There’s a difference between Virtue Signaling and Biblical virtue. But they share one thing in common. Both show a desire for righteousness.
And that’s good. Because it confirms a shared sense of morality. An understanding of right and wrong. Good and evil. And that our human goodness should please someone.
I believe that someone to please is an absolute, righteous God. Although you might say it’s about pleasing other people. Which is also true.
But here are four differences between virtue signaling and Biblical virtue.
The Difference Between Virtue Signaling And Biblical Virtue is One Glorifies Yourself And The Other Glorifies God
Virtue Signaling is a moral goodness, pat yourself on the back. It proclaims my support of a worthy cause, behavior or group. And casts judgment on those who aren’t on board.
It lifts me up by lowering others.
Don’t we all just love to pile on with “me too” frenzy when public figures commit despicable acts? And feel better about ourselves since we are not like that.
Biblical virtue, however, focuses on God’s goodness.
Why? Because the Bible says I’m a sinner. And my goodness is really not all that good. And my righteousness falls way short of God’s standard.
The Difference Between Virtue Signaling And Biblical Virtue is One Is Driven By Pride And The Other Humility
Virtue signaling says look at me. See how moral I am? How righteous? Except the Bible calls this self-righteousness. Because it’s really pride in disguise. And a humble brag of moral superiority.
And ultimately, virtue signaling leads to the sin Jesus regularly condemned. Hypocrisy.
Because as sinners, we all commit moral failures.
And yet, God offers forgiveness. Which makes me thankful. Because He freely gives me what I can’t earn. And it fills me with a desire to imitate the humility demonstrated by Jesus.
Comparing To Other People Versus Comparing To Jesus Christ
The difference between virtue signaling and Biblical virtue is that virtue signaling compares to other people. And Biblical virtue compares to Jesus Christ.
And have you noticed? Virtue signaling compares down.
It looks for someone messing up more than me. Because there’s always someone…somewhere…at some time…morally messing up more than me. I just carefully pick the right one.
And I say carefully, because in some moral areas, I might be someone else’s pick.
Jesus models the righteousness I should pursue. Even though I’ll never reach his level. Because Jesus was God in human form. And perfect. And I’m not.
But I press on. Striving for a Godly righteousness I won’t fully attain. And following the one who did.
Condemnation And Shame Versus Grace
The difference between virtue signaling and Biblical virtue is virtue signaling is about condemnation. And Biblical virtue is about grace. The first sings my praises. The second praises God.
Because we all break God’s law. Are on the same, sinful playing field. And no one is better than anyone else.
And yet, God offers everyone grace. So we should offer it to others as well. Along with understanding. Compassion. And truth.
I understand the reason for virtue signaling. Without absolute standards, you can only measure your moral goodness by comparison.
But it’s always a shooting target. And never satisfying. The Bible however, provides God’s standard for righteousness. Tells us why it’s important. And how to attain it.
When you embrace the difference between virtue signaling and Biblical virtue. It will make a big difference in your life.
What if heaven is real? It’s a question you’ve probably asked. We all have. And maybe you’ve reached a satisfying conclusion. Or you’re still weighing on it. Or perhaps, simply choosing not to think about it. At least, until you have to.
But if heaven is real, then it means something to the here and now. And should impact your life in some manner. So if heaven is real, then here are three things for you to consider.
If Heaven Is Real It Should Give You A Positive Perspective On Life
Life is full of questions. Some we can answer, some we can’t. And what happens after we die…if anything…is the greatest, unsolved mystery of all. It weighs on us. Unsettles us. Even haunts us. Especially as the end of life draws closer.
And despite all our scientific achievements. Life enduring medical breakthroughs. Technological advancements. End of life is always there. Waiting. And the question of “what’s next?” teases us like a fishing lure, trolling always just out of reach.
But if heaven is real, the question is answered, the mystery solved and the issue settled. Well, maybe not completely settled. You still have to figure out the entrance requirements.
Also, when things in life go haywire, you have something to cling to. Look forward to. An attitude game changer and eternal perspective that eases life’s burdens.
And you possess one of the most powerful, motivating forces on earth. Hope.
If Heaven Is Real You Should Pay Attention To What Jesus Said About It
As a matter of fact, heaven is mentioned in fifty-four books of the Bible. And Jesus discusses it around 70 times just in the book of Matthew. Not like it’s a fantasy or wishful thinking. But like it’s real. Like he’s been there. And making sure it’s ready for us too.
Furthermore, he describes it and the path to get there. And makes it sound like a really cool place to spend eternity. He describes another not so cool place to spend eternity too. But let’s stay on topic.
Then again. Will we sit on clouds playing harps? Probably not. Besides, sounds boring anyway.
Most likely, heaven is about relationships. Living with Jesus. And in harmony with other people. You get the sense there’s purpose and meaning to life in heaven. Also, I’m hopeful golf might still be a thing, but we’ll see.
If Heaven Is Real It Should Give You A Sense of Mission
However, first make sure you understand the entrance requirements and that you qualify. The real qualifications surprise a lot of people. Especially if you think they involve doing enough good things to outweigh the bad. That’s a popular cultural idea not found in the Bible.
And now, you should have a mission of utmost importance. Not to mention eternal significance. How many people can you take with you?
After all. You’re not going to keep this incredible news to yourself are you? Spend eternity with a bunch of strangers? Because you want your family and friends with you too, right?
So, tell them the good news. Urge them to join you. Convince and take along as many people as you can. They will become your greatest reward. You know, treasures in heaven.
Can you think of any better happily ever after story than that?
There are three practices that lead to success. Okay, probably more than three. But I think these three are really important. And yes, I know. We all define success differently. And we’re all pursuing different endeavors of success.
Perhaps it’s getting in shape, earning a degree, career advancement, or simply accumulating wealth.
For me, as a Christ-follower, my relationship with God is important. But even that doesn’t just happen. Like other relationships, it requires a commitment and investment of time.
Whatever the endeavor—whether it’s cultivating your spiritual relationship with God, advancing in your career, or losing weight, these three practices will drive you towards success.
Practice Self-Discipline For Success
Once you know what you’re trying to accomplish and the path to get there you have to stay on that path.
Consistently. Regularly. Habitually.
Feelings are not your friend in achieving success. But self-discipline is. Feelings will try to dissuade you from your endeavor. Because they seek pleasure and comfort. “Oh, come on,” they’ll say. “You can skip this one time. You just don’t feel like it today.”
In my own life, I maintain a daily, work-out schedule. If I let my feelings rule, I’d stay at home and drink coffee half the time. So I don’t. Let them rule, that is.
Self-discipline engages your will over your feelings. Because, whatever the endeavor, success requires putting in the work.
This means developing routines and habits that move you the direction you want to go. And sticking with them. Because success rarely happens overnight. It requires time and effort.
Practice Making One-Time Decisions For Success
A powerful companion to maintaining self-discipline is learning to make one-time decisions.
Tell me. When you get up in the morning do you spend any time deciding whether or not you will go to work?
Of course not. You have to go to work…to earn a living…to pay your bills. A decision to go to work doesn’t even cross your mind. Unless you’re sick or have other extenuating circumstance. Why? Because you already made the decision that you will go to work. And you only had to make that decision once.
So what if you employed this one-time decision technique to other areas of your life? And the answer is, you can. Probably in more areas than you think.
And when it’s dark, cold and snowy outside and your feelings whine, “I don’t feel like exercising today,” you simply respond, “Sorry, I already made that decision. I’m going.” (I’m assuming, like me you live in the Midwest where it is currently winter. Please don’t say anything if you live in a warm, tropical climate because I hate you.)
Practice Persistence For Success
There are stories of people who win the lottery and are instantly rich. Or write their first novel and it’s an immediate best seller.
But for most of us, we try and fail multiple times. Practice, practice and practice. Pay our dues. We hang in there and keep trying until, finally we gain positive results.
Did you know?
Stephen King’s highly successful book, Carrie, was rejected by 30 publishers.
Thomas Edison’s teachers told him he was too stupid to learn anything.
Colonel Sanders was 62, when he pitched his chicken recipe to restaurants and reports say 1,009 people rejected him.
The point is, success usually takes time and often includes failure. So keep that in mind and put these three practices to work to achieve your success.
This has the potential to get pastors fired for following Jesus’ example. It will confuse anyone who sees me as a Christian apologist, and apologetics as being in the business of giving answers. The fact is I believe we need more unanswered questions. Pastors in particular need to leave more questions unanswered.
There are (at least) five reasons this is true. Jesus set the example, as seen best in the book of John.
To Follow Jesus’ Example
Jesus’ first words in that gospel are a question: “What are you seeking?” This introductory statement to Nathaniel provokes sheer confusion. His mother asks him to help with the wine in Cana, and he asks her a most surprising question. He bewilders the Jews in Jerusalem by telling them he will raise up “this temple” in three days. Nicodemus offers him the honor of recognizing he came from God, and Jesus says, “You must be born again.” What?
He puzzles the woman at the well with an offer of living water. Asks Philip (a native of that region) where they can buy bread to feed thousands (again, What?). Drives off the multitude with truly incomprehensible teachings about eating his flesh and drinking his blood, and then he questions his close followers, “Will you leave, too?” And confuses the Jews by telling them where he is going they cannot come.
And so it continues.
I could point to similar tactics of our Lord in the Synoptics. His Beatitudes leave at least as many questions open as they answer. He explains his parables only to a few (Matthew 13). When the Jews ask him where he gets his authority, he asks them whether John’s baptism is from heaven or from men.
To Prepare Ears To Hear
Of course I do not mean to say that Jesus never answered anyone’s questions, or never followed through to satisfy hearers concerning the questions he raised. It was always a matter of timing and and of sensitivity to the Spirit and his audience. The unifying principle is this: he gave answers to those who were ready to hear. (“Let him who has ears to hear…”)
The rest he goaded toward readiness by stimulating their curiosity, provoking dissatisfaction with where they were, and refusing to inoculate them with half-received truths.
When Jesus taught…
Even the Sermon on the Mount, for all its simple clarity, must have provoked considerable consternation when he gave it. It certainly does that for me. There are places in it where I have trouble understanding just what he meant, and I have to dig in hard to figure it out; and other places where I have more trouble yet understanding how I can live up to it. It is not a sermon meant to satisfy on the surface.
To Accomplish Your Real Purpose
Of course this is a problematical model to follow. I can’t remember the last sermon that left me wondering what?, the way Jesus’ messages so often did. Or how any pastor could keep his job doing what Jesus did, for it is the pastor’s job to provide answers, isn’t it?
No, it is the pastor’s job to lead the flock toward richness of life and service in Christ.
To Do the Questions Justice
Often this means turning us, their listeners, away from habits or beliefs that lead toward death. The difficulty there is that it means leading us to change, which few of us will do as long as our current ways seem to be working for us.
Answers soothe. Unanswered questions rankle. They throw us off balance. The right questions may just jostle us out of our conditions of comfort so that we can see what’s not really working for us after all. Some can help us see the distance between who we think we are (Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel, for example) and who we really are (spiritually ignorant and confused, in his case).
Why open questions?
One reason to leave some questions open is because even a sermon-length answer may be too short to do them justice. Some questions are hard. Compressing answers into thirty minutes, intro and illustrations included, may well be misleading; and the more serious thinkers in the congregation will know it. They may even start to wonder whether all of Christianity is equally superficial. This applies equally to questions of intellect and of application, by the way.
To Answer the Questions They’re Really Asking
I am of course an apologist, one whose business it is to understand and to communicate answers. I could dream (if I dared) of the day when my wisdom was so manifest that every answer I gave was unquestioned. Alas, that won’t happen: it didn’t happen even to Jesus!
There is another sort of unquestioned answer, though, that happens in thousands of churches every Sunday: it is the answer given by preachers to un-questions. Teachers explain how to be more like Christ when congregations are not asking.
Pastors teach how to show God’s Kingdom love in their communities, when no one is wondering. And the people walk away with answers, never having felt any urgency to know, or any deep need to practice.
This may have happened to Jesus, too, but by his teaching technique he always strove to prevent it.
When To Answer After All
A leader’s questions can also encourage followers to ask questions, which is often the very best thing for us. How can we understand better without probing deeper?
Which leads to the point at which the pastor/teacher really must be prepared to supply answers: when the people are finally asking — when they desperately need to know.
Too often this happens only when life causes pain. “Why, oh God?” is the most frequently articulated question of them all, followed by, “How will I make it through this?” These are fine questions; the Psalms are replete with them. But they are not the only ones, and not always the most important. They do tend quite reliably to be expressed when they need to be.
Not all questions are. There are many that we should be asking but usually don’t. “How can I truly be more like Christ?” or “What would God have us do to show his Kingdom love in this community?”
More Unanswered Questions
I suspect — I hope! — this has raised a lot of questions for you. One of them, I’m sure, is how it would be received if you shifted to following Jesus’ pattern by leaving more questions unanswered.
But of course I must close with a question of my own: Can you imagine what it would be like to teach your answers to a congregation that was ready and eager for them?
About:
Tom Gilson is senior editor and columnist with The Stream. He’s published over 700 articles and several books including his most recent, Too Good to Be False.
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Back when I was a little too clever for my own good, I would ask people, “Are you happy?” Then, regardless of their answer, reply, “It doesn’t matter. Life isn’t about whether or not you are happy.”
As we mature, sometimes we believe things quite similar to when we were younger, we just find better ways of expressing those beliefs.
What is life about?
I still believe life isn’t about happiness – not ultimately. Feel free to ask me what I do think it’s about, but that won’t be the point of this newsletter. You may think this newsletter is a review of my life, but I assure you, it’s really about you.
I want to challenge you to examine what you are pursuing. What life are you creating for yourself? Why are you making the choices you are on your journey?
You may be sick of the phrase “new normal.” I get it, but Coronavirus can provide an opportunity to reevaluate tendencies that have become ruts along your path. Use this strange period to quit assuming that the destination to your journey is inevitable. Ask: Is it time to reorient and chart a new direction?
If I Had A Dream
I tell people I had three dreams as a child. To be a professional baseball player. Read books about baseball and memorized all sorts of stats about the Big Red Machine (the Cincinnati Reds of the 1970s). And attend baseball games. The one thing I neglected to do was to play organized baseball.
I wanted to be a Native American. Seriously. So I read books about the unjust treatment of Indians, identified with those injustices and wanted to help right them. Iron Eyes Cody was featured in anti-littering ads and I’ve never littered since. You can read the online debate about whether Iron Eyes Cody was even a Native American, but to me he was and I listened to his counsel.
I wanted to become a genius. Then my father told me that geniuses are born. I was smart enough to know what he meant. I wasn’t a genius. I read a lot of books about baseball and Native Americans, but I wasn’t any of the things I dreamed about being.
So, early in life I was 0 for 3 on my life goals. It was time to reorient.
Then in college an adult I respected said, “Julian, you are far too serious.” I realized my melancholy nature and natural discontentedness were leading me down a path toward a life I didn’t want to inhabit. So I decided to follow the advice of Carole King in “Beautiful.” And when I got up with a smile on my face found that people were happier to be around me.
This isn’t about me. It’s about you. I just know my story better than I know yours.
Your Life Pursuit
What are you pursuing in this life? When you take time to reflect on your life, if you ever slow down long enough to do so, I want to suggest one question for you to ponder:
Are you pursuing goals worthy of a human life?
Restated: If you got everything you are seeking to accomplish/acquire, would your life have been worth living?
You may guess at my answer to what life is about. I’ll give you a hint: Whatever it is, it has to be larger than you. No amount of money, lake house in Michigan, car, McMansion or actual mansion, fame, power, or influence will ever be enough.
Are you happy? Yes? That’s great. I’ll check back in a week, a month, a year to see if your happy answer remains unchanged. In the meantime, ask yourself: Am I pursuing goals worthy of my time on this planet? This may be the most important question to ponder as you battle the Coronavirus blues.
About:
Dr. Stephen Julian is President of Julian Consulting, a firm specializing in team health, effective communication, and leadership development. He has worked with leaders and their teams for nearly 30 years in a variety of settings – including Africa, South and Central America.
Four Bible -based priorities for a balanced life. Jesus set the example for living a balanced life. I know, we usually blame imbalance on lack of time. But it’s really a lack of priority. Because we always make time for what’s important to us.
So make these four priorities a regular part of your schedule to enjoy a balanced life that is purposeful, meaningful and joyful.
And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. —Luke 2:52
Four Bible-based priorities for a balanced life. Mind development for intellectual balance.
Jesus grew in wisdom…
The Greek word for wisdom is Sophia. It means wisdom, broad and full of intelligence; Varied knowledge of things human and divine.
Even at 12, Jesus was an avid learner who spent time in the temple listening to religious teachers and asking them questions. And he amazed the people with his understanding and answers.
Begin your balanced life with intellectual engagement. And keep your mind active–learning and creating–to keep it sharp.
Read books, listen to podcasts, take music lessons, continuing education classes and participate in discussion groups. In other words, don’t settle for couch vegetation and thoughtless Internet surfing.
Four Bible-based priorities for a balanced life. Exercise and nutrition for physical balance.
Jesus grew in stature…
We can only speculate on what Jesus looked like. But he was a carpenter by trade, traveled on foot and regularly included fish in his diet. And carpentry was a more rugged occupation in his day than now. So it’s safe to assume Jesus was physically fit.
Terrific. We all know a balanced life includes exercise and a healthy diet. But knowing it and making happen is like the journey of a thousand miles. It requires determination and self-discipline. That’s my next blog topic.
Here’s the point: Your physical health impacts your cognitive and spiritual health. It improves your performance, your quality of life and your self-image.
Okay, so you don’t want to quit pizza and ice cream. Me neither. We’re going for a balanced life, not pleasure-less. So here’s a suggestion. Don’t approach it from what you should eliminate, but what you should ADD.
In other words, how can you add exercise into your week? How can you add fruit, vegetables and fish into your diet? Adding positive things into your lifestyle will naturally push out negative things.
Draw Closer To God For Spiritual Balance
Jesus grew in Favor with God…
By the time Jesus started his three year ministry, he was thoroughly knowledgeable in the Old Testament law. His balanced life included drawing close to his heavenly father through regular prayer. And God the father publicly affirmed him.
Therefore, an active, spiritual life is a must for a balanced life.
ByReading God’s Word. God’s Word is a game changer because it is living and active. Studying and meditating on it will spiritually replenish you and unleash its transforming power within and through you. Along with prayer and confession, God’s Spirit leads you towards His will and a balanced life that glorifies Him.
ByServing Others As Jesus demonstrated, we are also called to serve, not congregate in a holy huddle. It’s where you learn to exercise humility as you invest in advancing God’s Kingdom. Your eyes open to a bigger picture. And you find greater purpose through a hope that you are blessed to offer others.
Four Bible-based priorities for a balanced life. Engage In Christian Community For Social Balance
Jesus grew in favor with man…
Jesus demonstrated a vibrant social life. He clearly enjoyed hanging out with all kinds of people and was often, the life of the party. Perhaps that’s why the Co-vid pandemic is especially difficult. We aren’t made to live cooped up at home.
But keep in mind that a godly life is best lived in community with other Christ-followers. The church.
So build healthy, social relationships with a variety of people. But do so in a public manner that lives out your faith.
About Chip Tudor:
Chip Tudor is an author, blogger and professional writer. He publishes books, humorous Christian drama, and thought provoking blogs from a Christian worldview.This blog is originally published here.
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