But also for this very reason,
giving all diligence,
add to your faith virtue… 2 Peter 1:5
When I was a child my friends and I used to
walk from our neighborhood down to the Stardust Cinema for a Saturday matinee.
Our path to the theater took us parallel to the freeway. It wasn’t an official
trail, just ones that the local kids used. Fact is, it was inside the fence
that was supposed to keep people off the freeway. It was a shortcut, so we
always went that way. When we got to the closest point to the movie theater, we
would jump the fence and finish the short walk.
One time while we were on our trek to the Stardust we stumbled upon
a magazine that had bee left in the weeds. Playboy! What a find for
prepubescent boys. And, a rare find indeed. Kids were supposed to never see
that kind of thing back in those days. We knew it existed because we had seen
the magazines behind the counters at the local liquor stores where we would buy
our candy or turn in our bottles or cans for a nickel per. But, to get your
hands on one of these mystery magazines, that was not an easy task.
But things have changed in the years since. What was
once rare and hard to find for a child, has become brought to nearly the same
attainability as the cookie jar.
I am amazed to find that the magazine racks in our
local grocery stores have very similar magazines today. The clothing (what
little there is) may not come all the way off, but the poses are just the same.
And beware primetime TV. The innuendos and the scenarios are unbelievable. I dare
not describe the trash or we would have to turn this into an adult book.
Seriously!
Then there is the computer sitting on our laps or in
the corner or in our hands (also known as a phone). A few simple clicks, and
some clicks being completely innocent, and the most vile things pop onto the
screen. Access, if anything, is readily available.
The next generation coming through these times are
being bombarded with an intense assault on their morality. The F word is no
longer all that bad. Drugs are not all that bad. Sex before marriage is not all
that bad. In fact… “It’s all gooooood.”
I’m not alone in my disbelief in what I am seeing
today. Pastor David Jeremiah has recently written a book titled, I NEVER
THOUGHT I’D LIVE TO SEE THE DAY! In his introduction to this book, he writes:
“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
With that famous line from the movie version of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful
Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and her dog, Toto, find themselves in the strange and
wonderful land of Oz― quite different from the Kansas of her childhood.
As I wake up and scan today’s headlines, I am often
tempted to think, Toto, we’re not in America anymore. I’m exaggerating, of
course, but only a little. When I look at the changes that have occurred in the
land I love― and in the Church I love even more― just in my lifetime, I have to
pinch myself to see if it’s a dream gone bad. Sadly, what I see is all too
real. I do a double take several times a week― sometimes several times a day―
as I witness more and more changes I never thought I would see.
While driving around you may have seen the bumper sticker that says, I USED TO BE SHOCKED, NOW I'M JUST AMUSED. That seems to sum up the the moral state of our day as we drift further from the solid virtues of yesteryear. God understood that this was a threat that the world would face, and indeed has faced. Look up in your Bible phone app the story of Noah. His day saw society walking so far from the morality and God, that by the time it was all said and done, there were only eight(!) people left with any moral fiber or faith in God.
On a smaller scale, Lot was living in a city that had lost its
moral compass all together. The townsmen had become so perverted that they were
ready to beat down the door of Lot’s house in order to get their hands on some
out of towners. Sadly, from that region, only three people escaped the judgment
of God.
Peter knew that Christians live in a world that is constantly
going through moral decay. But, though the world is slipping away in its
virtues, there is no reason why the Christian has to do the same.
Add
Virtue
As you may know, the writings of
Peter were written in Greek. The original Greek word had been used in ancient
times by a number of people.
Plato saw virtues as being
conditioned by the soul based upon man’s striving for good. We can pick
ourselves up to any level we would wish for. We have groups of people that
still agree with this today. We are heading to more and higher level of
evolving.
Aristotle believed that virtues
as the permanent pattern of behavior of man, dependent upon the quality of a
man. In essence, you are what you are till the day that you die. You are stuck
with what you are. There is no hope for change. There are those who believe
this about themselves. They think they can never do or be better than what they
are today. So they are trapped.
A group called the Stoics said
that virtues serve no outside purpose, such as the interest of others or gods,
but were an end to themselves, which can produce happiness. If it feels good
baby do it. This is very self-serving. No thought for those around you. Just an
attitude that if it brings ME happiness, then it is worth it.
A Better Definition
But none of these ideas
accurately defines how the Bible uses the word virtue. Virtue is the
translation of arete, and appears only 5 times in the Bible (three of which
are right here 2 Peter chapter 1).
We find the use of the word in I
Peter 2:9. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a
holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises
of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (NIV) Do you see that word praises?
That is the word arete.
The New American Standard Bible says excellencies
of God. And God has done many excellent things. He is a God of
action, and those actions are the things that Peter is talking about when he
says declare the praises of him. So we see that this word is talking
about actions that are praise worthy, beyond what is normal or natural. And
that is precisely what God’s virtues
or aretes are.
Furthermore, virtues aren’t just
an issue of having a good personality. It has to do with how you treat others.
Paul captures this idea in Colossians 3:12-14
Therefore,
as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other
and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as
the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them
all together in perfect unity. (NIV)
When you look at
this list of virtues that Paul lays out, you see that it has to do with actions
towards others. Being compassionate, and kind is part of a good moral make up.
Try being humble instead of acting like you are better than your friend. How
about getting a little patience for the checker at the store that barely knows
how to scan a banana. You see, how you treat people is all about living out
your virtues.
Poor morals is really about
treating people poorly. Swearing in front of a friend says that you think they
aren’t worth the respect that good language implies. “Going all the way” with
your boyfiend tells him that you don’t care about his future relationship with
a wife. Unjustified divorce is telling the kids that they weren’t worth the
effort to make a family work.
Virtues is all about how we treat
others. And the way Peter is approaching the word, he is telling us to add to
our faith behavior to others that is worthy of praise or excellence.
How To
Add Virtue
The first thing to
realize is that good virtues are from God. Do you remember what 2 Peter 1:3
says? Peter wrote, His divine power has given to us all things that
pertain to life and godliness. Dude! Virtues are given to us from God.
He is the original source for where to get them.
If you
were to app over to Galatians 5:22 you’d see that a list of virtues are called the fruit of the Spirit. In other
words, as you add virtues, God will give you virtues. As you seek to grow in
the area of loving others, God will give you the ability to love. As you try to
clean up your conversations, God helps you to sanitize your speech.
The best place to find virtues is
in the Bible. In Psalm 119:105 we read, Your word is a lamp to my feet and
a light for my path. God’s Word is so rich for information
on everyday living. God’s Top Ten List is a great starting point (some people
call this list The Ten Commandments). Or how about Solomon’s book of wisdom,
Proverbs. The point is, you will find ideas on virtues through out the Bible.
Peter stressed this point in 2 Peter 1:19, And we have the word of the
prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to
a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises
in your hearts.
The end result is two fold. For
one, the world around us will see authentic Christianity and will be drawn in
by it. That is the point that is being made in Matthew 5:16, In the
same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds
and praise your Father in heaven. There is something remarkable
about the person that refuses to live by the low standards of the society
around them. It will be so remarkable that that kind of behavior is like a
light shining brightly in a dark world. It stands out. People take notice. God
gets the glory.
Secondly, we end up being more
Christ like. 1 John 3:2 makes this
amazing promise, Dear friends, now we are children of
God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he
appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. O, to
be like Jesus. I am so not like Him today, but I long to be like Him. But, as
we add virtue to our faith, we become more and more like Jesus.
No comments:
Post a Comment