"For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge," - 2 Peter 1:5 (ESV, emphasis mine)
This is the second post in the "Seven Essential Qualities" series. In the first post, we examined faith as the necessary foundation and prerequisite for these qualities. Having done that, we are ready to begin examining each of the seven qualities that Peter lists as essential for keeping us from being ineffective or unfruitful in our knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:8).
We can ask at the outset whether these qualities are in any kind of intentional order. We can probably at least say that the list is intentional in beginning with faith as a prerequisite and ending with love as the ultimate goal. But it seems too much to connect the other six in any kind of logical order. It may be true, but it is not apparent from the outset. A progression would have to be argued.
Nevertheless, it is interesting that Peter begins the list with virtue. I doubt this would be at the top of many of our own lists. In fact, our very use of the word virtue is uncommon. According to Google's Ngram viewer, the usage of virtue spiked in the late 18th century, only to steadily decline ever since.
So, what is virtue? The word in Greek is arete (ἀρετή). It is understood to mean excellence, especially moral excellence. We understand what it means to excel. It is to go above and beyond, not only to meet the standard but to surpass it. The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy traces the use and meaning of the term through ancient ethicists who helped provide the context for Peter's use of the word. The encyclopedia especially notes the qualities of courage, moderation, justice, and piety as emphasized in ancient ethical writers.
When Peter mentions virtue, it is helpful to know these things. But we can understand the idea without having a deep knowledge of ancient Greek ethicists. The translation "moral excellence" as a synonym for virtue helps to elucidate the meaning for us. Virtue is used to describe God in 1 Peter 2:9 and 2 Peter 1:3. It is used in a general sense in Philippians 4:8. "Virtue" describes an internal state or disposition of a person that leads to certain kinds of actions.
In my own life, I have found the imagery of "crossing the line" to be helpful to explain what is meant by virtue. The idea is that virtue or moral excellence does not ask how close we can get to "the line" without crossing it. To cross the line is to transgress, to do something wrong, to enter into immoral territory and leave behind the moral.
But virtue does the opposite of asking how close we can get to crossing the line. Instead, virtue is focused on running as far as possible toward the things against which there is no law. Virtue does not want to remain as close to sin as possible without being contaminated. Virtue wants to cultivate what is good, right, and true.
In dating relationships, for example, it is common for dating couples who wish to remain morally pure to ask what kinds of physical expressions of love and affection are permissible and what are not. Can they hug? Can they hold hands? Can they kiss? What are the limits? When is it wrong?
There is real value to these questions, and they deserve answers. But we can also deconstruct the questions a bit to return the questions back to the asker.
Why is this? Because the typical approach that the couple is taking is not one of virtue, and they are not aware of that. Instead of pursuing virtue, they want to know at what point the pleasure they receive from expressing physical affection is wrong. Again, this is not in itself a bad question. The problem is that the question skips past the issues of the heart (where virtue is) and settles for prescriptions.
The problem with asking how close one can get to the line is that the person asking is headed away from virtue rather than toward it. A dating couple who sees the restrictions of morality and purity as an obstacle or killjoy is not pursuing virtue together. It would be more productive to ask questions like, "How can I show my affection for her in a way that honors God and loves her as my neighbor?", or, "How can I structure my relationship with him so that we are pursuing what is good, right, true, and beautiful together rather than other things?"
It might be said that a lack of virtue is moral laziness. Virtue is marked by seeking to exceed the minimum moral standards in a given situation. Virtue's opposite, vice, is marked by failing to meet minimum moral standards in the maximum way possible
Why is virtue so important to add to faith? Because virtue is the moral path to which faith opens the door. Faith is the ground for our living for God in Christ and virtue comprises the outline of how we should walk in it. Christians are those who have escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of deceitful desire (2 Pet. 1:4).
As those who have escaped moral corruption, our first order of business surely ought to be to live differently. We are no longer deceived by our desires or those of the world. We are no longer subject to corruption but instead are recipients of precious and very great promises. Our life is completely different from the world's, so our living should be completely different from the world's.
It would make no sense to say we have faith in Christ only to go on living a life marked by vice and general moral laxity. Instead, our lives in Christ by faith should be marked by a pursuit of moral excellence, lives marked by pushing the envelope toward greater heights of justice, courage, kindness, piety, moderation, humility, and the like. If we are not pursuing these things, what hope can we have to be fruitful or effective in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ?