In Search of Virtue

Virtue is moral excellence or at least the pursuit of moral excellence. "Virtue" is a collective sense of what is good while "virtues" are those individual characteristics and traits that are valued by a society and put into place, with the hope that individuals will acquire them in ways that produce a collective ethos of good in society.

Aristotle's ideas regarding virtue resonate with me. He defined virtue as a point between a deficiency and an excess of a trait. For Aristotle, virtue was not in the exact middle, but at a "golden mean," sometimes closer to one extreme than the other. The proximity of that "golden mean" depended on that which was valued in culture. Examples of Aristotle's golden means include: courage as the golden mean between cowardice and foolhardiness and confidence the golden mean between self-deprecation and vanity. To find the "golden mean," according to Aristotle, required common-sense smarts, not necessarily high intelligence. Virtue, according to Aristotle, was excellence at being human, a skill that helped a person survive, thrive, build relationships, and find happiness. Learning virtue, according to Aristotle, was difficult at first, but became easier with practice over time until it became a habit. One engaged in being human in order to master being human, and that required living in the midst of humanity, thus Aristotle's reference to common-sense.

Because I believe Aristotle was somewhat accurate in regard to his ideas on virtue, I have a growing concern regarding what we now define as good. The idea of good has its roots in virtue. Good is always pitted against evil, and it would seem that one (good) defined and recognized the other (evil). But, when the two become vague defining both becomes almost impossible. That which has been good has also been virtuous, but today, that which is good and virtuous is no longer as clear and concise as in the past. I posit that if we can no longer draw a line between the general good and the general evil, then the idea of virtue is in peril and in danger of death. If we were to use Aristotle's "golden mean" as a tool of measurement in regards of virtue; currently, it would be on a sliding scale, moving one way or another according to the situation, culture and circumstance, and the action of the slide would be increasing in frequency and speed due to changes in culture. Increased speed and constant change produce a more abstract and nebulous idea; this is the future of virtue. This is the situation that I fear we find ourselves in today; the entire idea of virtue is eroding and dying.

Paul's ideas on Christian virtue are on contrast to Aristotle's ideas on virtue. The apostle Paul wrote of virtue in Christ when he penned these words, "So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (I Cor. 13:13, ESV). Chapter thirteen of I Corinthians is known for many things, but its foundation is love. It is love that Jesus references most; it is love by which Jesus wants His disciples defined, and it is love that introduces one Christian to the next. The foundation of Christian virtue is love, and our command is to learn who Jesus is, and if we do this we will find virtue... Christian love. Virtue, for Paul, is not a sliding scale or a golden mean; it is Jesus Christ.

As we come to Christ we learn who Jesus is inside the context of love, and in that process, we are given two foundational keys to our newness over and over: meekness and humility. Both reference this idea of the lowly. The Greek used in the New Testament to present this very image is the word "tapeinos," which literally means, low to the ground. We, as humans, as His creation, were made from the dust of the ground. A Holy God formed us into His image from dust and breathed life into us. Yet, we chose the dust over the Divine. His Son offers the choice of the Divine again through His sacrificial life and spilt blood. To live life without Christian virtue is to stop living as image bearers and to once again live as dust. When we stop living as image bearers we stop being human, we stop being humble, we stop being meek, which prevents us from receiving more of His Grace and love, and pretty soon, love has left us. We begin to be known and defined by other traits. We confuse that which is good with that which is evil, and Christian virtue, found in Christian love, slowly erodes away until all that is left is dust.

The position of humility and meekness is a virtuous position for the Christian as it screams that there is good and bad in the world, and good will triumph and is currently triumphing in Believer after Believer. There are those who will make this voluntary choice inside their own efforts, choosing the lower position initially, and they will succeed, on their own, for a short period of time, situation-by-situation, but they will never adopt such a posture as a foundational part of who they are consistently, as that would be impossible without Christ. Over time, their choices will begin to reflect self and reveal their true passion and position. The position may be right initially, but the image will certainly be wrong. It will not be that which is Divine; instead, it will be something else, something with traits far different than those important three Paul referenced. Faith, hope and love are the virtues found in those walking with Christ, and are the elements necessary to produce the collective virtue Christ sets as the ethos of the Body of Christ. It is the Divine aroma of Christ and His sheep. All others are dust.

Just listen to Jesus,

     And qhe opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

3 r     “Blessed are sthe poor in spirit, for utheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4      “Blessed are vthose who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5      “Blessed are the wmeek, for they wshall inherit the earth.

6      “Blessed are those who hunger and xthirst yfor righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7      “Blessed are zthe merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8      “Blessed are athe pure in heart, for bthey shall see God.

9      “Blessed are cthe peacemakers, for dthey shall be called esons1 of God.

10 f     “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for utheirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 g     “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against

     you falsely hon my account. 12 iRejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for jso
     they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:2-12, ESV).

These are ingredients of the sweet virtuous aroma of Christ, and they are and should be different than all other views on virtue. These are traits valued by Christ, put into place by Him so that those who come to Him will engage in them in ways that will produce a virtuous ethos that will change the world; one that is rooted in the Divine and not in the dust and found in the Believer. Aristotle's definition is accurate in its description of all virtue outside of Christ, and that which is dust. Virtue that is Divine, for the Christian, is Jesus Christ, and it radiates out of the Christian as Christian love! But, virtue, both of the Divine and of the dust, are in peril, and we all should be concerned.