Christian Values

We can discover what Christian values are from what is written in the Holy Bible and from the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. We find in the Bible that there are three core values of Christianity which are love, faith and hope. The Holy Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13: 13 “now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love”. We also find in the Bible, the Christian values which are called, the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:21-23). Also there are many other Christians values that are taught in the Holy Bible such as wisdom, truth, humility, strength, freedom and many more. All these are taught in the Holy Bible and also modeled by Jesus Christ in all He did. To get a full understanding of Christian values it is necessary to look at all the Bible verses relating to them and to consider all of Jesus’ life and teachings. Please feel free to click on the above menu to read more about each individual Christian value with references from the Holy Bible

Christian Values Work Together

It is also important to note, that Christian values work together and, by doing so, each value becomes true and complete. The most important Christian values that need to be found in all Christian virtues are love, humility and wisdom. These make each virtue real, genuine and pure.

For example, the Holy Bible teaches that “if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:3). Here, we see the importance of having love in every Christian value. God rejects so called good deeds that are done without love because they are just a show, a source of pride and a means to an end. Any action that is far from love is far from God because “God is love”. as the Bible says in 1 John 4:8.

Another, important Christian value that needs to be in all other Christian values is humility or humbleness. We know this from the Holy Bible which teaches us that, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). Any virtue or moral goodness which is not done with humbleness is rejected by God because it is founded on self-righteousness, boasting, pride and vanity. True humility gives modesty and shows that one’s deeds spring from a truly virtuous heart.

Wisdom is also a very important Christian value that needs to accompany all other Christian values. Wisdom grants success to good intentions. The Christian value of wisdom guides other Christian values and makes them practical. It makes them stronger and adds to them truth and depth. For example, some people fast without wisdom and end up failing completely or being exhausted physically and spiritually. Also, in giving without wisdom, some people have given to scammers and not to the poor. Also. wanting to help a friend and offering advice can possibly make things worse for them if one doesn’t help with wisdom. Another example, is gentleness which also needs wisdom because there are some situations that require us to be stern and assertive and in such serious situations we can follow the Bible’s instruction “Be angry, and do not sin.”(Psalm 4:4). Importantly, we see here that a passion or a zeal for what is right, or for what is a serious matter, must be accompanied by wisdom, love, self control and goodness so that it doesn’t result in anger that leads to sin or wrongdoing. Christian values complement each other and must accompany each other in all of life’s various circumstances and of these wisdom is very important because it guides all Christian values and helps us to truly live them. Consider patience – there are matters that need prompt action and not patience. For example, turning away from our own sins and wrongdoing should be done quickly. Patience on it’s own wouldn’t be beneficial without wisdom because in this situation because we shouldn’t wait to repent and to stop doing the wrong thing. Zeal completes wisdom and wisdom completes patience. There can be many examples of Christians acting with good intentions but failing because they didn’t act with the necessary Christian value of wisdom. In wisdom, let us act with understanding and discretion. This is why the Bible tells us that the apostles, when choosing people to serve in the Church said that they must be “full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3).

The Importance of Balance

Another aspect to Christian values is the concept of balance. Balance contains a lot of wisdom. Balance is necessary in the Christian life and in living its values. For example we see in the Holy Bible that God, glory be to Him, is just in His mercy and merciful in His justice. That is, God’s justice is full of mercy and His mercy is full of justice. For the Bible says of God, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.” (Psalm 89:14) and this is confirmed in Psalm 101: 1 where its says, “I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.” So we see here that there is a balance between justice and mercy. Furthermore, not only is this balance a characteristic of God Himself, but He also instructs us to do the same, for the the Holy Bible says, “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.” (Zechariah 7:9).

The importance of balance can be seen with all Christian values. For example, it is not enough to have faith but to lack love, or to have love but to lack wisdom or to have freedom but to lack self control. For example, love is the most important Christian value but it is balanced with truth. Therefore, love doesn’t become favoritism nor does it become tolerance of wrongdoing nor pampering nor a continual giving without wisdom. But rather, love can be firm in seeking the well being of the loved one and all other people that may be involved – with gentleness, wisdom and truth.

Balance is needed when dealing with people. It is important to keep the balance between humility and strength in our lives. For example we must be careful that humility doesn’t turn into weakness nor silence in the face of injustice. Also, we must be careful that strength doesn’t lead to rashness nor feelings of superiority or pride. In Christianity, the spiritual person must be humble in his or her strength and strong in his or her humility and combine wisdom with both.

Balance holds in itself a lot of wisdom and understands what should be without going too far or too little. Balance understands when to keep silent and when to speak; and in speaking, what to say and when to stop talking. It can be difficult to have such balance. That is why it is important to continually grow and have all the Christian values working together within us to produce the Christian behavior that is required of us. To further help us achieve this, we look to how Jesus Christ behaved by reading about Him in the Holy Bible. We have no better role model than He who is God Himself. The Holy Bible teaches us to follow the example set by Jesus Christ because it says, “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did” (1 John 2:6). Therefore let us examine ourselves – are the virtues within us true virtues? Are we living as Jesus?

As we live the Christian life, with the Holy Spirit working in us, we grow in the fruits of the Spirit and other Christian values. This leads us to behave more like Jesus Christ. As Christians, the Holy Bible tells us, “to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3).

Jesus Christ spoke about the importance of our behavior and said in the Holy Bible, “Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.” (Matthew 7:15-20).