On A New Ethic
by Ashish Joy
Violence as seen in the Old Testament, was a part of God’s plan for the nation of Israel, but violence is abdicated through the person of Christ, his Cross, his message, and his body. Non-violence is the path of the Christian, and we must return good for evil and kindness for violence.1
Death is but a byproduct of a sinful world. If then the Christ-follower is martyred, he rejoices for he is now with his Savior, and his life was given for the sake of him who sent him.
True humility, true obedience, true love, true selflessness…does not consider oneself, but the mission and the greater task; for we are citizens of Christ’s kingdom.
They killed Christ, and he loved unconditionally, represented all that is good, brought restoration to those he touched; yet they killed him.
How could we hope for anything other than that? Stand for Christ, and his message, and forget yourself along the way. That is simply following Jesus.2
Christianity is suffering and rejection for the sake of Christ. There is no earthly glory in the Christ-follower’s path, for we are asked to die to ourselves, that our left hand will not know what our right does, that we love our neighbors, show kindness to enemies, pray for those who persecute us, that our yes be yes and no be no, that we illustrate in action what we speak. There is nothing but the sheer reality of life devoted completely to the Lord.3
I am afraid that Christianity has become a philosophical treatise, touching human emotion, but not influencing and leading the human heart. We fail because we do not know what Christ has asked of us. It has become an empty ideal, a bless-me club for the calm and collected. No one who really struggles, or is under oppression, or those who are suffering, have a place in the Christianity we present.4
- I would qualify this statement by the words of Jesus throughout the gospels. It is also seen in the example of the believers in the first 300 years of Christianity, where they were persecuted, ridiculed, and martyred. Through all of this the body of Christ kept the kingdom ethic. However, once Christianity was married to the state structure, with it’s power, influence, and money, it lost its way. ↩
- There is much to learn as we look at the example of Christ. Some Christians would say that because Christ suffered, we do not have to. I would beg to differ. Look at the lives of the apostles throughout the NT, as well as their letters where they talk specifically about expecting, walking through, and looking back on suffering as their lot in life as disciples of Jesus. ↩
- When our realities are found in the person of Christ, when he is more real than any person, thing, idea, and even self… ↩
- I sometimes wonder why this kingdom ethic, as preached by Christ, as taught by the apostles, as lived out by that Early Church, has been so ignored by our Western Christianity. At times I think it has more to do with the fact that we do not preach/teach it enough in our churches. ↩
Comments
“I sometimes wonder why this kingdom ethic, as preached by Christ, as taught by the apostles, as lived out by that Early Church, has been so ignored by our Western Christianity. At times I think it has more to do with the fact that we do not preach/teach it enough in our churches.”
And perhaps it is just as much the fault of the church as a whole, as it is it’s leaders. I would argue that what a preacher preaches or a teacher teaches is a reflection of the community they address; a byproduct of the culture they have arisen from.
And maybe it has been so ignored because it hasn’t been “needed”. This ethic is not very applicable to the common person living in the West (applicable to the missionary or victim of an extraordinary event i.e. a church shooting). To most in the West, this can be applied only from a distance. And though that shouldn’t justify the neglect of the teaching, it certainly provides a context for it.
The truth is, I probably won’t have to choose the way of non-violence today. I won’t have to stare death in the face. I won’t face persecution.
The early church wasn’t allowed to ignore this ethic. They faced the reality of death, poverty, persecution, etc almost on a daily basis. They had to make a decision.
And though we are not forced into recognizing our ethics on the topic, we shouldn’t ignore the issue. Though it may not be practical, it is. If we strive to see this new ethic within the church, our motivation must not be ourselves. Otherwise we will not see the need for the ethic and it will continue to be neglected.
Our motivation must be for those in the world who are suffering violence, oppression, poverty, persecution… not just the Christian missionary, but the human. This means that Western Christianity needs an extreme makeover. We need to force ourselves to challenge our own theology, because circumstance isn’t challenging it. And we don’t challenge to argue or to be idealistic; but to stand up for those who could benefit from our help.
Ian, thanks for the response.
Here’s a thought in response to what you said… “The truth is, I probably won’t have to choose the way of non-violence today. I won’t have to stare death in the face. I won’t face persecution.”
I think we may face persecution in other ways. When I stand up for someone who doesn’t have a voice in society, when I preach a gospel that is not nationalistic in nature, when I am willing to forgive my wrong-doer…
Though we may not face the hardships and persecutions of our Christian brothers and sisters in oppressive nations, I would argue that we must have this perspective in mind. I think we need to make this our ministerial motivation. Just because our context does not require it, does not mean we ignore the foundational kingdom ethics set by Christ…
If I may add. Christ accepts us for who we are, unconditionally. He does not require those who trust in his death and resurrection to change who they are. (We couldn’t change without him as it is.) All who believe on him share the same foundation–whether they surrender to Christ or to carnality.
The issue is, are we not compelled now to make Christ our Servant into Christ our Master? Are we not to build on that foundation that Christ has laid out for us? Though we can only build with Christ’s help, build we must if we wish to mature to resemble him.
Question: Do we as a nation not have the right to defend ourselves? Answer: Whose nation are you a citizen of? Honestly, we have the right to anything we want. We have free license to do whatever we want. But do we really wish to live as slaves to sin? To self? Even to self preservation? As Jesus said, “I say to you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.” (Luke 12.4) Fearing for our lives enslaves us to our lives to the denial of Christ.
Question: Are we not justified when we call for war? Answer: We are justified, but war is still condemned. We are not justified for demanding violence. We who demand violence are justified by something completely different–the violence caused to Christ, that is the shedding of his blood.
As Christians, we must also beware of twisting and squeezing theology out of passages of Scripture that are obscure, that are less than explicit. For example, just because Jesus said it was enough when his disciples showed him that they’ve got two swords, that does not imply that Jesus is condoning war (Lk 22.38). God said somewhere else, much more explicitly, that the peacemakers are blessed and that vengeance is his (and he shall repay).
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”–Jesus, Luke 9.23
Matt, thanks for the response.
If we truly believe that vengeance is God’s, it would radically change how we responded to the injustices of the world that we encounter. I believe that as Christians, we have a greater responsiblity than to care for our lives, our earthly possessions…all these things pass away. If we live with an eternal mindset, it radically changes how we live our lives. If we truly loved our neighbors, loved our enemies, returned good for evil, and did even half of what Jesus commands us in Matthew 5-7 and throughout the Gospels, Christianity would turn the world upside down. A Christianity that lived out the kingdom of God would be a sign and a wonder, a peculiar illustration of how God works in society.
…my two cents