Christian Character

About

When Jesus calls us to follow after him, we are told to obey his commands and live in such a way that others who see our good works will give glory to our heavenly Father. Christian behavior, then, is a matter of utmost importance.

But how do we live as Jesus taught us? What habits and what character traits do we need to fulfill this calling? In this seven-week study, we will try to answer these questions through a discussion of seven different virtues: the four “cardinal” virtues and the three “theological” virtues.

Details

Length: 7 sessions
Teachers: The Rev. Canon Dr. Jonathan Bailes

Watch the Series

How do we make wise decisions and carry them through? How do we judge rightly what is right and what is wrong? How do we set goals worthy of our lives and then achieve them? Questions like these reveal our need for the virtue of prudence, the first virtue in our exploration of Christian character.

What do we owe to God and what do we owe to one another? That is the basic question of justice, a question the God of the Bible takes very seriously. In this session, we consider what it means to be just and how to respond when we fail to do what is right.

In the book of Philippians, the apostle Paul serves us a warning about lacking temperance: “Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame.” In this session, we discuss the peril Paul is referencing and how the virtue of temperance helps us to avoid it.

Fear is among the most common obstacles that prevent us from doing what we should. And its remedy is often courage, the fourth and final of the cardinal virtues. In this session, we discuss why courage is so important and how we grow in it.

Prudence, justice, temperance, and courage are recognized as central virtues by many religious and philosophical traditions. But faith, hope, and love–these three are uniquely Christian. In this session we begin with faith: what is it, and how is it a virtue?

Love is central and necessary to a life well lived. Act justly, prudently, temperately, and courageously, but without love, you can never be the person God made you to be. In this lesson, we discuss why love is so essential, why we need the grace of God to become loving, and how we can open ourselves up to God’s transforming work.

We often speak of hope as a kind of wishful thinking or general optimism, such as hope that a relationship will work out or that an interview will go well. But this is not what the Bible speaks of as the virtue of hope. Christian hope is confidence in God and God’s promises. In this session, we discuss how Christian hope gives us strength to live in the present.

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