent of the law and became
self-indulgent, self-righteous, snobbish, and greedy. That led Jesus to remarks
such as,
Woe to you, teachers of the law and
Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful
on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything
unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but
on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (NIV, Matthew 23:27-28)
It is not the things we say that
really matter; it is the things that we do (Matthew
7:15-20). If we claim to be Christians but do not let Jesus'
teachings guide our lives, we are nothing but hypocrites.
Bible references: Psalms
50:16-17, Isaiah 29:13-15, Jeremiah
7:1-11, Micah 3:11-12, Matthew 6:1-7,
7:1-5,
7:21-23,
15:7-9,
23:1-33,
Luke
20:46-47, Romans 2:21-24, James 1:22-27,
2:14-24,
1 John
1:5-7, 2:3-6, 2:9, 4:19-21
8.
Don't Be Self-righteous
No one is perfect; we are all
sinners in one way or another (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8).
Living a moral life means taking responsibility for controlling our own
behavior. If we say or even think we are better than people we consider to be
"sinners," we are guilty of the sin of self-righteousness. It is not
our right to look down on, criticize, judge, condemn, or try to control other
people. Judgment is to be left to God. Jesus said,
Do not judge, so that you may not be
judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give
will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck in your neighbor's eye,
but do not notice the log in your own eye? Or how can you say to your neighbor,
'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' while the log is in your own eye? You
hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see
clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor's eye. (NRSV, Matthew 7:1-5)
This does not deny the right of
governments to maintain law and order and collect taxes. Jesus and other New
Testament leaders supported the authority of civil governments (Matthew
22:15-22, Romans 13:1-7).
Bible references: Proverbs
26:12, Isaiah 5:21, Matthew 7:1-5,
9:10-13,
18:10,
Luke
6:32-42, 7:36-50, 18:9-14,
John 8:1-8,
Romans
2:1-4, 3:23, 14:1, 14:10-12,
1 Corinthians
4:5, 13:1-7, 16:14,
Galatians
6:1-3, James 2:12-13, 4:11-12,
1 John
1:8
9.
Don't Hold a Grudge
Jesus said there is no place for
hatred, holding a grudge, revenge, retaliation or getting even in the life of a
Christian:
You have heard that it was said,
'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil
person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as
well. (NIV, Matthew 5:38-40)
You have heard that it was said,
'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in
heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on
the righteous and the unrighteous. (NIV, Matthew 5:43-45)
Bearing a grudge and seeking revenge
are never appropriate responses to a perceived wrong. A grudge destroys
the grudge-holder with bitterness, and revenge only escalates hostilities.
Jesus told us we must reconcile with our adversaries, forgive their
transgressions, and let go of the anger that may tempt us to commit an act of
revenge.
Bible references: Leviticus
19:18, Psalms 37:8-9, Proverbs
10:12, 12:16, 15:1, 15:7, 19:11, 20:22,
24:29,
Matthew
5:21-26, 5:43-48, Romans
12:17-21, 1 Corinthians 6:7-8, Ephesians
4:26, 4:31-32, Colossians
3:7-8, James 1:19-20, 1 Thessalonians
5:15, 1 Peter 3:9, 1 John 2:9-11,
4:19-21
10.
Forgive Others
If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly
Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will
not forgive your sins. (NLT, Matthew 6:14-15)
God is merciful and forgives our
sins and failings. In the same way, we must be merciful and forgive other
people who sin against us or do us harm.
Bible references: Matthew 5:7,
18:21-35,
Mark 11:25,
Luke 17:3-4,
Colossians
3:12-14, Ephesians 4:32
