The Virtues or Fruit of the Holy Spirit
Virtue is a term derived from the Latin virtus, which means “strength” as well as virtue. This meaning points out that virtues inhere to a person’s inner character and personal strength. Cicero wrote: “Virtue may be defined as a habit of mind (animi) in harmony with reason and the order of nature” (De Inventione, II, LIII). Unlike the commandments of God, which form a bottom line of moral behavior, virtue does not possess an upper limit. God is the infinite source and norm of all virtue, therefore humans can and ought always to increase in virtue. No human will ever reach the infinite virtue of God our Lord, and he will always help humans reach ever higher in virtue.
Naturally, much of a person’s interior character and virtue remains opaque to other humans. Ultimately only the Lord God can observe the virtues of any and all human beings:
- Sam. 16:7 The LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.
- Jer 20:12 Yet, O LORD of hosts, You who tests the righteous, Who sees the mind and the heart.
- Luke 16:15 You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts.
- Prov. 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the LORD weighs the motives.
- Prov. 21:2 Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, But the LORD weighs the hearts.
Yet Christ taught, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment” (John 7:24). In that regard, we can consider the manifestation of virtues or lack thereof in the people around us, including politicians. Human behaviors can often, though not in every case, indicate the presence of virtuous character. While absolute certainty about another person’s virtue is impossible for limited human knowledge, we can justify an examination of politicians in this regard, simply keeping ourselves explicitly aware that our knowledge of another person’s virtue is limited.
Three of these virtues – faith, hope and love – are themselves unwarranted free gifts of God. Possession of them will be judged by the God who gave them rather than by human beings who can.
Other virtues are called the “fruit of the Holy Spirit”:
- Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law.
Cardinal Virtues:
- Plato (The Republic, 427e; see also 435b), Cicero (De Inventione, II, LIII), and others listed four key natural virtues, which the Church fathers such as St.
- Ambrose (Commentary on Luke, V, 62) and St. Augustine (De moribus eccl., Chap. xv), identified as “cardinal” or “hinge” virtues:
- Prudence (phronesis; Latin: prudentia): is the ability to judge between actions with regard to appropriate actions at a given time
- Justice (dikaiosyne; Latin: iustitia): fair and equitable treatment of people in terms of natural law and civil law.
- Temperance (sophrosyne; Latin: temperantia): the ability to restrain and apply self-control to the various natural appetites, which otherwise left on their own would go out of control.
- Courage (andreia; Latin: fortitudo): is the ability to confront and overcome one’s fears in order to accomplish one’s duties.
The Commandments of God
The Bible sets out two basic kinds of commandments (Hebrew: mitzvah): unconditional, apodictic commandments (Hebrew hoq) that must never be broken, and case laws (Hebrew: mishpat) which are based on specific situations and contain certain conditions for the law to apply in a case.
The Ten Commandments are apodictic, unconditional laws that maintain their full validity into the New Testament, since Jesus Christ considered them to be one answer to the rich young man’s question: “What must I do to gain eternal life?” While different Christian communities number them differently, based on differences of numbering between the Diaspora Jews who used the Septuagint (the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox numbering of the Commandments) of the Pharisees’ numbering (Jews and Protestants), no one discounts any of these commandments (except in personal life).
These Commandments form a bottom line of moral expectation below which a person can never go with impunity.
Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 “You shall have no other gods before me.”
4 “You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; 5 you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.”
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work;”
10 “But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; 11 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and hallowed it.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you.”
13 “You shall not kill.”
14 “You shall not commit adultery.”
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is y”(Exo 20:1-17).
Government Must Submit to the Laws of God! – Sir William Blackstone
Man, considered as a creature, must necessarily be subject to the laws of his creator, for he is entirely a dependent being. A being, independent of any other, has no rule to pursue, but such as he prescribes to himself; but a state of dependence will inevitably oblige the inferior to take the will of him, on whom, he depends, as the rule of his conduct: not indeed in every particular, but in all those points wherein his dependence consists. This principle therefore has more or less extent and effect, in proportion as the superiority of the one and the dependence of the other is greater or less, absolute or limited. And consequently as man depends absolutely upon his maker for everything, it is necessary that he should in all points conform to his maker’s will.
Sir William Blackstone, Commentaries on the Laws of England in Four Books, vol. 1 [1753]; SECTION II.: OF THE NATURE OF LAWS IN GENERAL
Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel
Repentance is required of entire nations! Just as the corporate sin of every entity [family, church, community, business, etc.] demands corporate repentance, so national sin demands national repentance. The national sins of which I speak are the gross sins that defile the whole land, making the nation guilty before God. They are the sins that result in the loss of at least some of God’s sovereign mercies and in the display of at least some of His righteous judgments. Several things must be said concerning these sins.
First, they are, as stated, national sins – sins that defile the whole land. The general population is corrupted by them. This was true in Sodom, where God could not find even ten righteous people. This was often true of Israel. Isaiah described a particular time saying,
“The whole head is sick, and the whole heart is faint. From the sole of the foot even to the head there is nothing sound in it, only bruises, welts, and raw wounds, not pressed out or bandaged, nor softened with oil. Your land is desolate… Unless the LORD of hosts had left us a few survivors, we would be like Sodom, we would be like Gomorrah” (Isaiah 1:5-7, 9).
Second, they are by their very nature sins that, if left in place, are not only grossly evil but also corrupting. They contaminate everything around them. Jesus warned against the leaven of the Pharisees. We often find that one bad piece of fruit spoils many around it. Any sin, left in place, will corrupt things around it.
Third, the leaders of the people are themselves sufficiently contaminated by sin that they make no serious effort to suppress it. Indeed, at a time when national repentance is urgently needed, it is not uncommon for leaders to alter long-standing laws to accommodate gross iniquities, rather than to repent themselves and to call others to do the same. We have seen this happen in recent years when our politicians have changed long-standing laws affecting abortion, usury, homosexuality, fornication, and adultery. At such a time, it is also common for leaders to grow lax in enforcing the laws that remain, sometimes because they themselves selves are guilty of gross violations.
Fourth, the nature of the sins themselves, and the degree to which they are happily entertained by both leaders and the masses of the people, may profoundly affect the churches. Rather than the churches altering the world for good, the world will alter the church for evil. The nominally religious are readily drawn into the web of iniquity, and eventually it is only with considerable difficulty that the church can be distinguished from the world.
Fifth, the prevalence of sin is so great that some of the remnant of faithful believers who remain are gripped by a spirit of pessimism and do little more than sit quietly by, hoping for an end-time deliverance.
Sixth, sin so profoundly impacts the nation that the few servants of God who speak out against it seem to have the ear of but a handful. They are generally treated, even by religious people, as foolish and unprofessional extremists.
Seventh, man’s extremity is still God’s opportunity. At the very moment when sin appears to have fully triumphed, the Lord may gift the nation with repentance and faith. It is wise and necessary to observe that nations are rarely ever destroyed before they have first been clearly warned of their sins and of the pending judgment of God, and second, have rebelliously refused to repent. As dark as the present hour appears, it is both refreshing and encouraging to realize that the voices of the true prophets of the living God have not yet been raised to such a level that the nations have heard the word of the Lord and have deliberately refused to repent. Thus far, most of the voices that have been heard have sounded a very uncertain note. No wonder national repentance has not occurred. The English-speaking speaking world, in particular, desperately needs to hear the clarion call to national repentance. Until it does, there is hope even for the Western world
(Richard Owen Roberts, Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel, pp. 283-292; 2002).
We determine our own future by our vote
We as the Church must take this responsibility seriously, if we are to make a decision to cast our vote in favor of anybody, it must be of political affiliation or party. The Christian does not stop being responsible for their actions or beliefs at the voting booth. We must search our hearts and seek those that align themselves with our own beliefs if we are to be responsible representative of the Kingdom of God. Our final vote must mirror who we are and what we stand for. Politics should never cause a compromise of our standing with God!
Believers throughout the ages have lived, and even flourished, under antagonistic, repressive, pagan governments. This was especially true of the first-century believers who, under merciless political regimes, sustained their faith under immense cultural stress. They understood that it was not their governments, but they were the light of the world and the salt of the earth. They adhered to Paul’s teaching to obey their governing authorities, even to honor, respect, and pray for them (Romans 13:1-8).
Submission to government (and higher authority) is important to God, because there is no government in existence that is not ordained by God. Some governments prove to be both cruel and terrible, but each person in authority will give an account of their actions to their Creator come judgment day. Your responsibility is to be in submission to whichever government you find yourself under at the moment. For American Christians, this could change every four years or so.
Americans are governed by the Constitution of the United States and not, necessarily, by whoever sits in the oval office come Election Day. Ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Under this political system of democracy, we are granted certain rights and responsibilities.
We have the freedom of speech, the right to assemble, and the right to vote. Therefore, to insist that all Christians should remove themselves from politics altogether is a gross error and, frankly, it goes against God’s revealed will to be submissive to our American government.
If there ever comes a time when you personally find yourself under the rule of a different government, then God’s desire for you is to be submissive to that authority, do what is right, silence ignorant men by nothing more than your superior behavior, respect everyone around you, love other believers, and honor the king.
Submission is God’s revealed will for you.
Christians Must Get Involved!
Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Last I checked, “all the world” and “every creature” includes politicians and those involved in government.
If we’re honest with ourselves, we must admit every person in government do what they do based on some worldview that is influenced by some religion, whether it’s atheism, agnosticism, astrology, Buddhism, Catholicism, Christianity, Gnosticism, or some other -ism.
Thomas Jefferson knew this and he shuddered to think what would happen if any influence besides the God of the Bible would lay hold on this nation when he stated, “God who gave us life gave us liberty.
Church came before politics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Time for the Church to Arise!
Pastor Michael Edwards
We are headed for a fall!
Edward Gibbon in his classic The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire gives some basic reasons for the fall of Rome: (1) undermining of the sanctity of the home; (2) the rapid increase in divorce; (3) the development of huge armaments and the neglect of the enemy within; (4) the moral degeneracy of the whole society — sexual perversion and homosexuality; and (5) the declension of religious vitality, with formalism supplanting faith and impotence replacing power.
This is a clear picture of USA today. 2 Samuel 8:15 says “So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people.”
We need church back in office where it should be, or we are in trouble! We cannot sit and do nothing saints.
Time for the Church to Arise!
Pastor Michael Edwards
Alabama Leaders Object to Obama’s Transgender Bathroom Edict
By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Friday, May 13, US Representatives Martha Roby (R-Montgomery), Bradley Byrne (R-Montrose), Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) and Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange (R), all issued statements blasting the Obama Administration for its threat that public schools who do not comply with the President’s pro-transgender agenda will lose federal funding.
Congresswoman Martha Roby said, “They have lost their minds. This is a great example of an issue in which we need a lot less government and a lot more common sense. These are children. Eighth grade boys don’t need government-guaranteed access to the sixth grade girls’ bathroom, or vice versa.”
Congressman Gary Palmer said, “This is yet another example of overreach by the Obama Administration. The guidance purports to create an environment that is “supportive” and “safe”. It will do neither. In fact, it will create an environment with much more potential for sexual misconduct and harm. No reasonable person could conclude that forcing school children, particularly adolescents, to share bathrooms and showers with individuals of the opposite sex, no matter how they might self-identify, is a smart idea. The safety implications for sexual predation have been well documented, but this Administration apparently has no concern about the sexual predators.”
Congressman Byrne said, “So this is the point we have reached…the federal government is now trying to set requirements on how schools handle their bathrooms. This is just another example of the federal government being involved in an area where it shouldn’t be involved at all. The federal government needs to leave our schools alone.”
Rep. Palmer said, “This guidance does not have the force of law and schools all over America should reject it. Alabama schools should reject it. The Obama Administration is engaging in an ideological war against our nation that not only is ripping our moral foundations apart, but now threatens our children’s safety and privacy. This action should cause all people of strong faith and moral convictions to come together across racial, religious and political lines to stop it. Members of Congress regardless of political affiliation who have the moral courage and conviction to do so, should stand to together and use every viable tool, including the power of the purse to stop the Administration from bullying states and local schools into adopting practices that the vast majority of Americans reject. This action should be seen for what it is, an act intended to force Americans to conform to the will of an increasingly extremist and provocative Administration.”
Attorney General Strange said, “Here comes the Obama administration with just another of their absurd regulatory overreaches, friends. School bathroom use is an issue that should be decided by parents, teachers, and principals – not Washington, DC bureaucrats.”
Rep. Byrne said, “I’ve been watching some of the reports on the Obama Administration’s new ‘bathroom guidance,’ and I am pretty frustrated. Schools in Alabama or anywhere around the United States don’t need the federal government to dictate ‘bathroom policy’ to them. Let’s get real here for a minute – this entire debate is executive overreach at its worst. Washington doesn’t always know best, and it has no business getting involved in a debate about where people go to the bathroom.”
Rep. Roby said, “Schools can figure out how to accommodate students’ unique needs on an individual basis without federal bureaucrats’ tortuous redefinition of sex. Moreover, threatening to sue schools or withhold funding if they don’t conform to this backward application of law is an abuse of power that won’t stand. I look forward to hearings that will expose how ridiculous and unworkable such a policy is.”
AG Strange told the Alabama Media Group’s Crystal Bonvillian that if President Obama wants to try to enforce this edict that Strange will join with other attorney generals in fighting this.
One school superintendent told the Alabama Political Reporter that a possible solution to this would be to rip out all the existing restrooms and replace them all with individual restrooms like a line of portable toilets at a outdoor event; but the cost of retrofitting all of Alabama’s schools would be substantial…though perhaps less substantial than the cost of litigation.
Wise Men or Fools to Rule? We Choose!
The Republic of the Israelites, an Example to the American States,
by Samuel Langdon, Concord, New Hampshire, 1788
There is a remarkable paragraph in the sacred writings, which may he very well accommodated to my present purpose, and merits particular attention. You have it in Deuteronorny, 4:5-8:
Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, who shall hear all these statutes, and say, surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people: for what nation is there so great, which hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, which both statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day.
If I am not mistaken, instead of the twelve tribes of Israel, we may substitute the thirteen states of the American union, and see this application plainly offering itself…
On the people, therefore, of these United States, it depends whether wise men, or fools, good or bad men, shall govern.… Therefore, I will now lift up my voice and cry aloud to the people….
From year to year be careful in the choice of your representatives and the higher powers [offices] of government.
Fix your eyes upon men of good understanding and known honesty; men of knowledge, improved by experience; men who fear God and hate covetousness; who love truth and righteousness, and sincerely wish for the public welfare….
Let not men openly irreligious and immoral become your legislators…. If the legislative body are corrupt, you will soon have bad men for counselors, corrupt judges, unqualified justices, and officers in every department who will dishonor their stations….
Never give countenance to turbulent men, who wish to distinguish themselves and rise to power by forming combinations and exciting insurrections against government….
I call upon you also to support schools in your towns…. It is a debt you owe to your children!
You have a responsibility to vote intelligently!
By Matthias Burnet, D.D. Pastor of the First Church in Norwalk.
From a sermon on May 12, 1803.
Let not your children have reason to curse you for giving up those rights, and prostrating those institutions which our fathers delivered to you….
And that this happy state of things may continue, look well to the characters and qualifications of those you elect and raise to office and places of trust. In this momentous concern, let the wise counsel of Jethro, tho√ a priest, be your guide.
“Choose ye out from among you able men, such as fear God, men of truth and hating covetousness and set them to rule over you.”
Think not that your interests will be safe in the hands of the weak and ignorant or faithfully managed by the impious, the dissolute and the immoral. Think not that men who acknowledge not the providence of God nor regard his laws, will be uncorrupt in office, firm in defense of the righteous cause against the oppressor, or resolutely oppose the torrent of iniquity. Their own emolument, ease or pleasure, will at any time induce them to connive at injustice and iniquity, or join with the oppressor.
Watch over your liberties and privileges civil and religious with a careful eye!
Remember it is always safer and better for a people, to commit their interests to the care of those whose ability, fidelity and patriotism they have tried and found equal to their trust, than to those whom they have not, even though they may be supposed to be perfectly equal in all these particulars.