Add to Your Faith: Virtue

The apostle Paul commands us to add virtue to our faith. In other words, moral excellence.

By Simon Padbury • 2 September 2019 • 12 minutes read

Dear Christian, in your struggle to put off the the sinful deeds of “old man” (that was crucified with Christ) and to put on the new man with the regenerate Christian manner of life (Romans 6; Titus 3:5-6; 1 Peter 1:3; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10), this is where you shall see for yourself, in your own life, the perseverance of a saint.

Total salvation belongs to the Christian, granted by the Triune God alone, though he or she does not receive it all-at-once. Salvation is often described as like a golden chain1 that has its origin in eternity past in the covenant of redemption, and manifests in our lives in our conversion and ongoing sanctification by the Spirit, and culminates in our future glorification and being with our Lord forever in eternity to come, in the new heavens and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness (see Romans 8:29-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Peter 3:13). Whatever pertains to salvation but is yet to come, is promised to Christians, and is sure and inevitable; for God has covenanted himself to give “all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3) to those who are in Christ.

God’s Saving Grace Is at Work in Us

We understand, even as the apostle Paul himself emphasised, that salvation is not about things but about the restoration of our relationship with God. This restoration is done by God alone in the covenant of grace, in both the Old Testament and the New. “Ye are the temple of the living God,” Paul affirms, drawing from numerous places in the Old Testament scriptures; “as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:16-18).

The people of God today are grafted into the one people of God of old—we are saved by the same Messiah, Jesus who saves his people form their sins, and our numbers are being added by Christ to his Church from every tongue, tribe and nation (see Romans 11:12-36; Matthew 1:21; 8:11; 16:18; Galatians 3:13-29; Ephesians 2:11-22; Revelation 7:9-10).

The covenant of grace is established by God with his people in all ages—past, present, and to come—and it is never broken. And for each of the Lord’s people, their salvation begun in the past (Ephesians 1:4; Revelation 13:8), was and is part of their present life (Matthew 11:28; John 1:12; 6:37; Acts 16:4; 1 Peter 1:21), and they have all that God has promised them still coming to them in droves!

With all these truths in his mind, Paul immediately follows what we have in 2 Corinthians 6:16-18 (see above) with this motivation: “Having therefore these [covenantal] promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1).

Seven Marks of Grace

The apostle Peter similarly considers God’s promises a motivation for the godly Christian life. We Christians, through sovereign, irresistible grace “have obtained…precious faith” as a gift from God, even as Peter himself had received and those with him (2 Peter 1:1). And with this faith we receive abundantly multiplying grace and peace as we grow “through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord” (v.2).

This knowledge of our calling “to glory and virtue,” which we are taught by the Holy Spirit as we study the Holy Scriptures, makes us increasingly aware that we are the blessed recipients of the promised “all things that pertain unto life and godliness” through the work of God in our souls (v.3).

Therefore, Peter’s famous list of the marks of grace,2 which he commands Christians to add to their faith, consists of things which true Christians add to their faith.

“And beside this” (v.5), Peter continues with his teaching—seeing that God has given you so much, namely “all things that pertain to life and godliness” by his “divine power” (v.3)—you should now, therefore, “giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity” (vv.5-7).

Here are seven are evidences (or, marks) of God’s grace. As such, they must be gifted to us and worked within us by the Holy Spirit. Before we consider each in turn, let me emphasise this: we should not think that the links in Peter’s list are like degrees, levels or phases in the Christian life. We should seek to “add” all seven, or to improve ourselves by acquiring them, all at the same time. Each requires the growth of the others in order to its own growth.

(1.) Virtue

Firstly, the apostle commands us to add virtue3 to our faith. In other words, moral excellence.

Mankind was originally created by God in God’s own image. This image involved a knowledge of the things of God, righteousness and true holiness (Genesis 1:26-27; Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 4:24). From this state, mankind fell into total depravity. In this fall, our original moral excellence was corrupted—we lost our virtue. Here Peter commands us to add it back; i.e. to manifest moral excellence in our Christian life.

All mankind ought to recognise that God’s moral law defines what is the true moral standard. We should all endeavour to live a life of virtue—as defined by God’s moral law. But fallen human beings tend to rebel against God’s virtue—they would rather keep any moral standard other than the full spiritual, holy, just and good law of God (see Psalms 14:1-3 and Romans 7:12; 8:7). Fallen men scoff at it, despise it, seek to destroy it wherever they find it, and to replace it with their own code of morality—their own definition of what is virtuous.

Where Peter teaches that we must add virtue to our faith, he means that we should not merely believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, but we must repent of our sins and—in place of our old sinful life—endeavour to live a life of moral excellence. Repentance involves turning from our sins with grief and hatred of our sins, and turning to virtue with a real love for God’s moral law.

Yours is not a true faith in Christ if you merely think inwardly that you are a Christian, while you do not repent of your sins and neglect to add of virtue to your faith. If you have a real Christian faith in your heart—that is, if you truly place all your hope and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for your own salvation—then you will increasingly evidence it in a virtuous, morally excellent lifestyle. Thus the apostle Peter sets before you God’s command: “add to your faith virtue.”

Will you fear non-Christians, and flee to a deserted place in order to live away from the influences of men?4 Will you hide away and socialise only with Christians (or, with people who profess to be Christians)? Will you be coldly antisocial toward non-Christian neighbours, colleagues and acquaintances so that they never become aware that you are a Christian from observing the way you live? That kind of “invisible” or “hidden” life is the opposite of that to which Peter, and the Holy Spirit in his words, calls you to live. It’s not patently virtuous.

Dear Christian, show your faith by living as a Christian ought to live. Jesus commands you, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Bear the “fruit of the Spirit” at all times and in all company: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23).

In a word, add virtue to your faith.

Appendix

The Westminster Larger Catechism, Q. 32. (Bolding added)

Q. 32. How is the grace of God manifested in the second covenant [a.k.a. the covenant of grace]?

A. The grace of God is manifested in the second covenant, in that he freely provideth and offereth to sinners a Mediator, and life and salvation by him; and requiring faith as the condition to interest them in him, promiseth and giveth his Holy Spirit to all his elect, to work in them that faith, with all other saving graces; and to enable them unto all holy obedience, as the evidence of the truth of their faith and thankfulness to God, and as the way which he hath appointed them to salvation.

William Ames, The Marrow of Sacred Divinity. Book 2 Chap. 2.

…4. Virtue is an habit whereby the will is inclined to do well…

  1. But it is called an habit, not only because it is had, but also because it maketh the subject [i.e. a particular person] which it is in to have itself in a certain manner [behaviour, lifestyle], that is, it determines the faculty to good, which otherwise is not determined, in which sense this word is found, Hebrews 5:14, “Who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
  2. It is in the will. First, because the will is the proper subject of Theology as it is the proper principle of life, and of moral and spiritual action…
  3. Virtue is said to incline to God. First, that it might be distinguished from a vicious habit whereby men are inclined to evil (Romans 7:17, 20, 23). Second, that it may be distinguished also from those perfections of the mind, which indeed do bring light, whereby the will might direct itself as well-doing, but not incline it to do right…
  4. Moreover virtue is said to incline not only to good, but also to well-doing: because he manner of action doth chiefly flow from virtue.
  5. But as the rule of well-doing, so also of virtue, is the revealed will of God, which only hath the force of a certain rule in those things which pertain to the direction of life.

Thomas Watson, A Body of Divinity. Part V. Chapter 9, Growth in Grace.

True grace is progressive, of a spreading, growing nature. It is with grace, as with the light: First, There is the Crepusculum, or day-break: then it shines brighter to the full meridian. A good Christian is like the crocodile, quamdiu vivit crescit; he hath never done growing. The saints are not only compared to stars for their light, but to trees for their growth (Isaiah 61:3; Hosea 14:5). A good Christian is not like Hezekiah’s sun that went backward, nor Joshua’s sun that stood still, but it is always advancing in holiness, and increasing with the increase of God (Colossians 2:16). Now, to amplify and illustrate this?

Q. 1. How many ways may a Christian be said to grow in grace?

Ans.

  1. He grows vigore, in the exercise of grace; his lamps are burning and shining: therefore we read of a lively hope (1 Peter 1:3). Here is the activity of grace; the church prays for the blowing of the Spirit, that her spices might flow forth (Song of Songs 4:61).

  2. A Christian grows gradu, in the degree of grace; he goes from strength to strength (Psalm 84:7)—viz. from one degree of grace, to another. A saint goes from faith to faith (Rom. 1:17)—and his love abounds more and more (Philippians 1:9). Here is growing in the degree.

Q. 2. What is the right manner of a Christian’s growth?

Ans.

  1. The right manner of growth, is to grow less in one’s own eyes: “I am a worm, and no man” (Psalm 22:6). The sight of corruption and ignorance make a Christian grow into a dislike of himself, he doth vanish in his own eyes. Job abhorred himself in the dust (Job 42:6). This is good to grow out of conceit with one’s self.

  2. The right manner of growth, is to grow proportionably, when a Christian grows in one grace as well as another (2 Peter 1:5). To grow in knowledge, but not in meekness, brotherly love, good works, this is not the right growth; a thing may swell, and not grow; a man may be swelled with knowledge, yet may have no spiritual growth: the right manner of growth is uniform, growing in one grace as well as another. As the beauty of the body is, when there is a symmetry of parts, not only the head grows, but the arms and breast; so spiritual growth is most beautiful, when there is a symmetry and proportion, every grace thrives.

  3. The right manner of growth is, when a Christian hath grace suitable to his several employments and occasions; when corruptions are strong, and he hath grace able to give check to them; burdens are heavy, and he hath patience able to bear them; temptations fierce, and he hath faith able to refill them: here is grace growing in the right manner.

  1. See Them he also Glorified. ↩︎

  2. See footnote 2 in But God Be Thanked. ↩︎

  3. The New Testament Greek word translated virtue here is αρετη (arete), meaning moral excellence (see W.E. Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words). To avoid confusion, please note: in the gospels where it is said that “virtue” went out of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to heal the sick (Mark 5:30; Luke 6:19; 8:46), this is not the same word in The New Testament Greek. This virtue is δυναμις (dunamis)—which means energy or power (Strong’s Concordance, Greek Dictionary, number 1411). ↩︎

  4. Some Christians may need to flee and become refugees during a time of violent persecution. But if you are not living through such a time then you should not engage in “world-flight,” or set up a separate community in which people outside your church (or denomination) are unwelcome, or become a hermit, or go “off-grid” in order to avoid non-Christian contact. Also, some Christians may live under difficult circumstances such as imprisonment, enslavement, limited freedom of movement, or be house-bound by illness or old age. We who have more liberty and capability should visit them and support them—in the spirit of 1 Corinthians 12:26. ↩︎