Vice And VirtueSample

Today is the last day of our study on the historical Seven Deadly Sins and Seven Holy Virtues. Our hope is that you have come away from this time inspired by the early Church’s wisdom in defining common, destructive behaviors and their antithesis. 

In the end, the virtues (as the antithesis of the vices) are the more powerful of the two lists. This is because if you only look to avoiding a negative behavior, your actions will be confined to a bare minimum of not exceeding boundaries. However, if you look to embodying a virtue you are not constrained by any boundary. Humility, Kindness, Patience, Diligence, Charity, Temperance, and Chastity cannot be overdone. Instead these positive behaviors can become of a lifelong pursuit to more fully embody the teachings of Jesus.

Jesus expressed this truth in a nutshell when a group of religious leaders interrogated him about the laws and rules people should be following. They said, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” The virtues are the expression of loving God, loving your neighbor and loving yourself in a perfect balance. 

Another way to think of this is expressed in The Message version of Romans 5:1-2: 

By entering through faith into what God has always wanted to do for us—set us right with him, make us fit for him—we have it all together with God because of our Master Jesus. And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.

For Day Twelve consider how pursuing a virtue-driven life can bring more wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory into your life. 

We invite you, as a creative supplement to this Biblical study, to read paranormal thriller Valley of the Broken  by Garden City author, Kelly Baugh. It’s the first book in a series of seven that will delve into each sin, as well as its corresponding virtue. This book focuses on Greed vs. Humility. Also, join Kelly along with 150+ of today's brightest innovators at the Make Jesus Culture Conference .