In our previous post we talked about character, and in reference to character we used two words: holiness and love. “Holy to the Lord” was engraved on a plate which was fastened to the turban of the high priest and of which that high priest wore upon his head (Exodus 28:36-38). I also mentioned love at the very end of that post. I said, “Without freedom we cannot change, for without freedom we cannot love.”
My use of these two words, holiness and love, was very intentional. A person cannot be holy unless he or she loves. A person likewise cannot be loving (not in any ultimate sense) unless he or she is holy. Holiness and love go together.
Our Culture’s View
Our culture is not very fond of combining these two words. People want to live in one category or the other. They may talk about holiness, but without love they use it to control others. They become legalistic, and force their laws on other people. These others, seeing such attempts at external control, think of holiness in a derogatory way. “Those people are ‘holy than thou,'” it is said, and they are not being complimentary.
People may also talk about love, but somehow we know that love in our culture is not what it is supposed to be. It is usually a cheap type of love, or a self-serving type of love. It’s a love that only appears to be like love, but it’s a love which is filled with an agenda for the benefit of the giver. Perhaps you’ve been the recipient of such “love,” and as a result you’ve been hurt.
Virtue considered
All this discussion about character, holiness, and love, leads me to speak of one more word: virtue. “What’s the difference between character and virtue?” we might ask. It’s a great question, because the two words are related. Here’s my response: character can be either good or bad. We usually say that a person who regularly commits a crime has “bad character,” and a person who regular treats others with kindness has “good character.” Virtue on the other hand, is more precise, or we might say it is more limited in scope. That’s because virtue carries with it the idea of vital piety. One who is pious is faithful to his or her own parents or family, and is faithful to his or her own faith. Within the Christian Tradition, we say that one who is pious is faithful to Jesus Christ and the will of God. Therefore virtue is something which is good in a person. Have you ever heard of “bad virtue?” Let me know if you have, because I’m unfamiliar with it.
Freedom Introduced
Now let’s look at how the dictionary defines virtue. Webster says virtue is “conformity to a standard of right: morality.” Okay . . . fine. Thank you Mr. Webster, because you have introduced the issue of freedom into our discussion. Perhaps this will not surprise you, but I would argue that Webster’s use of the word conformity misrepresents the Christian understanding of living with morals.
Please consider and pause at this statement: The Christian view is that morals (that is, repeated commitments to the will of God) set a person free! That’s a radical statement for our culture, and yet we know that the Bible clearly teaches sin enslaves. You may recall what the Apostle Paul says deep in the heart of Romans:
Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
We see in this verse that sin has no interest in your well-being. It wants to control you, dominate you, and deny you any freedom. Sadly, our culture is deeply controlled by sin. Simply said, it is not free. Yes, it wants to pretend it is free, but without God’s grace, true freedom is an impossibility.
Freedom and the Will of God
So at this point you might be thinking, “Paul this post is a bit much for me. All this talk about holiness, love, and virtue is wearing me out!” I understand, but let me assure you that these words matter because they help us understand God’s will for us as human beings. They give us a destination, or an aim, if you will. Simply put, God wants these things within us.
Freedom, on the other hand, provides the necessary environment for how these qualities can develop in our hearts. Consider the following: when our first parents were created they were created in the image of God. We have to ask, “Were they actually free, or were their wills controlled by God’s will?” The answer is that they had a measure of freedom, for if they were not free, they could not sin. (Sin requires a measure of freedom or the “sinner” cannot be responsible.) In addition, consider their creation in God’s image:
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)
Under the dominion of God, they were created to rule like Him. Perhaps you’re not familiar with this idea, but rule implicitly carries with it the notion of freedom. That’s because there is no opportunity to exercise authority in any meaningful way if a person is merely robotic. (We exercise dominion with a degree of creativity.) God was and is free to create, so human beings were created free to rule with a sense of love and care for the rest of creation. So freedom is at the heart of the rule of God because God is absolutely free. He is free in His love because He has no sin.
As you might imagine, so much more needs to be said regarding the intersection of human freedom and the will of God. Holiness, love, and virtue matter, so in our next post we will introduce the theological virtues.