The Shaping Virtues - Godliness

Justification means that God has declared guilty sinners to be righteous through faith in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This justification is “by his grace as a gift” (Romans 3:24) and, once given, can’t be lost or taken away because it rests on Jesus’ finished work and not our ongoing performance.  Thus, those who are freely saved through the gospel are also called, empowered, and motivated to please the one who saved them.

Justified believers are called to “let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27),  to “strive for…the holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14), and to “cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God”  (2 Corinthians 7:1). All these passages refer to the call to progressive sanctification: a process in which one's moral condition is increasingly brought into conformity with one's justified status before God. 

Like justification, sanctification is a work of grace. Many make the mistake of thinking that we are saved by grace, but that we then become holy by our own efforts. This is simply not true. We are justified by grace and we are sanctified by grace as well. The difference, however, is that in justification God alone works, but in sanctification we are active participants with the Holy Spirit in receiving and responding to God's grace to us. 

The problem for many Christians comes when we confuse these two aspects of God’s work in our lives. This confusion can lead either to license—believing it doesn’t matter how we live since we are justified—or legalism, which is living as if relating to God is on the basis of our performance rather than by faith in the performance of Christ. 

Philippians 2:12-13 is key to understanding God’s role and ours in our growth. Paul writes, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” We work out our salvation by putting sin to death and by putting on godly virtues. God the Holy Spirit works by enabling us to “will” (the desire for godliness) and to “work” (efforts toward godliness) in the process of becoming moralize Christ. It is the Spirit who empowers our battles against temptation and sin, and produces spiritual fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:17, 22-23).

Motivated by a desire to please and honor the Lord, Christians are to strive after holiness (Hebrews 12:14) and be doers of the word (James 1:22). We put sin to death (Colossians 3:5) and we live in all things for God (Colossians 3:17). In so doing, our lives testify to the goodness of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the reality of the gospel. We pursue godliness in the confidence of knowing that God will sanctify us completely at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23). “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

Cultivating these Virtues

Humility, joy, gratitude, encouragement, generosity, servanthood, and godliness. These are the shaping virtues that the gospel creates and that God calls us to continually pursue. They are qualities we have valued throughout our history in Sovereign Grace, and ones that ought to increasingly mark our life together in our churches as we press on to maturity.

What steps can we take to cultivate these virtues? Ask yourself, “Am I shaped by these virtues? Where do I need to grow?” Pastors should assess whether the culture of the church they serve is shaped by these virtues, and how to grow through teaching and example. By God’s grace, let’s continue to pray for, prioritize, and pursue these shaping virtues in Sovereign Grace churches, for the glory of Christ and the advance of the gospel. 

The Shaping Virtues - Servanthood

The gospel saves us into a life of service, first to God and then to others as an expression of that service. “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). If humility is the foundation of our shaping virtues, servanthood is the capstone. The humble, joyful, grateful, encouraging, generous, loving believer simply can’t help but have those virtues overflow in a life of practical service.

Jesus left us with a clear example of this life of service that is at the heart of our gospel calling. As his disciples argued among themselves about who was the greatest, Jesus redefined true greatness: “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (Mark 10:42-44). And to emphasize the point, he made this stunning statement: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).

The death of Christ is the greatest demonstration of that service, but not the only one. To show exactly what such service should look like, Jesus, washed his disciples’ feet, fully cognizant of his divinity and of the looming cross. He explained, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:13-15). 

Thus, we care for one another in the context of local church communities. This is not only an intent of the gospel, it is also one of the fruits of the gospel. God’s love has been placed in our hearts, enabling Christians to love in ordinary and extraordinary ways. In I John this connection is explained: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love…Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:7-8, 11).

We are give the necessary grace to live this way. Paul explains that “to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). Peter emphasizes the purpose of such gifts: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10). In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, Jesus emphasizes our responsibility to use the gifts and graces God has given us, but also teaches the heavenly reward his servants will receive. “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23) is the commendation every believer longs to hear on that day.

The Shaping Virtues - Generosity

The gospel of Jesus Christ is an act of cosmic generosity on God’s part, revealing the riches of his love, grace, and mercy. In the gospel we see the overflow of God’s love: “God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We also see the overflow of God’s grace: “For we know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).  And, we see the overflow of God’s mercy: “But God being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4-5). God didn’t just barely save us. The gospel’s provision is rich and abundant and complete in every way.

All things belong to God, the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). Thankfully, God is a generous owner. In Christ, he continues to generously and abundantly bless us. Paul, helps us understand the fullness of the gospel’s blessings when he asks, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) If God gave us what is most precious to Him—“his own Son”—there is nothing, either material or spiritual that we have need of, that he would now withhold. Truly, Jesus came that we “may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10).

As beneficiaries of such generosity, we now have every motivation and grace to be generous with our time, money, and talents on behalf of God’s people and for God’s mission. We have been blessed to be a blessing. In fact, we have come to understand that “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). We give joyfully and freely, knowing “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).

The gospel also creates a heavenly-mindedness in us that frees us from greed and covetousness in this world to invest in the world to come, because there we have “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4). We can now generously and cheerfully “lay up…treasures in heaven” by using our time, talent, and money for his kingdom (Matthew 6:19).

The Shaping Virtues - Encouragement

To encourage means to give support, confidence, or hope. God delights to strengthen and sustain his people through the ministry of encouragement. There is nothing more encouraging to our souls than knowing that because of Christ, we are and will always remain in right standing with God. Encouragement is designed by God to build faith and impart grace to keep us going in our Christian walk. Because we live in a fallen world, and because even as believers we can grow discouraged and weary as we serve, suffer, and battle remaining sin, encouragement is a daily necessity.   

Effective encouragement focuses on who God is, what he has done for us in Christ, and his promises of ongoing work in our lives. These truths include God’s fatherly affection and care for his children, his steadfast love, persistent grace, everlasting mercy, enduring patience, sovereign power, and infinite wisdom. It includes his promises to work all things together for our good (Romans 8:28), that his grace is sufficient for you (2 Corinthians 12:9), and that in all the ups and downs of life he “will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). Jude assures us that he is able “to keep you from stumbling and present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy” (Jude 24). We can “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23). It is no wonder that Paul calls him “The God of endurance and encouragement” (Romans 15:5)!

Although every believer can and must encourage themselves in the Lord, the emphasis in Scripture falls on the privilege, joy, and responsibility we have to discover evidences of grace in others and remind each other of the truth. In Paul’s visits and letters, he regularly encouraged the recipients by reminding them of God’s character and promises and by pointing out his grace in their lives. Paul and Barnabas strengthened “the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith” (Acts 14:22).

Every believer is exhorted to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). We are to “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). “Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25). Note that we proactively “consider” how to make this happen. Effective encouragers perceive other’s graces and needs, whether big and small, and are prepared to speak when opportunities arise.

The Shaping Virtues - Gratitude

The manifold blessings of the gospel are ours as an undeserved and free gift from our gracious God. The only appropriate response to such generous grace is gratitude. “I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart” (Psalm 86:12). A thankful heart is cultivated as we remember, understand, and appreciate the many benefits of the gospel.

We receive many graces as children of God: forgiveness, adoption, our helper the Holy Spirit,  the Word illumined, the privilege of prayer, the church, spiritual gifts for the common good, and divine promises for wisdom and guidance. This list could go on and on, since we are appropriately to be “giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20). In all of this, God guards and protects us by giving grace in the face of temptation and spiritual armor to be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

These gospel benefits are more than enough to fill our hearts with thankfulness. Yet God has also provided blessings through his common grace. “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). God has created a world that is beautiful and awe inspiring. The heavens declare his glory and the earth is full of his glory. He feeds, clothes, and shelters us, and he blesses many of us well beyond the mere necessities of life. Paul sums it up in 1 Timothy 6:17 when he speaks of “God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” And then there are the people in our lives that have been a blessing: parents, siblings, spouse, children, friends, teachers and others.  

We are especially grateful for other Christians in the local church to which God has joined us. Paul’s example of thanksgiving for others is compelling. In his letters to various churches he constantly expresses his gratitude for God’s people: “We give thanks to God always for all of you” (1 Thessalonians 1:2). Each local church, therefore, is to be a community of gratitude, giving thanks to God in everything we do: “And whatever you do, in words or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).

The Shaping Virtues - Joy

In Philippians 4:4, Paul exhorts believers to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” But how are we to do that when life in a fallen world is often full of difficulties, disappointments, and suffering? The answers lie in the reality that in the gospel, we have a source of joy that cannot be touched by any circumstance in this life, no matter how bad.

The gospel is “good news of great joy…for all people” (Luke 2:10). As believers hear and embrace the good news of salvation by grace alone, the natural response is to rejoice. Our greatest trouble in life has been dealt with once and for all. We are “justified by his grace as a gift” (Romans 3:24), forgiven of all our sins, and forever reconciled to him. And that’s just the start.

We are adopted as sons and daughters into God’s family. We are given the Holy Spirit to empower our daily walk with him, and that same Spirit is the “guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” (Ephesians 1:14). Our inheritance is eternal life in the new heavens and earth where “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). And even more gloriously, we shall “see his face” (Revelation 22:4), as the apex of God’s redemptive plan. It is no wonder that Peter can say, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8). We, of all people, have reason for joy!

But what about our suffering? Scripture makes no attempt to pretend that life is easy. It honestly admits to the reality of crying, mourning, and pain. But it also helps us to understand that even those moments are tempered by this untouchable joy, because we know that God has ordained them for our good. That’s why we can “Count it all joy…when you meet trials of various kinds” (James 1:2) and actually “ rejoice in our sufferings” (Romans 5:3). We rejoice not just because some day we will escape this world and all suffering will end, but because our suffering now is actually “preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Repeatedly preaching the gospel to ourselves positions us for this kind of joy, even in suffering. Ultimately, though, the Holy Spirit produces this joy by his indwelling presence (Galatians 5:22). Gospel joy is contagious joy, and joyful believers will produce joyful churches and joyful gatherings.

The Shaping Virtues - Humility

The Lord promises to bless the one “who is humble and contrite in spirit” (Isaiah 66:2). Humility is foundational to all our other shaping virtues, because without humility we will experience neither the desire nor the grace necessary to cultivate them. The great enemy of all these virtues is pride. Their greatest friend is humility. Jerry Bridges said, “Humility opens the way to all other godly character traits. It is the soil in which the other traits of the fruit of the Spirit grow” (The Fruitful Life, 49).

Humility comes from “honestly assessing ourselves in light of God’s holiness and our sinfulness” (Humility, 22). In the gospel of Christ, we are humbled as we recognize that, as sinners, our salvation isn’t merited in any way, but is given freely by grace and grace alone – “by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). The gospel continues to humble us as we increasingly recognize that the only way we both relate to and receive from God is grace, and not anything we do or don’t do. 

The message of grace also humbles us in relation to one another, lowering our view of our own importance and raising our view of others. We are consistently exhorted to this humility in Scripture: “I therefore…urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility” (Ephesians 4:1-2);  “put on then, as God’s chosen ones…humility” (Colossians 3:12); “humble yourselves before the Lord (James 4:10); “clothe yourself, all of you, with humility toward one another” (1 Peter 5:5). Note that humility isn’t simply a way we feel but a way we act toward others. It invites and pursues correction.

Finally, the gospel provides both the model and the motive for considering others better than ourselves.  Paul’s exhortation to “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves” and to “look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4) is rooted in Jesus’ stunning example of humility in Philippians 2:5-8. 

The Shaping Virtues - A Note from the Leadership Team

Over the last few years the Sovereign Grace Leadership Team has worked on this project that we’ve now called The Shaping Virtues of Sovereign Grace. Most of the credit for this work should go to Mickey Connolly who labored to produce the fundamental draft of these virtues, and to Jared Mellinger who worked hard at the editing process. We would also like to thank Ben Kreps—his idea to promote a list of Sovereign Grace virtues, and his own list of virtues, inspired us in this project. We are also grateful for Dave Taylor's valuable insight about the usefulness of a list like this in introducing Sovereign Grace to inquiring pastors around the world. Our desire is that these virtues would continue to motivate pastors to build churches that reflect the gospel. We never want to be churches of doctrine without application, of gospel preaching without gospel-shaped character. In the coming days, we will be posting brief posts from Mickey that discuss the value of each of these virtues, and you can also watch out for the second season of the Ordinary Pastor Podcast, where Jon Payne and Jared Mellinger will be discussing the importance of these virtues in leading a local church.

Our Shaping Virtues

When the gospel of Jesus Christ is embraced, it produces a culture marked by the fruit of the gospel. All churches that have come to know the grace of God should prioritize and pursue those qualities that are in keeping with the message of grace. In Sovereign Grace, the explicit gospel-focus that has marked our history has led us to value seven particular Shaping Virtues: humility, joy, gratitude, encouragement, generosity, servanthood, and godliness.

The list is not intended to be exhaustive. None of us perfectly demonstrates these qualities, and for this reason we press on toward a fuller expression of each shaping virtue in our lives. Ultimately, it is God who graciously creates and grows these qualities in his people, and he has promised to bring to completion the good work he began in us.

As we labor to keep Christ central in Sovereign Grace, our hope and prayer is that these shaping virtues will be present and increase in our churches for generations to come.  

Humility

The Lord promises to bless the one “who is humble and contrite in spirit” (Isaiah 66:2). Humility is an accurate view of God and ourselves. It is foundational to all other shaping virtues, because without humility we will experience neither the desire nor the grace necessary to cultivate them. The gospel humbles us as we come to grasp that “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). This humility before God prompts humility toward others. In keeping with Jesus’ example, we are commanded, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Philippians 2:3-4).

Joy

The gospel is “good news of great joy…for all people” (Luke 2:10). As believers hear and embrace the good news of salvation by grace alone, the natural response is to rejoice. In the gospel, God gives us himself, and in his presence there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). Christians are commanded to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philippians 4:4) because the gospel is a source of joy that can’t be touched by any circumstance in life. Even in our suffering and sorrows we can rejoice, knowing “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17). This kind of joy becomes contagious in local churches and is especially reflected in our corporate worship.

Gratitude

All gospel benefits are received as undeserved gifts from a gracious God. The only appropriate response to such generous grace is gratitude. “I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart” (Psalm 86:12). A thankful heart is cultivated the more we remember, understand, and appreciate all the ways the Lord has blessed us in the gospel and through his common grace, by which he “richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). We are also grateful for other Christians: “We give thanks to God always for all of you” (1 Thessalonians 1:2). Each local church is to be a community of gratitude, giving thanks to God in everything we do: “And whatever you do, in words or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:17).   

Encouragement

God is “the God of…encouragement” (Romans 15:5) who strengthens and sustains his people through the ministry of encouragement. There is nothing more encouraging to our souls than knowing that because of Christ, we are and will always remain in right standing with God. However, the harsh realities of a fallen world often obscure the glories of the gospel in our lives. We can grow discouraged and weary as we serve, suffer, and battle remaining sin. Encouragement is the means God uses to fortify us to live in light of what is true. In the gospel and in all the precious promises of God, we have a treasure trove of encouraging truth. Although every believer can and must encourage themselves in the Lord, the emphasis in Scripture falls on the privilege, joy, and responsibility we have to discover and point out evidences of grace in others and remind each other of the truth: “Encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11); “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24).  

Generosity

All things belong to God, the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). The gospel of Jesus Christ is an act of cosmic generosity. The cross is the pulpit of God’s love and the overflow of his grace and mercy to undeserving sinners. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16) The demonstration of divine generosity continues because, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32)  As beneficiaries of such generosity, we now have every motivation and grace to be generous likewise with our time, money and talents on behalf of God’s people and for God’s mission.We give joyfully and freely, knowing “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7).  

Servanthood

The gospel saves us into a life of service, first to God and then, as an expression of that service, to others.  “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Corinthians 4:5). Jesus, our faithful Master, defines service as true greatness: “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all” (Mark 10:43-44). He ultimately demonstrated this greatness for us in laying down his life for us: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). He also calls us to follow his example to serve not simply “in word or talk but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18), thus we love and care for one another in practical ways (Romans 12:13; Galatians 6:2). The Holy Spirit empowers us for a life of service in the church by distributing gifts to every Christian: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10).

Godliness  

In justification, God has declared guilty sinners to be righteous through faith in the finished work of Christ and has done so “by his grace as a gift” (Romans 3:24). Thus, those who are freely saved through the gospel are also called, empowered, and motivated to live a life that reflects God and pleases him. Motivated by a desire to please and honor the Lord, Christians are to strive after holiness (Hebrews 12:14) and be doers of the word (James 1:22). We put sin to death (Colossians 3:5) and we live in all things for God (Colossians 3:17). In so doing, our lives testify to the goodness of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the reality of the gospel. Compelled by grace, believers grow in the knowledge of God, obey Christ’s commands, walk by the Spirit, mortify sin, and pursue God’s priorities and purposes (Mark 12:30-31; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 John 5:2-3). This results in godliness, progressively increasing in the believer’s life.

Regional Evangelism Update from the Pastors Conference

During the Leaders Conference, Mark Prater called us to live like those who are willing to risk their lives for the sake of the gospel. One of the areas where we most need this challenge is in evangelism. Evangelism is not easy. It requires risk because our culture seems to be growing more and more hostile to the gospel each day. 

And it requires help. That’s why I was so grateful to meet with some of our pastors at the conference who have wisdom and experience in this area. I met with pastors in each of the various regions across the US who have a heart for reaching the lost. It was a very inspiring time of hearing miraculous stories of conversions and celebrating the grace of God that has saved us from our dire circumstances.

We also had an opportunity to strategize about how we can help Sovereign Grace grow in the area of evangelism. This is not an easy task, but I am excited about how God wants to use these men to help us grow in this challenging area, and I look forward to getting together again as we seek to help our churches obey the Lord in the glorious privilege of sharing the greatest news in the world. 

Jim Donohue is the Pastor of Evangelism at Covenant Fellowship Church, Glenn Mills, PA.