Introduction
The Gospel of Luke represents the synoptical Gospel which has a lot in common with the Gospels of Mark and Matthew. It tells us about the life of Jesus Christ, his teachings and precepts. The Acts of Luke describes the Apostle Luke’s own and the other apostles’ selfless life after the resurrection of Christ.
The Christian Teachings
“In traditional Judaism and Christianity, the Bible has been more than a historical document to be preserved or a classic of literature to be cherished and admired; it is recognized as the unique record of God’s dealings with people over the ages” (Coogan 16).
The scholars define two major approaches to the studying of the religious texts: the Fundamentalism and the Wesleyan tradition (Truesdale 10).
Formally, the Gospel and Acts of Luke are considered to be anonymous. The modern scholars consider that the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts have the same author. The language, theology, and the way of thinking expressed in the Gospel and the Acts are very similar. These facts indicate to the common author of both books.
The value of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts boils down to the fact that the Gospel should not be understood in the context of itself. The Acts, in essence, represent the sequel of the Gospel.
Acts of Luke
The theology of Luke can be summarized into the following main aspects: he gives a broader historic overview of the Jesus Christ life; he emphasizes the importance of the prayer; he stresses the necessity to forgive; and, he pays special attention to the attitude to the money and material benefits saying that the self-satisfied rich valuing the wealth above the Christ will not enter the Kingdom of God as well as that not all the poor are godly.
The modern society and the way of life should motivate people to seek advice in the religious texts (De La Torre 10).
The moral underlying the Acts of Luke is relevant in modern society. From my experience, I should say that the consumer society in which we live hardly contributes to the realization of the highest moral and ethical values which Christianity teach. Rather, it motivates people to value the material benefits the most making them to consume more and more. I think people forget about the spiritual side of life.
Besides, the necessity to forgive is something which everyone should learn nowadays. Taking into account the stressful environment in which we live and work, it becomes clear that the moral and ethics play a crucial role in the prevention and solving of conflicts. In this respect, forgiving means understanding that everyone can make a fault and no one is perfect. That is why forgiving helps us to communicate with others effectively and, ultimately, to be happy.
In my opinion, people started to realize the importance of the moral and ethics which the Apostle Luke preached, in particular. For example, the firms are encouraged to adopt the Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct to prevent unethical behavior in the workplace. And it is not a secret that we spend the majority of our time at work. I think the adoption of the ethical standards in the companies is the step further in mankind development.
Conclusion
To summarize all the above mentioned, it should be said that the Christian texts represent the religious, theological, and historical value. They are studied by scholars following in their research the path of mankind development. In the Acts, the Apostle Luke teaches people to behave ethically and honestly as the Christ preached.
Works Cited
Coogan, Michael D. The New Oxford Annotated Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Print
De La Torre, Miguel A. Reading the Bible from the Margins. New York: Orbis Books, 2002. Print.
Truesdale, Al. Square Peg: Why Wesleyans Aren’t Fundamentalists. Kansas City: Beacon Hill, 2012. Print.