The Moral Teaching of Christ

Before turning to what most clearly sets New Testament teaching apart, it is important to look at several elements it shares with the Old Testament — and, to some extent, with other ancient religious writings. These shared ideas matter because they directly shape the conclusions reached in the earlier posts in this series.

Throughout the Four Gospels, Christ repeatedly and emphatically speaks of a Father in heaven: the unseen Creator and Ruler of humanity and of the universe. This idea is not incidental; it shapes and colors everything Christ teaches. 

God is presented as deeply interested in human life, drawing near to save and bless, inviting trust and affection, and offering hope and joy. These same ideas run through the entire New Testament and are strongly present in the Old Testament as well — especially when compared with other religious writings of the same era. What we ourselves infer from the natural world and from the authority of our moral sense is therefore strongly confirmed and powerfully applied to human life by the explicit teaching of the One who launched a religious movement that has profoundly shaped the course of history.

In the Old Testament, God is regularly portrayed as giving clear commands and making obedience to them the condition of His favor. Christ follows this pattern, as do the New Testament writers and many non‑Christian religious teachers across history.

The Old Testament also speaks, especially in its later books, of a perfect retribution beyond the grave. This teaching becomes unmistakably clear in the words of Christ and throughout the New Testament. The same underlying idea appears in the doctrine of transmigration found in Hinduism and Buddhism, which together represent a large share of Asian religious thought, and it is present across much of humanity’s religious history. Our own sense that justice is incomplete in this life is thus reinforced by Christ’s teaching and by the remarkable agreement among many of the world’s religions.

Christ’s teachings are filled with moral instruction. He does not merely announce a future judgment; He tells people plainly what they must do — and must avoid — if they wish to escape punishment and gain eternal life. All moral teaching must ultimately be evaluated by the moral sense of humanity, which we have already seen is the highest authority in judging conduct. The immediate question, then, is simple: what verdict does this inner judge deliver on the moral teaching of Christ?

The verdict is unmistakable. The moral teaching of Christ and of the New Testament presents itself as right, good, and noble. More than that, it deepens and strengthens our own moral awareness, lifts our sense of human excellence to a higher level, and invests that ideal with absolute authority as the guiding law of life. In the presence of Christ, the inner judge of right and wrong recognizes a greater authority. At His command, it rises to a higher standard. A voice that elevates and strengthens what is best within us clearly reveals itself as the voice of our true Lord and Master.

It is difficult to reduce this experience to precise statements, but certain features stand out. Christ’s moral teaching has a dignified simplicity. Rather than focusing on minor rules, it lays down broad principles that apply everywhere and always. Morality is summed up as wholehearted loyalty to God and His Kingdom, combined with active goodwill toward all people. It reaches beyond outward behavior and claims the inner life as well.

It is worth noting that some of Christ’s most profound words are drawn directly from the Old Testament. Yet, when He quotes and weaves them together, their moral power is intensified. Other ancient writings also contain lofty moral insights, but taken as a whole, few would deny that the New Testament surpasses every other moral system as a practical guide for life.

And this is not all. In the New Testament’s portrayal of Christ, we see the moral ideal fully lived out in real life. Everything it says about human excellence finds expression in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. We see a man wholly devoted to completing the work God sent Him to do, seeking to bring the greatest possible blessing to all who would receive it. Though surrounded by constant and ruthless opposition, He never speaks in resentment. We see the Eternal Son of God setting aside divine privileges, accepting the limitations and weakness of human life, and giving Himself over to a cruel death in order to save humanity — doing so in a way consistent with eternal justice — and to lead people into the glory of God’s kingdom. Compared with this costly devotion to God and boundless love for humanity, every other recorded act of obedience or kindness fades into insignificance. In the life and death of Jesus, as portrayed in the New Testament, we find a flawless and unsurpassed embodiment of the highest possible human excellence.

This recognition — by our own moral sense — of the absolute authority of Christ’s teaching and example strongly confirms His words about life beyond death and about our Father in heaven. It is extremely unlikely that One whose moral authority we cannot reject would be fundamentally mistaken on matters so closely tied to morality itself. Our conclusions drawn from the natural world and from the evident imperfection of justice in this life are therefore confirmed not only by Christ’s explicit teaching, but also by the grandeur and authority of His moral vision. We have also seen that His teaching is confirmed by its impact on the world and by the unique advancement of Christian nations. Teaching so thoroughly supported may be accepted with confidence as true. Across ages and cultures, it has been embraced by many of the best people who have lived.

Yet, valuable as these conclusions are, they do little by themselves to meet our deepest spiritual needs. We have not yet heard a word of pardon or experienced release from moral bondage. In fact, the very greatness of Christ’s teaching and example makes us more keenly aware of how far — and how blame-merworthily — we fall short of the ideal. The clearer the light, the more we shrink from it, as it exposes the depth of our own wrongdoing. Even sincere attempts at self‑improvement only reveal how powerless we are. We stand condemned and helpless before a living Pattern we cannot imitate.

At the same time, Christ spoke often of God’s goodness and mercy and promised help to those who need it. “Come to Me,” He said, “all ye that are weary and heavy‑laden, and I will give you rest.” The dignity and authority of His moral teaching persuade us that He is able to fulfill what He promises. We therefore wait to see whether God’s mercy will provide forgiveness for the guilty and freedom for those held in bondage.

To summarize: in nature, we have traced the visible marks of an unseen, supernatural, and personal Creator and Ruler. In the human moral sense, we seemed to hear His voice, and in Christ’s moral teaching we heard it more clearly still. In human experience, we observed signs pointing to judgment beyond death. The exceptional position of Christian nations and the extraordinary growth of Christianity demanded explanation. Part of that explanation lies in the sublime moral teaching of Christ — but this only sharpened our desire to know more. 

We continue our search for deeper understanding of this great Teacher, of the powerful religious movement He began, and of the spiritual fulfillment we have not yet found.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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This post is based upon Lecture VII from J. A. Beet's book Through Christ to God: A Study in Scientific Theology (1893). The original text may be found at the Internet Archive here: Through Christ to God.