This article is written to let you know what are the Christian virtues. Christian virtues are different from the worldly virtues. Christian virtues cannot save you; for Christian virtues are the fruits. You have to become Christians first before you can have Christian virtues.
Aristotle said, “Be a free thinker and don’t accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in.” Although that is not Scripture, the ancient advice of Aristotle is sound. You must not accept everything you hear as truth. Be critical and evaluate what you believe in. You cannot think wrong, for thinking has consequences. You ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by human skill and thought. Lest you become an idolater. You ought not to think lightly of the riches of God’s kindness and restrain and patience, lest you delay to repentance and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior now. Jesus warns, Jhn 16:2, “They will ban you from the synagogues, yet the hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering a service to God.” There is an evil religion, whose followers behead and kill Christians daily and commit terrorist acts, and that they think they are offering a service to God. You ought not to think evil like the mankind in the days of Noah, that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. You ought not to think more highly of yourself than you ought to think, lest you speak and act like white and black supremacists. If you think deep and realize God rules over the universe, you will use the Word of God to measure and test everything. Truth is offensive.
I think it is very dangerous when a person teaches any Bible subject for money and using his or her own private interpretations of the Scripture. I do not know who on the Internet I happened to see the process diagram as Faith > Virtue > Knowledge > Self-control (Gal 5:23; 2 Pet 1:4) > Steadfastness (Rom 5:3) > Godliness > Brotherly Affection (Philia:) > Love (Agape (Eph 5:2; Mark 12:30-31). I neither see the truth of the order of flow process nor do I believe one virtue leads to another. Someone defines virtue as the most basic category of godly character and behavior. When there is basic category, there must be higher or advanced category.
This article is written to highlight the state of the world is very very bad.
The great majority of people are not responsible, devoid of virtue, acting like animals. National leaders and politicians, business executives are most irresponsible, devoid of virtue. How can there be happiness in life since there is no virtue in this world? But Christians are different, they are
children of God and citizens of Heaven. They do not belong to this world.
Christian virtues are identified and explained.
As Jesus says to His disciples,
Mat 5:14-16, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be
hidden; nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in Heaven.”
Christians must shine not to glorify themselves, but to glorify our Father
who is in Heaven.
Phl 2:15, “so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent,
children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world.”
Christians must prove themselves in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, to appear as lights in the world. We live now in a crooked and
perverse generation.
I. What is virtue
The meaning of virtue depends on what is your point of view or standpoint. The Roman Catholic Church views on virtues may be different from the worldly virtues. In the sight of the world is not the same in the sight of God. The Christian virtues are strictly from the Holy Scriptures, not affected or tainted by institutional or individual views or any civilizations of the world, past or present.
There are many theories and opinions of values and virtues. To prevent
confusion and misunderstanding from the outset there is a need to make
my position clear. Like Martin Luther, I believe only in Sola Scriptura (by Scripture alone), so the position I take and the conclusion I reach may offend some churches, organizations, religions, or individuals. This needs not to be, because I do not sell you anything, and I do not get any money from you. We do not ask for donation. We only want you to know the truth. At the outset you will know that we are not interested in many human theories and views of religions and philosophers ancient and modern. I believe it is most dangerous to teach a Bible subject for money based on private interpretations. I happened to come across on the Internet, someone I do not know who sketched the diagram of Christian virtues which I do not agree and the interpretations which I reject.
II. THE DEFINITION OF VIRTUE
Almost all systematic approaches to ethics have something to say about
what traits count as virtues and about the character of virtue as a whole.
Here we are not interested in formulating a theory of virtue. It is not clear,
and it may be doubtful, whether there is such a thing to make a difference
between intellectual and moral virtues. We are not here to dwell on the
differences on virtues and ethics.
Living according to nature is not Christian virtues. Jesus says, Jhn 3:6,
“That which has been born of the flesh is flesh, and that which has been
born of the Spirit is spirit.” Nothing natural is good in itself. There is a vast
difference between flesh and spirit. The worldly man, the flesh, lives
according to nature. Jesus Christ speaks of the nature of the devil is to lie
and kill, there is no truth in him. Sinners are by nature “a wild olive tree.”
Even Apostle Paul admits, Rom 7:18, “For I know that nothing good dwells
in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of
the good is not.” For that reason, Jesus says, Jhn 3:7, “Do not be amazed
that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ A natural life is not good
enough to enter the Kingdom of God, so you must be born again.
A man who has “a wise regard to his own interest” does not mean he has
virtues at all. All white and black supremacists have “a wise regard to their
own interest.” All warmongers, imperialists, colonialists, capitalists,
militarists, monopolists, etc. have a wise regard to their own interests.
They never follow the principle of sympathy for their victims. Even today,
Japan and all its leaders deny their war crimes and refuse to pay
reparations because they have a wise regard to their own interest and so to whitewash their dark history.
In a sense, a virtue is the opposite of a vice, just as truth is the opposite of
lie. You do not use virtues to imitate God. See
Virtues are the essence of our character and when we keep the practice of
virtues at the heart of everyday life, we live with purpose of glorify God.
Virtue, by definition, is the moral excellence or quality of a person. Virtues
are personal positive qualities espoused and held individually and usually
permanently. Although the quality and quantity of virtues may vary from
individual to individual; the more virtuous a person has the more virtues he possesses. Virtues have direct relationship to morality as morality has
direct relationship with character.
For Stoics, Virtues include logic, physics, and ethics, as well as wisdom,
moderation, justice, and courage. This kind of reference complicates the
concept of virtue. Logic, physics, ethics, and justice are academic subjects.
Some treat or equal virtues as moral character.
We are not interested in the 7 virtues of the Roman Catholic Church, and
other different frames of reference with different lists of virtues. We also do not agree with “Virtue in Christianity” presented by
“The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica.” I hold that Christianity is the
Revealed Truth which has nothing to do with the old or new pagan world, or old and new of any world civilization. Beware, secularists including
unbelieving philosophers and theologians who use a vocabulary and terms which do not correspond to the meanings of the Holy Bible. The Word of God does not spring from any man however great or famous, institution, history or civilization. Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. 1Co 2:14, “But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Secular scholars, unbelieving theologians and scientists, however intelligent they may be, are merely natural persons who do not have the knowledge of God because they are devoid of the Spirit of God. Without the Spirit of God, no one has the knowledge of God and the things pertaining to God.
A correct view is to call a spade a spade, what is what, and which is which.
We apply the Word of God to measure and test every human theory, opinion, or wisdom of the world. We never use human theory, theology or philosophy or opinion of man to measure and test the Word of God.
Different frames of reference can lead to confusion or misunderstanding.
The Biblical views are not necessarily coincide with the views of the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic seven cardinal virtues are not necessarily Christian virtues. I will explain later.
The Vatican version of virtues include the list of seven cardinal virtues, namely: prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, faith, hope, and charity. I
am not saying the seven virtues of the Roman Catholic Church are bad.
They are just not what is presented in the Word of God. As I have said
before, Faith, Hope, and Love are Christian values, not to be counted or
considered as Christian virtues. What is the difference between value and
virtue, I shall explain it later.
Some defines Faith, Hope and Love as Theological Virtues. There are no
such things as what they call theological virtues. We do not accept the
inventions of men. Gal 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.”
Eph 5:9, “(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and
righteousness and truth).”
Some classify the fruit of the Spirit as virtues and the fruit of the Light as
virtues. If God means fruit as virtue, He would have called fruit virtue. The
Bible usually means fruit in every good work and increasing in the
knowledge of God.
It is vital to know the difference between what is and what is not. I have no
interest to debate or argue with anyone. Firstly, I do not sell the Bible
knowledge. I preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. Secondly,
I am responsible directly to the Lord Jesus for my work. I do not elicit or
enlist the opinions of any man, great or small.
Plato said something remarkable, “We can easily forgive a child who is
afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”
This is the great tragedy of the world, for hundreds of years Western leaders and politicians are afraid of the light, the light of truth. So they keep on lying, killing, robbing, sanctioning, smearing Russia and China. In fact, Jesus Christ says, Jhn 3:19-21, “And this is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light; for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed. But the one who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds will be revealed as having been performed in God.” How long the West will love the darkness and hate the Light?
There are quite a few teachings, doctrines, lessons about the Biblical
subjects on the Internet for money. Someone may offer you a course on
Christian virtues for money. It is our policy we do not preach the Gospel of
Jesus Christ for money. We do not want donation. We only want you to
know the truth. Most of the materials of so-called Christian teachings
represent private interpretations of the Bible. I do not want to waste my time and efforts to debate or argue with anyone. I do not elicit or enlist the
opinions of any institution, association or individual. However, we agree
with sound words, exhort in sound doctrine, to be sound in the faith, use
sound judgment to present the exact truth in Jesus Christ. Our Biblical
position and views may offend people. Truth is offensive and never inclusive.
For example, if you do not have the Christian virtue of humility, you may act and talk like white and black supremacists who claim and pretend to be Christians. The Christian virtue of humility is something so remarkable that if you think you have it, you do not possess it. If you think you have enough humility, you are lacking humility.
Some hold virtues are being fundamental to Christian ethics. I believe
virtues are not a gift of God in the sense eternal life in Jesus Christ is a gift
of God. All because virtues are things that Christians must do and practice. However, no one is able to practice eternal life.
Let us for the sake of simplicity accept the definition of virtue as “moral
excellence” or “moral quality” for the time being. We are going to focus on the difference between value and virtue.
III. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN VALUE AND VIRTUE.
Please read the article:
It requires wisdom to know the difference between value and virtue. A little
incident which illustrates that a person may know the meaning of value
without knowing the word. One day with my little nephew we visited the
home of a friend. Whose children brought out toys to play with Isaac.
Evidently Isaac was interested in their toys, at the time of departure he
wanted to take some toys home. Isaac was a communist, but the children of the friend were capitalists. Isaac’s parents were puzzled what to do about it. An idea struck me and then I told Isaac in an exaggerated way, “You can have that toy but it costs you $100, the other toy $200, and another toy $300…” Isaac paused to think and then said, “It is too expensive and let us go home.” Isaac did not know the word “value” but he had the concept of “value.”
Job 28:12-28, “But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Mankind does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The ocean depth says, ‘It is not in me’;
And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed as its price, It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, In precious onyx, or sapphire, Gold or glass cannot equal it; nor can it be exchanged for articles of pure gold. Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; and the acquisition of wisdom is more valuable than pearls.”
Merriam Webster defines value: something (such as a principle or quality)
intrinsically valuable or desirable.
Cambridge dictionary defines: the importance or worth of something for
someone. Value boils down to what is important in life. Faith, Hope, Love
are Christian values because their ideals are accepted by all believers or
Christians of all generations and the Word of God says so.
Job 28:13, “Mankind does not know its value, nor is it found
in the land of the living.” Job maintains that mankind does not know the
value of wisdom.
Job 38:36, “Who has put wisdom in the innermost being, or given
understanding to the mind.”
God puts wisdom in the innermost being, or given understanding to the
mind. Apparently, the mind is the innermost being. No one knows where the innermost being is, it may be an abstract concept. We need wisdom to know the difference between the Christian values and virtues. The task is
hairsplitting. One aspect it appears to me is sound, while the Christian
values are held by all Christians of all ages; the Christians virtues need to
cultivate and develop individually or personally. The sum of Faith, Hope,
and Love are the shining truths for all believers living on earth. While the
Christian virtues believers must possess them in the mode of addition
individually. The Christian virtues are add-ons to each believer personally.
For that reason, the virtues of one Christian may be higher or lower, more or less than another believer. No Christians have exactly the same and equal virtues.
Pro 2:6, “For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge
and understanding.” You can find wisdom in the Word of God. Some call
themselves Christian organizations which do not want the world to know
about them: Access denied. They are also afraid of people knowing their
so-called Christian values. Beware, not all who claim to be Christian are
Christians. My website denies no one, and it is absolutely free. We preach
the Gospel of Jesus Christ absolutely free. We do not want donation. We
only want you to know the truth. We have nothing to hide.
Someone lists 8 core Christian values which I neither accept nor
recommend to anyone. Beware all kinds of lists on Christian values and
Christian virtues may sound good to you until you examine the definition of each. Do not accept anything just because those who promote them call
them “Christian” or “Biblical” or “Evangelical”, etc. The explanations are in the detail of each of them. Beware of private interpretations on any Bible
subject or topic. I do not know one single organization which claims to be
“Christian” and not asking for donation. There are now many secular
organizations in the name of “non-profit” boldly and brazenly and openly
ask for donation. It is our policy to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ
absolutely free. For many years we do not want your donation. We only
want you to know the truth. Just watch out for “the truth” they ask you to
pay for it.
Someone lists 8 fundamental values, namely: grace, hope, faith, justice,
love, joy, service, peace with definitions which I do not think to be Christian and certainly do not recommend them. They are more like social values rather than Christian values. I hold the Christian values (1 Cor. Chapter 13) of Faith, Hope, and Love cover many good things. Christians are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. There are people who think not only we are saved by faith, we are also saved by hope and saved by love. Beware of private interpretations of any Bible subject or topic. 2Pe 1:20, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation.” You know some infamous preachers even made the Holy Bible according to their version and merchandise them for profit.Christians are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not possible to have faith without grace. It is impossible to have Hope without joy. It is impossible for the Apostle to sing at midnight in jail after badly physically abused and not having Hope. It is impossible to have Love and not labor and serve for those who are in need. It is impossible for having Love and practice unrighteousness and injustice. It is impossible for any believer who has Faith, Hope, and Love to be a warmonger and practice lying, killing, robbing, sanctioning and spying and abusing human rights. A social gospel is not the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Watch out the various lists of values and virtues. They may not mean the
same thing to you. Read the definition of each item may reveal the truth to
you. Remember, to use the Word of God to measure and test every theory,
teaching, and opinion of man. It is not old heathen conception of virtues for moral goodness. Virtues involve hearts and minds in Christ.
Job 28:19-28, “The topaz of Cush cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold. Where then does wisdom come from? And where is this place of understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of every living creature, and concealed from the birds of the sky. Abaddon and Death say, With our ears we have heard a report of it.’ God understands its way, and He knows its place. For He looks to the ends of the earth; He sees everything under the Heavens when He imparted weight to the wind, and assessed the waters by measure. When He made a limit for the rain, and a course for the thunderbolt. Then He saw it and declared it; He established it and also searched it out. And to mankind He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
What is value then? Job in a most interesting way raises the question where wisdom can be found, and maintains that mankind does not know the value of wisdom. Value in Hebrew is ʿēreḵ which means estimation; price; valuation; order; assessment; – which occurs 33 times in the Old Testament.
The value of a thing can be so great and so high that mankind does not
know its value, such as wisdom. It takes wisdom to know the difference
between value and virtue. Someone has well said, “God grant me the
serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” Often we do not know the difference from one thing to another.
IF YOU EQUATE YOUR VALUES AND WAY OF LIFE AS THE WAY OF GOD,
YOU BECOME SUPREMACISTS AND PRACTICE IMPERIALISM,
COLONIALISM, CAPITALISM, MILITARISM AND RULE THE WORLD OVER
OTHER RACES WITH A SENSE OF RACIAL SUPERIORITY AND RELIGIOUS SANCTITY. THIS IS WHAT HAVE BECOME WESTERN CIVILIZATION AND HOW WESTERN SUPREMACISTS CAME ABOUT. It appears all the more wicked because Western supremacists use God to justify their historical evil deeds and atrocities. The most significant moral characteristic of the West is its hypocrisy even to these days.
IV. CHRISTIAN VIRTUES
Wisdom originates from God. Wisdom, knowledge and understanding are
related, although wisdom is higher than knowledge and understanding. So
a person of the world does not and cannot have Christians virtues. To have Christian virtues, you need first to become a Christian. A good tree bears good fruits.
Pro 8:12, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.”
Wisdom dwells with prudence.
The Christian values separate Christians from all other faiths or religions.
Christians collectively share the same Faith, Hope, and Love in Christ.
People of other faiths or religions do not have anything in common with
Christians, therefore Christians cannot have fellowship with people of other faiths or religions. A philosopher was mistaken when he said, “Man is the measure of all things.” Men and their words will pass away, but the Words of Jesus will never pass away. We use the Word of God to test and measure all things; we do not and cannot use anything or anyone to test and measure the Word of God.
The Christians values are universal values among Christians but not
universal in the world. Christian values are not considered values by
worldly people or peoples of other faiths. The Christian values of Faith,
Hope and Love are set by God, they are not compatible or just the opposite of the worldly vales of money, power and sex.
I met a man who claimed his Los Angeles Church was the only church in
Los Angeles, all others were not churches at all. When any man or
organizations claim to have monopoly of God on their side, they become
religious fanaticism. There is a religion that claims their god is great, and
so they practice killing people of other faiths. Even though we know that
our God is the only True God, Christians cannot lie or kill or rob other
peoples. The nature of the devil is to lie and kill. It is not the nature of
Christians to lie, to kill and to rob.
Phl 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is
honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellent and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus must think about virtues. Virtue is
whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, whatever is excellent, and whatever is worthy of praise. On the other hand, whatever is not true, whatever is not honorable, whatever is not right, whatever is not pure, whatever is not lovely, whatever is not commendable, whatever is not excellent, whatever is not praiseworthy, — they can never be virtue. Virtue is a moral excellence or a moral quality. Baruch Spinoza was right, “All things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.”
Virtue is not a tendency, it is more a fixed set pattern of behavior. Virtue is
not a settled habit of mind. Virtue is more a mature response to a situation.
Virtue does not provide judgment, rather virtue discerns what is good and
right to do. One’s virtues reflect the moral character of the person and who
he is really.
You do not to regulate virtues, virtues that need to be regulated are not
virtues at all. You have to regulate spending, for spending is not virtue. You have to regulate politicking, for politicking is not a virtue. You have to
regulate business, for business is not a virtue. In fact, the evil of capitalism is compounded by unregulated business practices. For example, monopoly runs amok because the government fails to do its duty in regulating trust.
Where monopolies prevail, the government is corrupted. In a bad society, a monopolist becomes the richest man and respected.
Significantly, virtue has such a broad definition. Virtue is whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, what is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable, whatever is excellent, whatever is praise-worthy.
We are told to think about these things. Thinking about virtues help a
person to become virtuous. On the other hand, whatever is not true, not
honorable, not right, not pure, not lovely, not commendable, not excellent,
not praiseworthy — can never become a virtue. It is time to identify the
Christian virtues.
2Pe 1:5-10, “Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your
faith add virtue, and in your virtue, knowledge, and in your knowledge,
self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your
perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in
your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are
increasing, they do not make you useless nor unproductive in the true
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the one who lacks these qualities
is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former
sins. Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make
certain about His calling and choice of you; for as long as you practice
these things, you will never stumble.” Christians need to practice faith,
virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love so that they never stumble. Those who practice the Christian virtues will never fall or fail. Those who do not have the Christian virtues will fall into misery.
Laozi said something remarkable, “To become learned, each day add
something. To become enlightened, each day drop something.” To have
Christian virtues, each day we need to add something. To become virtuous, Christians each day need to drop some vices or some bad habits.
Virtue in Greek is aretē which means moral goodness; praise; moral
excellence; manliness; valor (excellence intrinsic or attributed); excellent
moral quality; morality; merit; value; – which occurs 5 time in the New
Testament. Virtues are excellent moral qualities. It is time to identify and
understand the Christian virtues.
Diligence has the meaning of earnestness, with haste. Christians are told to add on virtue to faith …. with haste. It is a Christian virtue to add on
something good each day in your life and practice.
Gal 5:22, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness.”
Do you know the fruit of the Spirit is … joy. Do you know joy is greater and
higher that happiness?
Eph 5:9, “(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness, righteousness,
and truth),” Fruit in Greek is karpos which means fruit of the tree; originates or comes from something; work; effect; result; act; deed; product; – which occurs 66 times in the New Testament. Fruit is not virtue, and virtue is not fruit. If virtue were fruit, God would have said so. If we understand fruit to be a product, we may better understand the fruit of the Spirit is the product of the Spirit. The fruit of the Light is the product of the Light, and so on. You can never find a man who is walking in darkness has goodness, righteousness, and truth.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches and practices a false doctrine of piety
contrary to the teaching of the Bible, and produced a serial of related false
teaching such as asceticism, monasticism, celibacy, the holy sacrifice of
the mass, etc. We are not here to correct the errors of Roman Catholicism.
Please read:
Heb 2:4, “God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”
The Roman Catholic Catechism defines the meaning of these seven gifts:
“The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel,
Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. It is not that they are bad gifts. From the Old Testament we learn the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. However, these seven gifts of the Holy Spirit were taught by Bonaventure, not by the Scripture. Christians call virtue, fruit, and gift as the Word of God says so. We call the “fruit of the Spirit” as it is written. Christians reject the private interpretation of the Scriptures no matter by whom.
Gal 5:22-25, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.”
What the Roman Catholicism teaches are different from the New Testament that reveals specific gifts to the Church.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit are found in 1 Corinthians 12:
1Co12:1-11, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers
and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that
when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit and there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”
According to the Scriptures cited above, we can identify the spiritual gifts:
Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Distinguishing of
spirits, Tongues, Interpretation of tongues — the nine spiritual gifts. They are quite contrary to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. And do not confuse the words of man with the Word of God. My friend, do not waste your time and effort to learn about the teachings of man. In the knowledge of the Bible, the words of men have no value.
Concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ, this is how it is
organized and ranked. Do not be confused, there is no pope and cardinals,
Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church who is above all.
1Co 12:27-31, “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. And
God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third
teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and
various kinds of tongues. All are apostles, are they? All are not prophets,
are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with
tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the
greater gifts. And yet, I am going to show you a far better way.”
Under Jesus Christ, First Apostles, Second Prophets, Third Teachers, then
Miracles Workers, Healers, Helpers, Administrators, Speakers in Tongues.
Clearly there are twelve Apostles, no new apostles. Outside the Twelve
(Judas was replaced by Paul) Apostles, all who claim to be are false
apostles. I have known preachers all over the world, I have never met a
Prophet. In the New Testament a servant of Christ who is gifted in preaching the Word or a powerful spokesman of God may be called a Prophet. In the eyes of many, Miracle worker, Healer, and Speaker in tongues may rank very high, but according to the Scripture, Bible Teacher outranks them all, except the Apostles and Prophets.
Among the Christian virtues identified in 2Pe 1:5-10,
1. FAITH
We already know that Faith is a Christian value, we now know that Faith is
also a Christian virtue. Faith is to take hold of the Word of God, have faith in God and do not doubt in one’s heart. Our faith is not contingent on
Augustine, Calvin (a false teacher), Mary, the apostles, pope, or anyone. Our faith is in God and in Jesus Christ. Doubt is dishonoring God, doubt is not a virtue. The correct attitude is like this: Mar 9:24, “Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” We must cry out from our hearts, “Lord, I do believe; help my unbelief.”
Faith in Greek is pistis which means belief; moral conviction of the truth;
trust; confidence in God or in Christ; faithfulness; fidelity; reliance upon
Christ for salvation; the system of Gospel truth itself; the religious belief of Christians; the substance of Christian faith; – which occurs 244 times in the New Testament. There is a difference between faith and the faith. Please read https://williewongthought.hpage.com/faith-and-the-faith.html
Faith has at least two meanings. One is to WHOM you and I believe or trust.
Mar 11:22, “And Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God.”
Jhn 14:1, “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in
Me.”
Jhn 3:18, “The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does
not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the
name of the only Son of God.” Eph 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” This is the first meaning of faith, faith in God, believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God who died for our sins and rose again from the dead. Act 20:21, “solemnly testifying, to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The second meaning of faith. 1Co 16:13, “Be on the alert, stand firm in the
Faith, act like men, be strong.” The Faith means the body of beliefs we all
Christians of all generations accept. The first meaning of faith is in WHOM
we believe. The second meaning of faith is in WHAT we believe. Christians
believe the Holy Bible is the Word of God, infallible, supreme, absolute,
ultimate, and eternal. We believe God created the universe and mankind. We believe God sent His Son Jesus Christ from Heaven down to earth to save mankind. We believe the Church is the Body of Christ. We believe Jesus Christ rose from the dead to justify believers. We believe Jesus Christ ascended to the highest Heaven and sat on the right hand of God. We believe in the Holy Spirit who lives inside believers and leads us to all truths. We believe Jesus Christ is coming again to reign with the saints for
eternity in the Paradise of God.
You cannot say you believe in God and yet practice lying, killing, robbing,
sanctioning, oppressing, spying, attacking, threatening, and committing
terrorist acts because that is contrary to the Faith.
2Co 13:5, “Test yourselves to see if you are in the Faith; examine
yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus
Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test.”
From time to time, Christians need to test themselves to see if they are in
the Faith. Through the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ is in believers. Do not be led astray by prosperity gospel, false prophets and false teachers.
Gal 3:23, “But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the Law,
being confined for the Faith that was destined to be revealed.”
The Old Testament was kept under the Law, the New Testament is the Faith
which was revealed through Jesus Christ. Christianity is the Revealed
religion, all others are man-made religions. There are two types of truth, the verified truth and the Revealed truth. Human and scientific truth must be verified. The Revealed truth is the truth of Jesus Christ which science and philosophy cannot reach.
Eph 4:13, “until we all attain to the unity of the Faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”
There cannot be the unity of the Faith without the knowledge of the Son of
God. Therefore Christians cannot be unified with the one-world religion. A
mature Christian has attained the unity of the Faith which belongs to the
fullness of Christ. The knowledge of the Son of God unifies all believers in
the Faith. Denominations divide the Church. There is a Satanic working that attempts organic unity of all Christian churches. We do not bow to anyone but Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church, not the Roman Catholic pope. Liberalism or Modernism also attempts to divide the Church through false doctrines and heresies. Christians can never have organic unity with all other religions because our Faith centers on One Lord, One Faith.
1Ti 4:6, “In pointing out these things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the Words of the Faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following.”
Christians are supposed to be constantly nourished on the Words of the
Faith and of the good doctrine which the Apostles had been following and
teaching. Christians must never go astray from the Faith. Believers must
be sound in the Faith. There is no compromise about the Faith.
What are Christians have to do with the Faith?
Heb 12:2, “looking only at Jesus, the Originator and Perfecter of the Faith,
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Firstly, we are looking only at Jesus, and no other. Jesus is the Originator
and Perfecter of the Faith.
1Ti 6:12, “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which
you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the
presence of many witnesses.”
Secondly, Fight the good fight of faith. Christians were called to take hold
of the eternal life.
Jde 1:3, “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our
common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you
contend earnestly for the Faith that was once for all time handed down to
the saints.”
Thirdly, all believers sanctified by the precious blood of Jesus and the Holy Spirit are saints on earth. Christians must contend earnestly for the most holy Faith. It means we must struggle and fight to give the reason of our Faith. The meaning of faith also must include faithfulness.
3Jo 1:3, “It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified
about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.”
Christians must also have faithfulness to the truth in Christ.
2。 Virtue
Wisdom originates from God. Wisdom, knowledge and understanding are
related, although wisdom is higher than knowledge and understanding. It
requires wisdom to know the Christian virtues.
Pro 8:12, “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and
discretion.”
Wisdom dwells with prudence. Wisdom recognizes virtue is moral
goodness or moral excellence. God does not judge the collective behavior
of humanity, every person is held responsible for his own individuality. As
Isaac Watts had put it, “Vice and virtue chiefly imply the relation of our
actions to men in this world; sin and holiness rather imply their relation to
God and the other world.”
If we understand that virtue is a moral excellent quality, then we must agree with Aristotle who said, “Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” For example, we need to apply diligence as a habit in all things we do. We cannot be diligent only in one act. We have to develop diligence as a way of doing things, as a way of life. We need to develop a habit of getting up early in the morning. We need to develop a habit on going to work on time. We need to develop a habit of finishing what we are doing. We need to develop a habit of cleanliness. We need to develop a habit of thrift and hard work. We need to practice the Protestant ethics as a way of life. Bad habits are enemies of virtue. Drinking and smoking are bad habits. Laziness is a bad habit. Sloppiness is a bad habit. Lack of organization is a bad habit. Quick criticism is also a bad habit. Borrowing is a bad habit. Carelessness is a bad habit. Poor attitude is a bad habit. The more good habits we develop, the more virtuous we can become. Self-reflection or self-examination is a positive habit of self-correcting. Thank God for giving me a gift for every sermon I deliver I will go through a process to check on what I was saying may be proper or not. We can agree with Soren Kierkegaard, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” It was Confucius who said, “Men’s natures are alike; it is their habits that separate them.”
Habits separate a virtuous man from a not virtuous. Then, how important it
is to develop good habits. Lao Tzi has something interesting, “Watch your
thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become
character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.”
How to develop virtue which is moral excellence, and anything excellent is
both difficult and rare. I believe Lao Tzi had the right idea, secularly
speaking, “Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great
things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with
a single step.” Many a mickle makes a muckle. A great forest is set aflame
by a small fire. Therefore, do not despise small things.
Pro 30:24-28, “Four things are small on the earth, but they are exceedingly
wise. The ants are not a strong people, but they prepare their food in the
summer. The rock hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their
houses in the rocks. The locusts have no king, yet all of them go out in
ranks. The lizard you may grasp with the hands, yet it is in kings’ palaces.”
I agree with Marcus Aurelius who said, “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.” After dialog with Biden, the great leader of Russia, Putin said, “There is no happiness in life. There is only a mirage on the horizon, so we will cherish that.” I do not know about cherishing a mirage just as I cannot cherish a lie. When the leader of the sole superpower entertains the unsuitable notions of world domination, absolute military supremacy, how could there be any happiness in life for anyone. It is impossible to have every human being to possess virtue without vice. The world is not a happy place after all.
George Washington was right when he said, “I hope I shall possess
firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable
of all titles, the character of an honest man.” Probably, you can hardly find
men like Washington in American politics today. Most of them want money, power, and sex. Where there is no truth and integrity, you cannot find a honest man.
Someone said, “Too much virtue can be criminal.” I have never met a man
of too much virtues. There are many criminals in the world, not one of them has virtue.
It was Benjamin Franklin who said, “Thirteen virtues necessary for true success: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry,
sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility.” If Franklin were alive in America today, he would find chastity and humility old fashioned. In America today true success is measured only by how much money and power you possess. Benjamin Franklin was a man of worldly success. Humility is a Christian virtue. Jhn 13:12-17, “Then, when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’; and you are correct, for so I am. So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you. Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” For a Christian, the true success is not only knowledge of the Lord, but follow His example and do the will of God. Jesus gave an example of humility. Virtue is neither a shade nor an abstraction, we had better follow Jesus and do these things.
I like what Pythagoras said, “Wealth is a weak anchor, and glory cannot support a man; this is the law of God, that virtue only is firm, and cannot be shaken by a tempest.” The tempest of life is trouble and tribulation. Prosperity is easy, adversity is hard. A virtuous man can stand the tempest. I agree with William Shakespeare, “In struggling with misfortunes lies the true proof of virtue.”
Apparently, most people would agree with Aristotle, “Happiness is
prosperity combined with virtue.” Now what is adversity combined with virtue then? A man who can survive adversity combined with virtue would not have difficulty in surviving prosperity combined with virtue.
Virtue is abstract, but not an abstraction. Epicurus said, “Virtue
consisteth of three parts, —temperance, fortitude, and justice.” Virtue does not change with age. What is virtue to a youth is equally a virtue to a senior citizen. Virtue is its own reward at any age. Daniel Webster said, “A country cannot subsist well without liberty, not liberty without virtue.” The problem of America today is with neither liberty nor virtue. Someone has well said, “Virtue consists, not in abstaining from vice, but in not desiring it.” I also agree with this, “To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.” Jesus Christ says, Jhn 8:12, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” As children of light, Christians do not walk in darkness.
Man never rises by sin, and no man ever falls by virtue either. I agree with Aristotle, “All virtue is summed up in dealing justly.” Those who want “America First” have neither virtue nor dealing justly. Man is not pure, therefore he does not have pure virtue. Someone said, “Virtue alone is sufficient to make a man great, glorious, and happy.” However, a virtuous man may wish to be happy, but he is not so much seeking to be great and glorious. I agree with Alexander Pope, “The difference is too nice – Where ends the virtue or begins the vice.” Virtue and vice do not coexist. Virtues cannot be secret, for the light shines. Lord Chesterfied was right, “Vice, in its true light, is so deformed, that it shocks us at first sight; and would
hardly ever seduce us, if it did not at first wear the mask of some virtue.” Watch out for vicious people who wear the mask of some virtue.
Just like a warmonger covers himself under the pretext of freedom, justice, human rights, and democracy. I also agree with Horace, “The good hate sin because they love virtue.” Jesus Christ says,
Mat 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” The funny followers and preachers of prosperity gospel is their pursuit of wealth. Plutarch was right, “It is the admirer of himself, and not the admirer of virtue, that thinks himself superior to others.” This is how a person becomes a supremacist who thinks himself superior to others. Western supremacists are great admirers of themselves, so much so that they act and think themselves superior to all others. For that reason, they never examine themselves or have self reflection on their past and present. They just take liberty to target and tarnish Russia and China without basis. They use sanctions as if they are corporate executives who use petty cash to benefit themselves.
Virtue is already defined by Phl 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellent and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
Virtue is a moral quality which has a broad and vast signification. For virtue is whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, whatever is excellent, and whatever is praiseworthy. Not only we need to possess and practice virtues, we need to think about virtues. John Ruskin had well said, “Anything which elevates the mind is sublime. Greatness of matter, space, power, virtue or beauty, are all sublime.”
3. Knowledge
We live in a most remarkable age. The world has acquired more knowledge in the last 50 years than in the last 5,000 years. Yet men by science and philosophy could not find the exact knowledge of salvation. Tons of knowledge do not bring happiness and peace in the world.
Science is never a sure knowledge. Science has a lot of buts, ifs, might bes and don’t knows. JACINTA BOWLER writes,
“Earth Has a 27.5-Million-Year ‘Heartbeat’, But We Don’t Know What Causes It. “But if Earth really does have a geologic ‘heartbeat’, it might be due to something a little closer to home.” Science at best is the organized human knowledge at a given time and place, always progressive and tentative, never absolute, infallible, or ultimate. It is always amusing when scientists estimate something or event in the differences of billions and millions of years. Our destiny cannot hang on something that is not certain and sure.
The best wisdom of the world can offer is, “Know thyself.” A philosopher was wrong when he said, “The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.” This is the wisdom of self-centered world. The wisdom from the above says, “Know the Lord.” Only God is perfect in knowledge because God is Omniscient. Unlike man, God’s knowledge is never progressive and tentative. The knowledge of God is absolute, infallible, ultimate, supreme and eternal. God knows everything and the end from the beginning. Nothing surprises God. For God controls time and events.
A philosopher was wrong when said, “Life comes from the earth and life returns to the earth.” Life does not come from the earth, and life does not return to the earth. The body comes from the earth and returns to the earth. The great difference between an earthly man and a spiritual man is this: An earthly man thinks of earthly things; a spiritual man think of things above.
A philosopher said, “The world is divided into men who have wit and no religion and men who have religion and no wit.” The philosopher may be half right if he thought of those who have religion with superstitions. Poor thing, the pagan philosopher did not know what Christians know:
1Jo 5:19-21, “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”
Knowledge in Greek is gnōsis which means science; general intelligence; moral wisdom; understanding of what is what; objective understanding; apprehending truth or fact through cognition; – which occurs 29 times in the New Testament.
Psa 92:6, “A stupid person has no knowledge,
Nor does a foolish person understand this.”
A Christian is not a stupid person. A stupid person is devoid of knowledge. Ignorance is no virtue.
Pro 1:7, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
Fools hate knowledge. By human efforts and wisdom, no man can discover the knowledge of God. Rom 11:33, “Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways.”
Knowledge is part of the process of Christians growing in grace. 2Co 4:6, “For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
Christians are no longer blind because God has shone in our hearts. The Light of life gives believers the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Eph 1:17, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”
Christians have the Spirit of Christ in them. Jesus Christ came to the world to reveal the Father. By the revelation of Jesus Christ we have the knowledge of God. Christianity is the Revealed religion, the knowledge of God and the truth of Christ cannot be found in any other religion. All believers have the unity of faith and the knowledge of His Son Jesus Christ. Christians have received the knowledge of the truth.
Col 1:10, “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
The knowledge of Christians can be increased just as we can grow in grace of our Lord.
A philosopher said, “All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.” The philosopher was wrong, there is Revealed Knowledge higher and beyond the senses. No one can by his senses and wisdom to discover God. Science cannot know and find God, for God is Spirit. Our senses and science cannot study and know that which is invisible, supernatural, supreme, ultimate and eternal. Jesus Christ came down to earth from Heaven to reveal God; He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Revelation of Jesus Christ is higher than reason. The Truth of Christ is greater and higher than reason.
According to John C. Lefgren and John P. Pratt :·
“Scientists Confuse Theory with Truth
When a theory proves extremely successful in predicting observations, even scientists forget that they are supposed to be ready to discard the theory objectively and without regret when it fails. This is probably because they have come to believe their theory is actually “true” rather than just a successful model. The big steps in science have been taken by those bold enough to believe the observations rather than the theories. In astronomy, for example, Kepler believed the observations of Tycho which showed that the planets move in elliptical orbits around the sun, rather than perfect circles as Copernicus had postulated. Kepler’s bold step resulted in what are now known as Kepler’s laws.”
According to The Limits of Science by Ronald W. Dworkin “Even the most perfect concepts in the hard sciences are unreal. For example, Newton’s concept of absolute motion yielded a mathematical formula for planetary movement under certain conditions. Yet that mathematical formula does not deal with actual facts; it deals with a mental supposition, that there is one body moving alone in absolute space — a case that has never occurred and can never occur. The path it predicts is unreal. True, the formula is very accurate, and it lets scientists predict celestial events, but previous formulas also foretold astronomical events with some accuracy. Newton’s formula based on absolute motion is a more convenient fiction than prior formulas, but no less a fiction.”
The Word of God is the exact truth of Christ as revealed by God. Luk 1:4, “so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.”
Science is never the exact truth. Science is always progressive, tentative, and never absolute or ultimate. Secular knowledge makes people puffed up, spiritual knowledge makes Christians humble. Why?
1Co 13:9-12, “For we know in part and prophesy in part but when the Perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.” The Holy Bible gives Christians something in advance: When Jesus Christ returns and Christian will see Him face to face, and then we will have full knowledge.
Isa 11:9, “They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.”
The above cited Scripture seems to refer to the 1,000 year peaceful reign of Jesus Christ on earth.
How to grow in grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ? By studying the Word of Truth carefully, praying in the Spirit earnestly, and practicing the Christian values and virtues sincerely.
Do you know scientific knowledge, technical knowledge, Wall Street finance knowledge, medical knowledge and all human knowledge someday will pass away and there will be no use for them? Don’t be surprised even faith and spiritual knowledge will pass away. When Christians face God face to face, there is no need to believe anymore. When the blessed hope is realized in the Kingdom of Heaven, you do not hope for what you already have and see.
1Co 13:12, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.”
1Jo 3:2, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
The Scriptures cited above give us an advanced wonderful knowledge no scientists or philosophers can dream of.
4. Self-Control
The wisdom of the world advocates self-will, self-seeking, self-serving, self-exaltation, self-indulgence, self-advancement, self-promotion, self-glorification, and self-love. The wisdom from above admonishes self-denial, self-discipline and self-control. Self-control in Greek is egkrateia which means temperance; the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, esp. his sensual appetites (Strong’s Concordance); continence; self-discipline; – which occurs 4 times in the New Testament.
Confucius said, “A man who has committed a mistake and does not correct it is committing another mistake.” Self-control is correcting your every mistake. What is good about self-control? At lease this benefit. 1Co 9:25-27, “Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. So they do it to obtain a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way as not to run aimlessly; I box in such a way, as to avoid hitting air but I strictly discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”
Do you know life is a game? You need to strictly discipline yourself if you run to achieve something.
Confucius said, “When anger rises, think of the consequences.” To implement self-control, think of the consequences in whatever you do. For every action has consequences. Self-control acts as a check, so that whatever you do, do not cause yourself or others harm.
5. Perseverance
Perseverance in Greek is hypomonē which means patience; patient continuance; steadfastness; constancy; sustaining; cheerful or hopeful endurance; forbearance; sufferance; – which occurs 32 times in the New Testament. In Chinese language, the word “patience” has a knife in the heart. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was right, “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”
Albert Einstein had well said, “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” To give up is to fail. Almost all who succeeded had perseverance and never give up. In the face of adversity, perseverance is a useful virtue. The inventor of the light bulb failed many times but he did not give up. So Thomas Edison said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Do you know Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected in his incandescent electric light bulb? Another person who had learned something in life, Henry Ford said, “Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” Life experiences should teach us to act more intelligently.
Jas 5:10-11, “As an example, brothers and sisters, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”
If you have not read the Book of Job, do it now. Christians are not easy to live in this evil world, we need to be patient and strengthen our hearts. It seems that Confucius had the wisdom when he said, “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” A man who cannot be stopped by anything is stronger than a fortified city. I like Benjamin Disraeli who said, “Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.”
When in philosophy, Ralph Waldo Emerson was usually right, who said, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Except Jesus Christ, no one who ever lived in this world and never falling. It is not so much about glory, it is sure a virtue for a fallen man to rise again.
Pro 24:16, “For a righteous person falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in time of disaster.”
If you are a Christian, you have to learn to rise again even you have fallen seven times. It is a virtue for a fallen person to rise again.
As I said before, Ralph Waldo Emerson was usually right when he spoke of philosophy; but he was wrong when he spoke about spiritual matters. He said, “Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.” If that be the case, you can save yourself. First, there is no peace on earth.
Jhn 14:27, “Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.” Secondly, only Jesus Christ who rose from the dead has overcome the world. No one can save himself, even Ralph Waldo Emerson could not save himself.
Jhn 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”
We Christians take courage, because Jesus Christ is the Victor who has overcome the world. Our Lord and Savior has overcome the world.
6. Godliness
Godliness in Greek is eusebeia which means holiness; piety towards God; respect; reverence; saintliness; piousness; – which occurs 15 times in the New Testament. Godliness is the quality like God, the most holy virtue. It is well said, Cleanliness is next to godliness.
The Roman Catholic Church teaches and practices a false doctrine of piety contrary to the teaching of the Bible, and produced a series of related false teaching of asceticism, monasticism, celibacy, the holy sacrifice of the mass, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc. We reject the teachings of any man or institution. We are not here to correct the errors of Roman Catholicism. Please read:
According to the Roman Catholic Church:
“The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. “
Protestant churches do not teach the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit as found in the Roman Catholic Catechism. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit, His filling and indwelling of the believer bringing forth the “fruit of the Spirit.”
This fruit of the Spirit is evident product from a life in which the Spirit of God is living and directing. The fruit of the Spirit, as listed in Galatians 5, is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The fruit of the Spirit composes of nine virtues. When the Bible calls fruit, we call fruit. When the Bible calls gifts, we call gifts. When the Bible calls virtues, we call virtues. God is not the author of confusion.
We do not confuse the Word of God with the words of men.
What the Catholic teaches are different from the New Testament that reveals specific gifts to the Church. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit was taught by Bonaventure, not by the Scripture.
Heb 2:4, “God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders, and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.”
The Roman Catholic Catechism defines the meaning of these seven gifts:
“The Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.” It is not that they are bad gifts. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit were taught by Bonaventure, not by the Scripture. Christians call virtue, fruit, and gift as the Word of God says so. We call the “fruit of the Spirit” as it is written. Christians reject the private interpretation of the Scriptures no matter by whom.
Gal 5:22-25, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.”
What the Word of God says of the fruit of the Spirit is composed of nine virtues. What the Roman Catholicism teaches are different from the New Testament that reveals specific gifts to the Church.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit are found in 1 Corinthians 12:
1Co12:1-11,“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters,
I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “JESUS is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”
According to the Scriptures, we can identify the spiritual gifts: Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Distinguishing of spirits, Tongues, Interpretation of tongues — the nine spiritual gifts. They are quite contrary to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. And do not confuse the words of man with the Word of God. My friend, do not waste your time and effort to learn about the teachings of man.
Concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ, this is how it is organized and ranked. Do not be confused, there is no pope and cardinals, Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church who is above all.
1Co 12:27-31, “Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it. And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets,
third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps,
administrations, and various kinds of tongues. All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And yet, I am going to show you a far better way.”
Under Jesus Christ, First Apostles, Second Prophets, Third Teachers, then Miracles Workers, Healers, Helpers, Administrators, Speakers in Tongues. Clearly there are twelve Apostles, no new apostles. Outside the Twelve (Judas was replaced by Paul) Apostles, all who claim to be are false apostles. I have known preachers all over the world, but I have never met a Prophet. In the New Testament a servant of Christ who is gifted in preaching the Word or a powerful spokesman of God may be called a Prophet. I cannot honestly identify a New Testament prophet in my lifetime. In the eyes of many, Miracle worker, Healer, and Speaker in tongues may rank very high, but according to the Scripture, Bible Teacher outranks them all.
1Ti 4:8, “for bodily training is just slightly beneficial, but godliness is beneficial for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
There is no virtue like godliness because it is beneficial for all things; it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Christians need to discipline ourselves for the purpose of godliness. Christians are to conform to the doctrines of godliness. False preachers use godliness as a means of gain. I often wonder why quite a few men who use preaching of the Gospel to get rich. Western leaders and politicians take pleasure to hold to a form of godliness as they propagandize justice, freedom, democracy, human rights, etc. that they themselves never practice.
Christians ought to be in holy conduct and godliness.
2Pe 1:3-4, “for His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue. Through these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world on account of lust.” Corruption and lust are contrary to godliness. Corruption and lust are characterized by the present world.
A man was so wrong that he said, “All thinking men are atheists.” Consequently, he killed himself. Apparently, his thinking could not save himself.
Psa 4:3, “But know that the Lord has set apart the godly person for Himself; the LORD hears when I call to Him.”
Christians are godly persons for the Lord. The godly ones rejoice in what is good. The godly ones sing praise to the Lord for He answers prayers.
Psa 37:28, “For the LORD loves justice
And does not abandon His godly ones; they are protected forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be eliminated.”
This is a precious promise of the Lord to His godly ones. The Lord does not abandon His godly ones. They are protected forever. This divine promise is better than the nuclear umbrella.
Jhn 11:25-26, “Jesus said to her, “I AM the Resurrection and the Life; the one who believes in Me will live, even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
The lives of the godly ones are with Christ hidden in God.
Jhn 10:28-29, “and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
Thus Christians have eternal security, upon the Word of Jesus, they will never perish.
There is another promise for the godly.
2Pe 2:9, “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.”
Jealousy is usually bad, but godly jealousy is good.
2Co 11:2, “For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.”
Spiritually speaking, Christians are as a pure virgin betrothed to one Husband Jesus Christ.
How should a Christian live in this world? Live godly.
2Ti 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
There are three adverbs that describe how Christians live in this present age: live sensibly, righteously and godly.
Tit 2:12, “instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.” In order to live sensibly, righteously and godly in this present age, Christians need to deny ungodliness. You will do well if you live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age. Western leaders and politicians live just as the opposite how Christians should live. There are no sense, no righteousness, and no godliness in them.
Some liberal theologian said, “Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved
in a lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.” Absolutely wrong.
Someone said, “Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we are saved by love.” Absolutely wrong.
Jhn 19:28-30, “After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”
Well, you say. That is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, so He can accomplish the task of redemption alone. Now look at a man, of the same nature as we are.
Act 14:9-15, “This man was listening to Paul as he spoke. Paul looked at him intently and saw that he had faith to be made well and he said with a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet!” And the man leaped up and began to walk. When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they raised their voice, saying in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have become like men and have come down to us!” And they began calling Barnabas, Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, since he was the chief speaker. Moreover, the priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates, and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds. But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard about it, they tore their robes and rushed out into the crowd, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men, of the same nature as you, preaching the Gospel to you, to turn from these useless things to a living God, who MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA, AND EVERYTHING THAT IS IN THEM.”
Near the end of his departure, Paul said, 2Ti 4:6-8, “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
Well, you say, the mighty Apostle Paul of course he could finish the course.
Now look at an ordinary woman. Mat 26:6-13, “Now when Jesus was in
Bethany, at the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very expensive perfume, and she poured it on His head as He was reclining at the table. But the disciples were indignant when they
saw this, and said, “Why this waste? For this perfume could have been sold for a high price and the money given to the poor.”
But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why are you bothering the woman? For she has done a good deed for Me. For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me. For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did it to prepare Me for burial. Truly I say to you, wherever this Gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told in memory of her.”
You say, it is too late because Jesus had ascended to Heaven, He is no longer on earth. What a good deed we can do for Him?
Wrong again. For Jesus says, Mat 25:40, “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least
of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’
If you do a good deed for the least of Christian brothers and sisters, you do it for Jesus. So whatever virtuous thing you do for Jesus, it can be accomplished alone; you can accomplish in your lifetime.
Some 500 years ago, the words of Martin Luther still reverberate in my mind, “Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise.” This was one man alone who stood firm in the faith and challenged the mighty Roman Empire, and the powerful Roman Catholic Church. In my opinion, Martin Luther, outside the Bible, was the greatest man ever lived in history. Do not confuse Martin Luther with an immoral political preacher who took his name and preached a false gospel.
7. Brotherly kindness
I am inclined to think “brotherly kindness” refers to the general and generous kindness toward Christian brothers and sisters, in other words,
the members of the household of God. Brotherly kindness in Greek is philadelphia which means brotherly love; love of the brethren; fraternal affection; benevolence; – which occurs 6 times in the New Testament.
“Whenever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for a kindness,” said Lucius Annaeus Seneca. It is true, if you are inclined and want to do some kindness, there are plenty of opportunities.
Gun violence is characteristic of American society and contrary to brotherly kindness. According to https://everytownresearch.org/report/gun-violence-in-america/: “Gun Deaths by Intent, Average Deaths per Year 1 Total 38,826. The US gun homicide rate is 25 times that of other high-income countries.”
According to https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/gun-violence-america:
“February 26, 2019. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 467,321 persons were victims of a crime committed with a firearm in 2011.[1] In the same year, data collected by the FBI show that firearms were used in 68 percent of murders, 41 percent of robbery offenses and 21
percent of aggravated assaults nationwide.[2]”
Guns violence is a thousand times worse than abuses of human rights. Because these are abuses of human lives. American leaders and politicians are directly responsible for this carnage and slaughter in America. For a number of years, they have practically done nothing. Because they have been bought and controlled by the gun lobby, and National Riffle Association (NRA). They should have outlawed manufacture, sale, and possession of guns. Anyone who commits a murder with gun should automatically be sentenced to death penalty without appeal.
Years ago I was in Scandinavia. I asked a 12-year old Danish girl if she would like to go to America. Her emphatic no answer puzzled me. I asked her for a reason. She said, she did not want to be shot dead. Today is much worse than 45 years ago. The chances of Americans being shot dead is much much higher now than ever.
Brotherly kindness is the opposite of gun violence. Brotherly kindness is the opposite of aggression. Brotherly kindness is the opposite of sanction. Brotherly kindness is the opposite of oppression. Brotherly kindness is the opposite of dictatorship. Brotherly kindness is the opposite of domination. Brotherly kindness is the opposite of destruction. John Wesley said something most incredible, “Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”
Do you know little children have the innate ability to recognize a person who is kind or not. They avoid bad people. Mother Teresa said something good, “Spread love everywhere you go: First of all in your own houses…kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness. “ You can know what kind of a supervisor he or she is by just looking.
Do you know a man who has a very beautiful wife is in great danger? Thousands of years ago it was so, and it is so even nowadays. This was a historical fact: Gen 20:11-14, “Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife. Besides, she actually is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not
the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father’s house, that I said to her, “This is the kindness which you will show to me: everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.” Abimelech then took sheep and oxen and male and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned his wife Sarah to him.”
Here is another historical fact. Jonathan and David were very good friends. When David became king, he was looking to show kindness to the survival
of the former king Saul.
2Sa 9:6-7, “Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” Then David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will assuredly show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you yourself shall eat at my table regularly.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons.
However, the best brotherly kindness is not to give to your relatives and friends, but to strangers. Once I was in Oslo, Norway. I showed the address to a Norwegian young man who happened to be there. We were strangers. I asked if he knew the place. He said he knew and he also volunteered to take me there because lest I would get lost. Based on experience and observation, I concluded Norwegians are the most civilized people in the world. A person is civilized not because the way he treats his friends and relatives, but the nice way he treats strangers.
In comparison, this was a sad but true story. A Swedish girl came to see America, she thought of saving some money by hitchhiking from San Francisco to Los Angeles, as many Scandinavian boys and girls do all the time in their country. The Swedish girl was killed and her father came to Los Angeles to pick up her dead body. A white American girl told me when she arrived at Detroit the first time, many blacks acted they wanted to eat her up.
Try the black taxi driver in Washington, D.C. to verify what I said.
In America, if a stranger acted familiar and approached you, that signals a great danger is going to happen to you. Consequently, it is a very bad cultural phenomenon, you cannot talk to American children who do not
know you because they were taught not to speak with strangers. They are afraid of strangers.
Jesus tells us a very touching story. Luk 10:30-37, “Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by coincidence a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return, I will repay you.’ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” And he said, “The one who showed compassion to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.” If you know Samaritans and Jews had no dealings, this story would be even more meaningful to you.
8. Love
Love in Greek is agapē which means charity; affection; good will; benevolence; brotherly love; an object of endearment; unselfish concern or care; – which occurs 116 times in the New Testament.
Someone said, “Forgiveness is the final form of love.” There is some truth
in it. But Jesus says, “Love your enemies.” This is the highest love. It is
most difficult to love the unlovable, the unworthy.
Mat 5:43-48, “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in Heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do have?
Even the tax collectors, do they not do the same? And if you greet only
your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Even the Gentiles, do they not do the same? Therefore you shall be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.”
It is one thing to forgive your enemy, it is another thing to love him. Jesus the Good Shepherd and the Great Shepherd expects His followers to do “more” and demands His disciples perfection as our Heavenly Father is perfect. So, love is the perfect virtue.
The cross of Christ forever symbolizes a cosmic as well as historic truth. The truth is not so much love conquers the world, but it touches and grieves the heart of God deeply that His Son was slaughtered on earth so that He purchased people for God with His own blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation.
Christianity demands both the love of God and the love of man as fundamental to the true religion. Jesus Christ makes it clear, upon these two commandments “hang the whole Law and the Prophets.” So Christianity is the true religion of love. Those who practice hate, unrighteousness and terrorism are not compatible with the Bible. It is impossible for a Christian to be a warmonger, liar, killer, and robber. For that reason the West (Europe and America) in the last 500 years has practiced a false version of Christianity to this day in terms of imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, supremacism, militarism, monopolism, and world dictatorship and domination.
The Word of God (1 Cor Chapter 13) makes love the greatest of all Christian graces. Whether man’s dealings with God or man’s dealings with man must be based on love. The highest and most perfect kind of love must be reserved toward God. The love of God is the greatest and highest.
Love varies according various relationship. I believe it is wrong and even blasphemous to apply the love of God for any human relationship. Jesus makes it clear, the love of neighbor as second to God. Luk 10:27, “And He answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH,
AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” The best a Christian can do is to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus also says to the world including His disciples, Mat 10:37, “The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” There is no confusion in the Word of God.
What is love then? What is the definition of love?
Merriam Webster defines love as “strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties.” Collins defines love “is the feeling that a person’s happiness is very important to you, and the way you show this feeling in your behavior towards them.” The world describes love has something to do with sex. For that reason, many Americans mistake sex for love. To define “love does no wrong” is not enough. I fact, I do no wrong to a certain race of people, because they are morally the worst and physically the ugliest of humankind, I do not have love for them at all. I hate evil and hypocrisy. However, this is the safest definition for love. 1Jo 4:7, “Beloved, let’s love one another; for love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” Love is from God, hatred is from the devil.
I agree with Ovid, “If you want to be loved, be lovable.” I have met millions of peoples in this world, sad and sorry, most of them are not lovable. The worst are those who are most despicable that I wished I had never known them. I discover, however, a plain person who has virtues can become lovable. The truth that strikes me most and makes me humble is the fact God loves human beings who are not lovable. I also agree with Augustine who said, “Love is the beauty of the soul.” And I think William James is right, “The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude.” If a human can alter his attitude, he may become lovable. Rene Descartes had discovered something, “Conquer yourself rather than the world.” The hardest thing in the world is to conquer yourself. The whole Western civilization is wrong because it wants to conquer the world. Not only the West wants to conquer the world, it wants to conquer the world by force. Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Julius Caesar, Hitler, Genghis Khan, Hideki Tojo, Japanese emperor, Stalin, … all had failed by force. The American nuclear military might will not be able to save itself.
CONCLUSION
Undoubtedly, values are of greatest importance in one’s life. Therefore, Christian values are the principles that a follower or disciple of Jesus Christ holds as important—the principles of life that Jesus taught, the Christian way of life. Christian values don’t change over time. Christians values remain throughout the Christian life.
Virtue is a quality considered morally good or desirable in a person. As the person grows, his virtues may grow and increase.
Evidentially, America, EU, UK, NATO, AUKUS, QUAD, G-7, Australia, Canada, Japan, etc. do not have, and do not practice the Christian values and virtues no matter how they claim or pretend to be.
Gal 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
Note: Fruit in Greek is karpos which means the fruit (literally or figuratively) of the trees; work; act; deed; effect; result; benefit; product; – which occurs 66 times in the New Testament. The Western leaders and politicians do not have the fruit of the Spirit because they have no love, no peace, no kindness, no goodness, no faithfulness, no gentleness, no self-control, therefore also no joy. Anyone who has any dealing with them will find out like President Putin who said, “There is no happiness in life.”
God is not the Author of confusion. If the fruit means virtue, God must have said it. Here the Scripture says, the fruit of the Spirit. Mark you, it is fruit in singular. Virtues are plural, Christians have more than one virtue. To the carnal mind, it may appear confused. For example, love is a Christian value; love is also a part of the fruit of the Spirit. Human mind is so limited that we cannot know the things pertaining to God. Although, it appears, the virtue of patience needs human efforts in cultivation and development. However, when a Christian is filled with the Holy Spirit, he will automatically has many virtues including patience. Humanly speaking, we do not know how much fruit is given by the Holy Spirit, how much is required by human effort. Whatever it is, we give God all the glory.
Eph 5:9, “(for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth).”
Here again, the fruit of the Light is singular. However, the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth. For God is Light, the fruit of the Light has Divine attributes. So the Image of God consists in goodness, righteousness and truth.
There is no need to call the fruit of the Spirit and the fruit of the Light as virtues. And there is no need to call the Christian values of Faith, Hope and Love as theological virtues. No matter what is your theoretical frame on virtue, you may agree that a man without virtue is no better than an animal. Once I watched TV reporting of a child accidentally falling to the cave of gorillas in the zoo. It was surprising that a mother gorilla tenderly protected the little human child from harm by other gorillas. While I am no expert on gorillas, the kindness of the mother gorilla was probably innate. There is no evidence such kindness was nurtured. I do not have wisdom to tell you why one gorilla has kindness, the other has fierceness. By the same token, I cannot tell you why one human is kind while another human is cruel. Gorillas do not go to school for sure. They do not go through ethics training. You watch so many evil doers in this world who habitually lie, kill, and rob without end.
On the other hand, you know historically European and American supremacists have dictated and dominated the world for hundreds of years. Their genocides and historical crimes and atrocities are recorded in history of the world. Today you see the wicked lie, kill, rob, rape, assault, shoot and destroy. On TV once I watched a black young man who forcefully pushed an Asian elderly man from behind that the old man fell on his face and died later. I watched a stout black man stamping and trampling on a small Asian woman while another big black man was watching from the glass door of a store and started closing the glass door. The black man closing the glass door meant he did not want to get involved. I watched several blacks robbing the store of an Asian. I watched a black woman on the street attacked two smaller Asian women. Obviously some people are no better than animals. There is no justice in the world.
The final wisdom of life does not require the achievement of success and superiority within and above it. THE FINAL WISDOM OF LIFE IS SUBMISSIVE TO THE WILL OF GOD AND ACCEPT IT WITH ANONYMITY AND HUMILITY.
Christian values have space-time reality. While on earth Christians need to have Faith, Hope, and Love as constant principle to guide and guard, to live a Christian life. However, in the Kingdom of Heaven, faith and hope will become obsolete. It does not mean faith and hope will become trash. In Heaven, you see the Lord face to face, you do not need faith anymore. In Heaven, the hope of glory has become a reality. You do not need to hope for something which has become a reality. But love is eternal, we love God and His children forever. Heaven is where truth, peace, and love remain forever and ever. But Christian values have nothing to do with Darwinism. There are no external conditions can alter or change the Christian values of faith, hope, and love here on earth. There will be no external conditions, or conditions of life to change the eternal values of truth, peace, joy and love in Heaven. There is no natural selection of the fittest. Everything and everybody in Heaven is fit and perfect for unity and eternity. Darkness, death, devil and evil will not exist anymore.
See https://williewongthought.hpage.com/the-christian-values.html
1 Corinthians Chapter 13 is the Manifesto of Christian Values. The Christian values consist of FAITH, HOPE, and LOVE. Unlike the American values of money, power, and sex which are diametrically opposed to the Christian values.
The difference between a value and a virtue is hairsplitting and difficult to define. For example, love can be called a value as well as a virtue.
Your values are the things that you believe are important in the way you live and work. They help determine what you truly want out of life while simultaneously acting as the test and measure you use to tell if you’re satisfied with your current situation and living in a meaningful way.
Values are more cherished and core qualities of a group less individual. Virtues are more cherished qualities of individual and personal than of a group. The world is possessed and driven by the secularism demonstrated
in the values of money, power, and sex OR pleasure.
I cannot find satisfactory definition of values. So I venture to come up one may sound clumsy but comprehensive. Values are incommensurable and intrinsic ABSTRACT positive qualities inherently of highest importance held and shared collectively AND permanently. Such as the Christian values of faith, hope, and love. Employing this definition, you can evaluate the American values of money, power, and sex and you will conclude they are worldly values. The worldly values are not the true values.
Hypocrisy is the most immoral characteristics of a nation. The hypocrisy of Western nations is the claim and pretense to be Christian nations and at the same time practice unrighteousness and darkness as imperialism, colonialism, capitalism, hegemonism, militarism, and world dictatorship and domination. The nations that committed genocide, except Germany has apologized and made reparations. The worst is the pagan Japan, an unconditional surrendered war crime nation that denies all its genocide, sex slavery, slave labor, and atrocities and refused to pay compensation.
Some liberal theologian said, “Life is a battle between faith and reason in which each feeds upon the other, drawing sustenance from it and destroying it.” Absolutely wrong. For a Christian life is not a battle between faith and reason. Faith takes hold of the Revealed Truth in Christ. Faith does not feed on reason, for the Christian faith is reasonable. Reason is best human intellect or wisdom. By human reason no one can know God. The truth of Christ is beyond reason and science. Because reason and science do not know that which is absolute, infallible and eternal. For a Christian life is a battle between self and Christ, between flesh and spirit. Christians have victory when we submit our will to the will of God.
Although they do not admit it, many unbelieving theologians, philosophers and secularists think they are wiser than God. I never have such a problem. In comparison to the Wisdom of God, I am nothing but a worm or a maggot. However, I am eternally grateful to be a son of the Heavenly Father. I am looking forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ, and reign with the King of kings and the Lord of lords for eternity. Please read https://williewongthought.hpage.com/why-i-am-a-christian.html
You may ask what is the point to know about Christian virtues anyway. If
you an unbeliever, the knowledge may not mean much to you. If you are
real believer, Christian virtues will help you to live godly and righteously
in this world, so that the way you conduct yourself may glorify Jesus Christ.
Jde 1:24-25, “Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with great joy to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen.”
Now you have learned about the Christian Virtues. You can become a Christian in order to have Christian virtues. You become a Christian by repentance to God and faith in Jesus Christ our great God and Savior.
You can do it now.
Willie Wong Thought
Willie Wong
August 13, 2025
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