Does Christology make a Distinctive Contribution to New Testament Ethics?
To state the obvious, the New Testament was written in response to Jesus Christ; without Jesus there would be no New Testament. Therefore Christology makes a contribution to every area of New Testament theology. However the question of whether or not that contribution is distinctive is more difficult, especially with regard to ethics. Many of Paul’s ethical demands are identical to those in the Old Testament, commands not to kill or to steal, commands against sexual immorality. But whilst Paul’s conclusions might be similar to, or in certain circumstances, identical with Old Testament laws, his justifications for, and the means by which he arrives at these conclusions, are centred wholly on Christ. He states that the Law no longer applies to Christians as a means of justification because in Jesus we have died to the Law and are alive in the Spirit.1 His position on the Law outside justification is difficult to work out, but Luther summarises it well. He says we are justified by faith i
