In the contemporary society, living a moral Christian life is difficult, particularly because of the different messages that people receive from various sources, and as a result of the distancing between man and religion. In the context of a chaotic, rushed and often confusing lifestyle, spirituality often loses grounds in favor of practical concerns. Besides, the globalization of today’s developed societies means that people often live in diverse and non-traditional families, that communities become less homogenous and various religions can be found within the same families and communities. In this context, the Christian believer often finds that the ambiguous situations which often arise in one’s life represent a real challenge, and making a choice that would preserve one’s moral integrity is a daunting task. However, the intention of living a moral Christian life is, in this situation, the first step in preserving the integrity of a Christian’s soul. As this paper will argue, living a Christian moral life means constantly following Christ’s teachings and preserving one’s consciousness clear by taking the decisions that fit best with one’s own understanding of right and wrong. While there are different ways of living a Christian life, a Christian believer should constantly try to be of service to others, and of working towards improving the relationship with God, family and community, as a means of avoiding sin and inspiring others to become better humans.
` In living a moral Christian life, the family is quintessential because it represents both the first institution where one learns to live a true Christian life, and the first institution where one practices and teaches Christian morality to the younger generation. Bourg shows in this respect that, “This apostolic mission of the family is rooted in Baptism and receives from the grace of the sacrament of marriage new strength to transmit the faith, to sanctify and transform our present society to God's plan” (162). However, in modern societies, the concept of a family is evolving. As families become more non-traditional, it is more difficult to envision the Christian family as a ‘domestic church’, where one could live a moral Christian life. However, these families, no matter how diverse, can and often do represent a strong basis for the formation of a Christian believer. Because the traditional family unit, formed by wedded parents, and the extended family, does not longer represent the rule for Christian families, it is necessary to broaden the definition of Christian family, and to accept the fact that family, no matter what form it has, still represents an important basis for Christian morality, because it is within this structure, that love bounds first form, and it is love that represents the foundation of a truly Christian life. In this respect, Bourg argues that it may be baptism which introduces one to the Christian family, rather than marriage, because “It is this sacrament, not marriage that all Christians share and which is most directly indicative of new life in Christ” (Bourg 161). While baptism represents the formal introduction of the life of a Christian, Bourg (161) shows that this is not enough for ensuring that the Christian believer is ready to lead a moral life.
The basis of taking the correct decisions, which would preserve a clean consciousness in front of difficult situations, necessarily comes from knowledge and experience. Bourg shows in this respect that, “it isn't the capacity for a growing thing, linked not only to experiences of sacraritual, but also to broader life experience? It seems odd to think a lifetime supply of discernment skills is given all at once to a young and groom, or to a person being baptized” (163). Consequently, while raising a Christian child, one has to make use of experience, both one’s own, and that of other people. With the development of modern technology, people now have a much wider array of resources for learning and informing oneself. However, not all these resources are reliable, and for this reason, the contemporary society proves to be filled of traps and tests, which can be difficult to overcome.
In this context, the Christian family represents a strong pillar, in that the extended family can share experiences and can help the believer to take complex decisions, by offering advice, and narrating experiences. As Bourg shows, “the Christian heritage should provoke domestic churches to regard immediate and extended family members, whether chosen (i.e., spouses and "planned" children) or unchosen (i.e., everybody else) as a blessing, with some gift to offer, rather than a mere burden or untimely inconvenience” (172). This is on one hand because, one of the basic aspects of leading a moral life, is accepting and loving others, and because, it is within the family, no matter the form it takes, that one learns how to lead a moral life.
However, living a moral Christian life means extending one’s care and compassion outside the family, towards the community. It is extremely troubling to offer one’s service to others in the global community, because many people do not share the same values and principles with a Christian family. At the foundation of Christian ethics, there is a strong understanding of compassion, as a crucial quality of the believer (Cahill 239). This compassion must be directed towards effecting positive change not only in those closest to the believer, but perhaps more importantly, in the larger community. Being of service for neighbors or even strangers, and demanding or accepting no reward or recognition, represents an act of faith and compassion, which defines humane individuals, and good Christians. Solidarity, as a social virtue takes its highest form when goods and resources are distributed at a global level, in corners that one may not even know about, but where they can help someone to have a better life (Cahill 243). Consequently, apart from having a close and loving relationship with the family, which stimulates Christian morality, it is necessary to extend one’s compassion and goodness towards the community, and the poor of the world.
However, living a moral life also means that one has to stay away from sin. Sin is unavoidable in the life of the Christian, but this only means that one has to make great efforts to avoid sin as much as possible. Sin takes different forms, and it depends on a person’s ability to recognize and to resist the temptation of committing it, that his or her moral life may be saved. As Curran (102) shows, “a renewed understanding of sin should find its basic inspiration in the Scriptures, but also make use of the insight of contemporary understandings of anthropology” (102). This is because, as Curran (102) shows, in both understandings, sin may be seen as the action which destroys the relationships with other people, and the relationship between man and God. By reflecting upon the meaning of the story of Genesis, people may come to understand God as a promoter of rights, and in particular, the right to the freedom of choice.
While not feeling entitled to consider oneself superior to others on the basis of religion, the Christian believer can be certain that Christ represents a strong and valuable model of service, self-sacrifice and virtue. In his work, Gustafson shows:
“the faith and loyalty of Christians evokes certain attitudes, dispositions, intentions, ends and norms that are moral in character. Without articulating carefully and clearly what the “morphology” of faith and moral action is, they do infer that to trust in Christ is to have a new inner freedom, to be directed toward one’s true end, to be governed by the law of love, to be disposed to do what is good for the neighbor” (Gustafson 240).
Consequently, using Christ as an example and a model of resilience, love and compassion, people may find it easier live a moral life, because these teachings cause one to reflect upon the true significance can help a person transform and improve.
However, it is not only the action, but also, the intention behind the action, which separates a Christian who is living a Christian Life from the non-believer. Purpose is a specific part of each believer’s spiritual experience. As Gustafson explains, “the moral action is governed in part by the actions of the actor, by his thought about the purposes he is seeking to fulfil, the ends he is seeking to achieve” (Gustafson 256). Therefore, helping the poor in order to get the recognition is wrong, because the believer’s intentions are not clean and modest lacks. In this context, returning to Christ’s tradition, means that the believer to render his or her soul, to Christ. As Gustafson explains, “for Christians, Christ becomes a norm for interpreting what God wills that men and the world become”. He is a norm both in the sense that he does and that he ought to function as a source of illumination when Christian interpretation of what is and ought to be occurring in history takes place” (Gustafson 266). Therefore, even in this confusing society, Christ’s life and deeds represent a moral compass, because most of them remain valuable and timeless, being successfully implemented in all Christian societies, in all times.
Living a moral life is not easy, because people often find themselves in confusing or ambiguous situations, where making the right choice is difficult. As Gustafson shows, “not only are there many facets of the facts of the matter at hand, but also conflicts between the obligations that he perceives, between profound desires that he has, between ends that are possible and defensible, between loyalties and commitments that he holds, and between various moral principles that can be brought to bear on the situation” (267). Christian morality does not offer clear prescriptions for every possible situation in which a person might find herself at a certain point. However, Christ gives people a direction, and shows them what choices they have, in conformity with God’s will and human goodness (Gustafson 269). Christians receive illumination from Christ in making moral decisions, because living a Christian moral life means living one’s life as Christ’s disciple.
Therefore, as shown throughout the paper, living a Christian life in today’s society is a complicated decision, because families and communities are much more complex and varied than they used to be, and they often pose insurmountable difficulties to believers. However, by finding strength and sharing love and experiences in the Christian family, no matter what form it takes, and by extending compassion, and generosity within one’s community, and outside it, one is able to acquire the necessary qualities and attributes, for high moral standing. Furthermore, by perceiving the Scriptures as a moral compass, one is able to understand and avoid sin, which destroys relationships, with God, with members of the community and with oneself, and makes it impossible for a person to live a moral Christian life. Eventually, living a virtuous life does not mean living an isolated life, far from temptation and sin , but on the contrary, it means becoming immersed in the world, doing one’s best to take the decisions that one feels are the best , and the most correct, and learning from errors and experiences.
Works Cited
Bourg, Florence. “The Family as Domestic Church and the Romantic Model of Love”. Marriage: Readings in Moral Theology. Eds. Charles E. Curran and Julie Hanlon. Rubio. New York: Paulist Press. 2009. Print.
Cahill, Lisa Sowle. “A Christian Family Vision”. Marriage: Readings in Moral Theology. Eds. Charles E. Curran and Julie Hanlon. Rubio. New York: Paulist Press. 2009. Print.
Curran, Charles. “Sin”. n.d. web.
Gustafson, James. “Christ and the Moral Life: A Constructive Statement”. Christ and the Moral Life. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 1968. Print.
