Living Christs Ethics Requires His Power
To obey and understand Jesus' ethics, one must first experience the new birth, which brings the life of God into the heart of a man.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes that the ethics of Jesus are meant for His followers and not to be imposed on society at large, as true change comes from within through the new birth in Christ. He argues that the teachings of Jesus are intended for a minority of disciples who live in a world hostile to God, and that the ethics of Jesus can only be understood and lived out through the power of the Holy Spirit. Tozer highlights that righteousness is intrinsically linked to Christ, and that His followers must embody His teachings in their lives, reflecting His love and truth in a fallen world.
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The ethics of Jesus must be imposed upon society, we are told, then all inequalities will vanish; the division of humanity into rich and poor, great and small, privileged and underprivileged will be no more. Under the benign influence of Christs ethics of love, greed and war will disappear from the earth and the dream of universal brotherhood be realized at last. The teachings of Jesus belong to the Church, not to society. In society is sin and sin is hostility to God. Christ did not teach that He would impose His teachings upon the fallen world.
He called His disciples to Him and taught them, and everywhere throughout His teachings there is the overt or implied idea that His followers will constitute an unpopular minority group in an actively hostile world.
The divine procedure is to go into the world of fallen men, preach to them the necessity to repent and become disciples of Christ and, after making disciples, to teach them the ethics of Jesus, which Christ called all things whatsoever I have commanded you. The ethics of Jesus cannot be obeyed or even understood until the life of God has come to the heart of a man in the miracle of the new birth. The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in them who walk in the Spirit.
Christ lives again in His redeemed follower the life He lived in Judea; for righteousness can never be divorced from its source, which is Jesus Christ Himself.
Sermon Outline
- The Ethics of Jesus Must Be Imposed Upon Society
- The Teachings of Jesus Belong to the Church
- The Divine Procedure for Spreading Christ's Teachings
- The Importance of the New Birth
- The life of God must come to the heart of a man
- The righteousness of the law is fulfilled in the Spirit
Key Quotes
“The divine procedure is to go into the world of fallen men, preach to them the necessity to repent and become disciples of Christ and, after making disciples, to teach them the ethics of Jesus, which Christ called all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” — A.W. Tozer
“The ethics of Jesus cannot be obeyed or even understood until the life of God has come to the heart of a man in the miracle of the new birth.” — A.W. Tozer
“Christ lives again in His redeemed follower the life He lived in Judea; for righteousness can never be divorced from its source, which is Jesus Christ Himself.” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must first experience the new birth to understand and obey Jesus' ethics.
- As followers of Christ, we must be willing to be an unpopular minority group in a hostile world.
- We must preach to fallen men to repent and become disciples of Christ before teaching them the ethics of Jesus.