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5 chapter one Persons and Actions in Christian Ethics Scripture refers to many specific sorts of human actions, often by way of encouraging or forbidding them. The Decalogue, for example, forbids actions like idol worship, murder, adultery, and bearing false witness against one’s neighbor. The books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy address a wide variety of human actions, including food preparation, robbery, treatment of boils, and remission of debts. In the letter to the Ephesians Saint Paul writes,“Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear” (Eph 4:28–30 [New Revised Standard Version]). He instructs the Romans to “contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil” (Rom 12:13–17). To the Colossians he says, “Do not lie to one another” (Col 3:9). The Galatians are told, “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication,impurity,licentiousness,idolatry,sorcery,enmities,strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these” (Gal 5:19–21). Are these actions, and the many others treated in the Bible, similarly encouraged or forbidden for us today? It is commonplace to note that we inhabit vastly different historical and social contexts than the ones in which these texts were authored and to conclude—with good reason—that scriptural endorsement or disapproval of specific moral actions does not in every case translate into moral approval or disapproval of those same actions in our time. Granting the difficulties of gleaning practical moral direction from scripture, the point is that God’s action on behalf of Israel and in Jesus Christ has normative implications, that some faithful , grateful, fitting response is to be made and cannot be made apart from the way we live, behave, and conduct ourselves. chapter one 6 Of course, scripture not only enjoins and forbids specific moral behaviors; it also—frequently—refers to morality as a matter of interiority. Notice that the verses from Galatians 5 that I quoted above identify more than “actions,” understood as discrete behaviors or deeds performed by a human agent. Jealousy, anger, and envy refer to emotions or dispositions to act in particular ways.1 Impurity, licentiousness, enmities, strife, and factions do not name actions as such but rather qualities of actions, or personal and relational states occasioned by actions. In the Gospel of Mark Jesus distinguishes the command of God from human tradition and reveals the Pharisees’ hypocritical preoccupation with external observance of the law. Jesus assures his listeners that evil does not come from outside a person. “For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication , theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander , pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mk 7:21–23). Hence, anger toward one’s brother counts as murder, and lusting after another in one’s heart counts as adultery (Mt 5:21–22, 27–28). What does this interiorization of morality mean when it comes time to evaluate specific sorts of actions? Perhaps we should not begin with or linger over them and devote ourselves instead to the more fundamental and encompassing matter of what sorts of persons and communities God calls us to be. After all, morally good persons and communities can be counted upon to do what is fitting, to conduct themselves well: “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; for each tree is known by its own fruit. Figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good, and the evil person out of evil treasure produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks”(Lk 6:43–45). It would seem that character is of...

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