Part 4. An ethical Lifestyle
The true Christian who lives in accordance with the Law of Christ in this
world will be the salt of the earth, a living antidote for societal and environmental
decay. We will also be like a light
which provides guidance in the darkness so people can find their way to Christ
and also can learn to see all things as they really are, that is from God’s
perspective. We must always keep in mind that the whole earth is the Lord’s and
all that is in it. We bear a
responsibility for all of God’s creation, first and foremost for all humankind,
but also for the rest of His creation. We
are to be responsible caretakers of God’s creation and our lifestyle ought to
reflect this sense of responsibility for our Father’s property. The way we live should not reflect the
exploitative, polluting, degrading, dehumanizing, selfish and uncaring attitude
which can be found among those driven by profit and greed. Our love and
gratitude for our heavenly Father should encourage us to avoid wasting
resources, polluting our habitats or harm our eco-systems. Such a thoughtful and responsible lifestyle is
part of our reasonable sacrifice to Him.
Godly living in all aspects of life and in all we do is the true meaning
of living a life in worship for His Glory.
When it then comes to ethics our concern should not be, ‘how far can we go’,
but rather what is the most loving things to do in worship to our heavenly
Father and in responsible loving care for our fellow human beings.
Practically this means that in our day to day living, in our households and
any other activity we strive to do what is good and pleasing in God’s eyes,
what is good for all of his creation and avoid doing things that may be harmful. We must not only consider the good of our
present fellow humans, but also those of future generations. If we use up the
bulk of the earth’s resources today because of a lifestyle that does not take
the needs of our fellow humans in other parts of the globe into consideration
or the needs of our children and future generations then we actually act in an
unloving manner which is contrary to the law of Christ.
Doing Business
This also applies to the way we do business. As Christians we ought to refrain from doing
business in a way which damages God’s creation and makes it a less wholesome
place to live for present and future generations. It means that we as we seek
to make a profit we keep the needs, hopes and aspirations of other human beings
in mind and avoid exploiting them, defrauding them or harming them in any way. We do not only refer to physical harm but
also to psychological harm. It is sad to come across people who confess to
follow Christ and yet have no problem totally smearing a competitor’s (or colleagues’)
reputation so that the victim suffers psychological harm. Those who operate on the premise that God
helps those who help themselves may find themselves cast out at the final
judgement if they helped themselves at the expense of weaker fellow humans. The charging of high interests on loans as is
the case in many developing countries where loan sharks predate on poor people
who in desperation turn to them is an ungodly practice in violation of the law
of Christ. The same applies to the selling of goods at an
extremely high profit margin so that it is out of reach of the majority of our
fellow human beings, this may not be the case where unnecessary luxuries are
concerned, but certainly is in the case of life-saving medication. Everything we do we need to do as unto God,
in a manner that Glorifies Him and reflects the character of Christ. This among other things means the people
before profit!
Being Good Employees
If we are employees or work under contract we ought to behave in a manner
that glorifies God and makes us a living testimony to the integrity, honesty,
goodness and faithfulness of Christ. A
godly employee does not so much seek to please the employer but seeks to please
God by working hard, being faithful, by maintaining and promoting good interpersonal
relationships and by going the extra mile. Of course most employers will be
very pleased. This does not mean we
should allow ourselves to be exploited and abused, after all we must love our
fellow humans as much as we love ourselves.
We must balance our interests and what is good for us with what is good
for our fellow humans, including our employers, colleagues and business partners.
However, in all this we must put God’s interests and His Kingdom first, so in
some circumstances we may freely choose to suffer some exploitation and
injustice for the sake of the kingdom of God, for example when we realise that in
order to reach people in strict Muslim countries we may have to suffer abuse in
doing menial jobs in order to save some by our living testimony. There is nothing wrong with pursuing a
career, seeking promotion or a better job, but in all things we must put God
first, and in the way we pursue these things adhere to the Law of Christ.
