Children. In the ancient world children were routinely left to die of exposure, particularly if they were girls. Jesus' treatment of and teachings about children led to the forbidding of such practices, as well as orphanages. A Norwegian scholar named Bakke wrote a study of this impact, simply titled: When Children Became People: the Birth of Childhood in Early Christianity.

Education. The ancient world loved education but tended to reserve it for the elite; the notion that every child bore God's image helped fuel the move for universal literacy. Love of learning led to monasteries. Universities such as Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard all began as Jesus-inspired efforts to love God with all ones' mind.

Compassion. Jesus' compassion for the poor and the sick led to institutions for lepers, the beginning of modern-day hospitals. That's why even today, hospitals have names like "Good Samaritan," "Good Shepherd," or "Saint Anthony." They were the world's first voluntary, charitable institutions.

Humility. The ancient world did not value the virtue of humility. Jesus' life as a foot-washing servant would eventually lead to the adoption of humility as a widely admired virtue. Historian John Dickson writes, "… it is unlikely that any of us would aspire to this virtue were it not for the historical impact of his crucifixion."

Forgiveness. In the ancient world, virtue meant rewarding your friends and punishing your enemies. An alternative idea came from Galilee: what is best in life is to love your enemies, and see them reconciled to you.

Humanitarian Reform. Jesus consistently championed the excluded. His inclusion of women led to a community to which women flocked in disproportionate numbers. Slaves—up to a third of ancient populations—might wander into a church fellowship and have a slave-owner wash their feet rather than beat them. One ancient text instructed bishops to not interrupt worship to greet a wealthy attender, but to sit on the floor to welcome the poor.