By SUNITTA CHILAKA –

EVERY profession has ethics which an individual or group must follow, failure to which they face consequences. Ethics may also be defined as a system or a code of morals of a particular individual, group or society.
Every community has its own set of values and by these values they are able to distinguish between what is right and wrong.
In cultural ethics, moral values are actually handed down by the ancestors to the next generation. These values are normally not examined on the merit but simply accepted and regularity followed.
While we are all children of our culture, drowning in it and all our actions can make sense when looked through our culture. The way we judge things to be right or wrong is greatly influenced by our culture. Culture is everything we do, when we are born, culture comes to bear on how we will be named and treated so as we grow up and begin to make choices it plays a big part.
When one is sick, die and get buried, culture is still with them. Just as a fish is surrounded by water, human beings are surrounded by culture although they are not perfect.
When we became Christians our conduct should be pertained according to the teachings of Christ. It is true that we shall receive a lot of provision from the expectations of our culture, but our conduct should be guided by the Bible.
This is our hardest part for all, our upbringing did not purpose us for spiritual life and now we are asked to abandon all our beliefs from our culture, in order to embrace God. The conduct or behavior that pertained accordingly to the teaching of Christ is the one that is reformed to as Christian Ethics.
Christian Ethics (CE) is the standard of conduct or standard of morals in the light of Christ’s teachings. Our conduct as Christians or CE can clearly be demonstrated in these areas of our existence in our personal life. Christianity is first of all personal.
It demands a profession of faith from each individual and it mandates an inner attitude in which a spiritual life is formed. The outward life of the Christian displays an inner holiness, the Christian is humble, compassionate towards others and this attitude is clearly outlined in the Sermon on the Mount, Mathew 5:3-47.
The family is the unit block of security and a keystone of society and God wants to bless the entire world through this family unit. A strong family leads to a strong church and a strong nation.
Every nation, people, society, family even an individual has a world view unique to that group or individual, we generally judge an individual or society by its traditions, customs or habits. At the heart of the world, views are assumptions which seldom questioned or investigated.
These assumptions are simply felt to be reality, even if they are not, this is how people perceive reality. Zambians generally assume to be absolute truth, even if not really true or partially true that charms can assist one to get rich, get a promotion or a spouse and people can command lightening to strike someone. Certain jobs are for the school drop outs and are looked down upon.
This is the reason why conversion has to do with world view change and it is a radical change. If we attempt to convert a person to another basic loyalty in this case the Christian faith we must understand well the world view of that particular person, their assumptions about life, values and loyalties (allegiances).
To convert someone, we need to penetrate the core of this world view and speak to it. If this is not done true, conversion will not take place and they will not live by the CE.
True conversion calls for a radical change in one’s life. All the believed assumptions, cherished values and important loyalties must be examined and those which do not conform to the word of God be abandoned. In turn new values and loyalties assumed in line with the word of God. It is a total change of one’s world view.
It is important to determine who sits on the throne of our hearts before conversion. Is it ancestral spirits that are guiding your life then conversion means to completely uproot these spirits from the throne of our hearts and then allow Christ to take over.
Is it materialism then total conversion will mean to uproot the appetite for accessing more property from the heart and allow the giver of all things to sit on the heart and that is Christ.
Galatians 2:20, I have been crucified with Christ: It is no longer l who lives, but Christ lives in me and the life which l now live in the flesh l live by faith in the son of God who loved me and gave himself.
It means that whatever was important to you becomes nothing compared to the exceeding greatness of knowing Christ. One has to abide by the Christian Ethics and not bringing in what they think is of value to them. Where before one valued things of the world now you should value Jesus and whatsoever was important to you becomes nothing compared to the exceeding greatness of knowing Christ.
Every child of God must follow the CE as they are not optional.