Christianity2F Flashcards
Definition of Morality
Morality refers to behavior based on God’s laws, as recorded in both the Old Testament and the New Testament teachings of Jesus.
Greatest Commandment
Jesus proclaimed the greatest commandment as loving God with all one’s heart, soul, and mind, and the second greatest as loving one’s neighbor as oneself, summarizing all other commandments.
Scriptural Basis for Loving God
Jesus’ command to love God echoes the Old Testament Book of Deuteronomy (6:5), emphasizing the importance of wholehearted devotion to God.
Scriptural Basis for Loving Neighbor
Jesus’ command to love one’s neighbor as oneself echoes the Old Testament Book of Leviticus (19:18), with Leviticus further instructing to welcome foreigners as fellow citizens and love them as oneself (Leviticus 19:34).
Parable of the Good Samaritan
Jesus teaches about loving one’s neighbor through the story of a compassionate Samaritan who helps a wounded man, emphasizing that everyone we encounter is our neighbor, regardless of social or cultural differences.
Definition of Neighbor
Jesus expands the definition of neighbor beyond geographical proximity, instructing that everyone we encounter on life’s journey, friend or enemy, is our neighbor.
Loving Enemies
Jesus challenges his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, demonstrating the radical nature of Christian love and compassion (Matthew 5:43).
Loving God
Loving God with heart, soul, and mind involves recognizing every individual as part of God’s creation, deserving respect, and prioritizing their needs and desires alongside one’s own.
Christian Concept of Truth
Christians view truth as the ultimate meaning and value of existence, communicated through the Bible, encompassing the nature of God, the Person of Jesus, and the history of salvation.
Old Testament Command
In 1 Samuel 12:24, Israelites are instructed to fear and faithfully serve the Lord, reflecting on the great things He has done for them, such as delivering them from captivity in Egypt.
New Testament Grace
Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, Christians believe they are freed from sin and death, called to put away their old selves and embrace the new self in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24).
Role of Conscience
Christians believe in the innate sense of right and wrong, called conscience, informed by the Bible and the Holy Spirit. Violating moral standards leads to guilt, requiring confession and God’s forgiveness.
Conscience Development
Ignoring conscience desensitizes moral sensitivity, while an overly sensitive conscience leads to false guilt. The goal is to develop a mature conscience aligned with biblical teachings and illuminated by the Holy Spirit.
Prominence of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is central in Jesus’ teaching. He emphasized forgiveness in the Sermon on the Mount, linking it to one’s own forgiveness, and taught the importance of forgiving others unconditionally.
Forgiveness in the Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer includes the petition “forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12), emphasizing the reciprocal nature of forgiveness.
