Paul: His Life and His Teachings Christian Virtues
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No.20 Paul: His Life and Teachings - Christian Virtues (Part 1)
No.21 Paul: His Life and Teachings - Christian Virtues (Part 2)
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This lesson will be about Christian virtues; wherein virtue means advantageous or meritorious qualities. Paul wrote extensively on this subject such that there are virtues for all, for older women, for the elderly, and even for ministers. We will try to cover about as many virtues as possible. Another term for virtuous is noble. Just as Ruth is a virtuous woman or a woman of noble character. The same term is used in to characterize the Proverbs 31woman. We Christians are supposed to be virtuous. More so, we are supposed to excel or abound in being virtuous. The good thing about this pursuit to excel is that it means that we have these qualities already. We just need to increase – that is to grow in them or to have them grown in our lives. A passage that relates to this is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). The fruit is in the singular for what it means is we have the whole package with all the qualities mentioned. Virtues is also a fruit of the Spirit that is already in us because we have the Spirit of the Lord. As we press towards Christian growth and maturity, these virtues may not be as mature in some of us as in others. But, give it some time, continue to nurture it, and one day it will come to full maturity.
Endurance is one of the common Christian virtues. In 2 Corinthians 6:4-7, the passage seems to point at endurance as the overarching quality of the list. The REB punctuates with a colon after endurance, which highlights the virtue of endurance on a Christian. This is right because endurance is the ability to bear up or endure under difficult circumstances - the difficult circumstances being the persecutions mentioned in the passage. There are a lot of people who gave up because they lack endurance. They just quit and chose not to go on. As difficulties will keep on coming our way; we need the endurance to hold our ground. Other virtues that we should excel on include faith, speech, knowledge, diligence, and love. It seems like the Corinthians were already excelling in these areas. However, their increase in Christian qualities seems to have been stopped. Prior, Paul already mentioned to the Corinthians how they were excelling in giving. Now, they need to pay attention and likewise excel in other areas of Christian virtue.
Some believers think that they have done their part once they have given their tithes and a little extra for offerings. They think that they have already done the Lord’s work. Saul also thought that giving sacrifices is enough, and learned that he needs to do more. As to the Corinthians, they were already competent in giving. Yet, they were not excelling in grace, and are rather being pulled back in legalism and sin. So, to excel in virtue for them means that they need to be competent in grace and in other areas of Christian way of life. On faith and faithfulness, they were convicted of something but they were not acting on it. The same is true today. A lot of has convictions but we are not competent in acting on it. This means we are not excelling in this area. Likewise, speech is skillful “utterance.” Some have knowledge but they don’t know how to say it properly. That is, to say with tact. Excelling is about being able to say the right thing, in a right way, at a right time (cf. Prov.25:11).
Knowledge pertains to knowledge of God and His Word which increases faith or causes our faith to excel. What this means is they need to excel in the knowledge of acquired learning, effort, and experience. They have insight into spiritual principles, just as many of us have read, heard and experience too many things. The problem is, through it all, we really never learned a thing. This is why they were not able to deal with their problems in 1 Corinthians. Paul is telling them then to excel in knowledge, which includes the application of the knowledge they acquired. Diligence, on the other hand, is in the consistency of doing spiritual activities and growing in spiritual character. This is a commitment to faith and knowledge. Diligence includes the idea of being zealous to what we believe and do. Enthusiasm and earnestness are not enough. The Corinthians already have it. They need diligence. As to love, it is what we do towards each other, or the service to the saints. We are called to love one another and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Agape is what was used here – love in its ultimate form.
We also need to excel in grace, which often translated as a favor. The Corinthians was a faltering group of Christians who were once excelling. Sometimes, when we see ourselves growing in faith, knowledge, etc. the enemy can tempt us with pride, and the result is we stop growing in grace. The moment we stop growing or excelling in grace, we will not continue to grow in the areas of faith, knowledge, etc. This is how many phenomenal ministers fall – and how Christians who are just starting to be used by God, stumble. Finally, we need to excel in mind or wisdom. To do this, Paul urges us to dwell on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and praiseworthy (Phil.4:8). Paul further enjoins us to put into practice the things we have learned, received, heard, and seen in him, for as we do so, the God of peace will be with us (v.9). Praise be to God!