The joy of a virtuous life is found in knowing that one is living in a way that glorifies God and serves his purpose. “Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10, ESV). God has revealed how he designed his creation and intends it to operate. God’s way is always the best, and being in harmony with him leads to greater blessings and more opportunities for us to bless others. All too often, rebellious humanity chooses to live contrary to God’s ways, arrogantly believing we do not need to be subject to his boundaries. People will embrace the lie that freedom means doing whatever we desire, with whomever we want, whenever we choose. Being too sophisticated for our own good, we reap “unintended consequences.”
The Letter of James describes this well. James asks in 4:1 (ESV), “What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?” In Chapter 1, James explains, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Often desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death” (1:14-15, ESV). Ouch! But by contrast, he gives us hope in James 1:25 (ESV), “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” James uses the metaphor of a man looking into a mirror and discovering what he sees. The law of liberty does not mean that the virtuous life is the starting point in a blessed life but the result of a life being transformed from the inside out by the Holy Spirit.
How is it possible to consistently choose a virtuous life? It seems that human beings regularly choose otherwise. In Romans 3:10-12 (ESV), Paul reminds Jews and Gentiles of humanity’s problem by quoting Psalm 53, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” We fail to “do good,” (that is, the good Jesus desires us to do) because we rely on the limited ability of our fallen nature. It is not that most people are not trying. I would say they are trying too hard but relying on the wrong thing.
There is a better way.
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5, ESV). This is why Jesus declared, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). And again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5, ESV). This is to say, God transforms us from the inside out; we are given a new heart. This transformation leads us to a saving relationship with Jesus, shapes our heart’s desires, and changes our thinking and worldview. We become a new creation determining what we do and how we do it. We resist doing wrong, not because there are laws against it, but because we have no desire to do such things! As we grow in our Spirit-driven discipleship of Jesus, we naturally strive to produce the kind of fruit Jesus seeks and demands. With a transformed heart, it is not as hard to live a virtuous life as one might think, but rather it is a joy to submit to the Holy Spirit because our heart desires to follow Jesus and his ways. We willingly live a virtuous life! Paul wrote in Galatians 2:20 (ESV), “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” The spiritual disciplines we practice are meant to deepen our relationship with Jesus and engage us with the presence of the Holy Spirit. The result is living consistently in ways that please God, serve his purpose, and bring a deeper experience of the “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). This virtuous life heals relationships, gives clarity to life and its purpose, offers discernment of right and wrong, brings blessing and curse, and gives us the ability to see and hear the wonder of God’s world, his people, and the gift and preciousness of life.
The joy of a virtuous life is not the place to start. It is the result of a relationship with Jesus. All that God blesses in this life and the next begins with him!
by Pastor Steven Grant
