"Ethics for the Long Haul"

A well-known factor for deliberation, especially for the apostle Paul, is that of living life thinking the end is coming soon-- so-called eschatological ethics. Because Paul expected the end of history to be soon, it changed the way in which he approached ethics. Paul did not want to challenge the structure of society because he believed that the return of Christ was imminent. One of the key texts for understanding this had to do with the state of being single or getting married. In 1 Corinthians 7:8 Paul writes: “To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain unmarried as I am." Although this passage has been discussed at length with very different interpretations one way to interpret this is that “in view of the time being short, if at all possible, stay in the marriage status you are in.” Later in 1 Corinthians 16:13-22 Paul urges followers of Christ to “be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.” Then at the end of 1 Corinthians he focuses on Christ’s return with the word “Maranatha!” which means, “Lord come.” For Paul, then, believers are to connect a shortened future with present urgency: walk well with Christ now, while waiting for Him to return soon.

Martin Luther also had an eschatological component to his ethics. Winifried Vogel writes about the context of his work in “The Eschatological Theology of Martin Luther, “: “Furthermore, the very time in which he lived led him to feel that conditions in the world, in the church, and in society essentially called for a soon-return of Jesus.” It may well be that his primary reason for reformation within the Catholic Church was to get ready for Jesus’ return. It may also well be that his support of the secular orders of society in his day while considering the Anabaptists had to do with a kind of “why bother to change now?” view of the world. Later in his life when Luther denigrated the Jewish people—probably because they rejected Jesus as the Messiah—may have largely have had to do with his view of the state of the world relative to Christ coming again. He could not understand why they wouldn't be converted before Christ's return.

It is interesting to contemplate some kind of eschatological component in each person’s life. As people grow older and death by old age is closer than ever before, how does that change the way you live your life? When an older person who is a long-term non-worshiper begins going to church regularly his skeptical friends or acquaintances may question his or her motives. There are many examples of how nearly dying changes a person’s view of life. They may well become more religious and try to become more ethical. Even Charles Dickens' portrait of Ebenezer Scrooge shows him changing because of seeing a day when he would be dead and his legacy would be as a rich tightwad.

The perspective of every person is changed by knowing there will be an end to life in this world as we know it. Very often when one has a shortened perspective, one will not put off what one expects to do “someday,” but will make plans to do it now. When a person has an opportunity to prepare for something, that person will try and do it well. Does this mean that older persons live greater ethical or moral lives than anyone else, all things being equal? I don’t think so, because part of all things being equal is the equality of sinfulness. Knowing that time in this world will not last forever, but will sometime in the not as distant future end, can lead a person to reject the best or faithful way of life in order to “gather rosebuds why they may.” But still realizing there are finite days in this world often leads a person to be focused and make a difference in their life right now!

It does make a difference in terms of intentionality when an individual person’s end of life is considered. Even though opportunities may be limited, it may make a difference in terms of performance. Ultimately realizing the shortness of life will affect what he/she can do in his/her life. It should lead us all to "live as if Christ was coming back at any moment." To quote Luther if we know Christ is coming today, we should "plant a tree." This means we will try to leave the world in the best way possible. We should live in the best way that we possibly can and make a difference!