Virtue is Its Own Reward

Virtue carries within itself not only a sense of moral goodness but altruism as well. Virtuous acts that result in a benefit to us are tainted, not nearly as virtuous as they appear. Therefore, for virtue to have any reward, virtue itself must be the reward.

I am saddened to see so few opportunities in our culture for people to practice virtue. For example, we are frequently induced to make donations to various causes by the offer of appreciation gifts. I wonder if that is why Jesus tells us to invite the poor to dinner. Since they cannot invite us in return, we have the opportunity to exercise virtue and receive its reward.

Love is supreme

In John 14:15, it says "If you love me, you will obey what I command."

One way to see this verse is almost as a challenge. In effect, Jesus could be saying, "I you love me, prove it by being obedient." This understanding of the verse reinforces a rule-based, performance-focused faith.

And it is completely wrong.

In the Greek, this verse is what is known as a third class condition. In this kind of "if . . . then" structure, the first part of the sentence (the "if" clause" is understood as probable but not guaranteed. In other words, Jesus is saying, "If you love me, which you probably will, but just might not do, then you will obey what I command."

The important part, though is the "then" clause. In this type of sentence structure, the "then" clause is understood as the inevitable result of the "if" clause. In other words, if we love Jesus then we will have no choice but to obey Him. It won't be a result of our effort and self-discipline, it will be the easy and natural outflow of a life in love with Him.

Obedience without love makes us Pharisees.
Love without obedience is impossible.

When we find ourselves struggling with sin, the real issue is that we are not in love with Jesus enough. So the answer is not to focus on changing our behavior. The answer is to love the Lord more.

If we love Him, obedience will flow from us like water in a river.

Authentic Spirituality

Much is written in Evangelical circles these days about spirituality. For the most part, a lot of it can be distilled down to the idea of emotional authenticity. In other words we are not genuinely spiritual unless we live in the moment with our emotions. It is then that we have courage and are real with all around us. This, we are told, is authentic spirituality.

The problem, of course, with this line of thinking is that it is not really spiritual at all. It is teaching us how to be authentic humans, not how to be spiritually authentic.

Spiritual authenticity comes when we are fully emotionally engaged in life and we are experiencing a relationship with God that transcends our intellect and emotions. It is this communion with God from the core of our being expressed in a real, vulnerable way to others that is true spiritual authenticity.

Missing the point

The point is simple: We should not allow ourselves to be satisfied with hearing the truth only. We must have a determination to see the truth manifested in our lives before we will be satisfied. Otherwise, we will have our ears tickled with truth but not have our lives transformed by it.