What meaning or significance lies behind the words “Christian values”?
Values themselves are the principles and aspirations of a particular individual or society.
Good values are moral norms, laws of good conscience, or rules established in society to maintain order, ensure universal security, and foster mutual creativity.
Christian values are the values affirmed by Jesus Christ among His people, and for His disciples—the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Society has a common understanding and belief: everyone has their own principles in life. These are the values they adhere to and believe in. For some, fame, a career, or an education at a prestigious university are of great importance. For others, their greatest joy lies in constantly enjoying entertainment, travel, sports, music, and art. The pursuit of wealth and fame may be their life’s work, regardless of how this desired goal is achieved. For others, on the contrary, it is a heartfelt desire to selflessly help people, animals, and nature. There are wonderful family values and folk traditions. As you can see, we have a wide variety of perspectives on norms and goals in life, as well as on the methods for achieving them. But not every way of thinking, chosen position, activity, and action are exemplary; in the worst case, they can destroy the individual or even society.
A Christian value is God’s love in man. Christian values place God’s love at the forefront, not human love and virtue. This is the fundamental difference between God’s values and human values. God’s law is eternal and righteous, while human understanding can be erroneous and flawed. Jesus Christ invites us to know God’s law, that is, He gives us the opportunity and ability to fulfill it fully. This means accepting God’s love, learning to love with God’s love, and performing God’s works. This means accepting God’s life, learning to live God’s life, and performing living and eternal works.
Christian values are a source of light for people seeking a deeper meaning for their earthly lives. Some cannot distinguish good from evil; others, even if they desire to do good, lack the strength to do so. Some know no other way to protect themselves from the evil of others than with their own evil. But God offers His righteous protection. When a person learns the importance of understanding the power of God’s Law, which provides freedom from inner and outer evil, then they simply need to accept God’s love through faith in the Son of God. To begin to live this Law of love fully, it is necessary to accept that God is righteous and that there is no unrighteousness in Him.
The values of God’s Law of Truth are revealed in the teachings of Jesus Christ. These values have a purpose: to free man from inner evil and eternal death, and to grant man righteousness and eternal life—this is the creation of man in the image of the Son of God—this is man’s communion with God. The value of Christ’s sacrifice for man is the salvation of man in his wholeness; that is, the spirit, soul, and body inherit eternal life through the acceptance of God’s love. To accept God’s salvation is to accept Christ’s teaching—to accept God’s values.
Why is there no alternative to Christian values?
First, because they possess the authority of the Son of God Himself, the Word of God.
Second, Jesus as a man, through his life and deeds, affirmed God’s values and proved their superiority over the values of our time, which are fickle and unstable. Through his act of love, Jesus brought victory over death for us and paved the way to the indestructible kingdom of God’s truth.
Third, if we have agreed to accept the ability to live by these values, we have received the power of love for God, so that we can fully overcome our sin and death. We, following Christ’s example, will become victorious over all evil and the source of evil.
The law of grace, or God’s truth, gives us the ability to live by the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
God alone is the author of these values.
