Virtue Among Gentiles

Luke 4:25-27

Introduction

In our lesson a couple of weeks ago, we considered the history and basic beliefs of the Southern Baptist Church.

That lesson was an education for me as I had not had a good grasp on the history or even the structure of the Southern Baptist church.

It was helpful to me to see where our views share some commonality and to see more precisely where they diverge.

Before we return to that subject, I’d like to take one sermon to talk about when the Bible points out the virtue of those who stand outside of the people of God.

I want to see why the Bible does this as well as what it means and doesn’t mean.

Used as a Rebuke

Gentile cities are often used to point out the extremity of Israel’s sin (Matt. 11:21-24).

Often, the rebuke is more subtle (Jonah; Josh. 6:25).

This trend carries over into the New Testament (Matt. 8:10; Lk. 10:30-37; 17:11-21; Jn. 4:39-45).

Does not Save

It often provides immediate but not eternal salvation (Josh 6:25; cf. Deut. 22:21-24).

Sometimes, salvation is not even under consideration (Matt. 8:5-13).

The distinction between virtue and salvation is made explicit (Acts 10:1-2, 47-48).

Makes Salvation Possible

There are characteristics that make accepting the gospel more likely (Mk. 15:39).

The idea is finding the mostly likely path to someone’s heart (Acts 17:32-34).

This includes people who already love God’s word but have rejected it’s conclusions (Acts 2:14-36).

We want to find exactly where the disconnect is and see if we can work toward resolution (Acts 19:1-5).

Conclusion

Are you a Christian who sees evident virtues in those outside of Christ? Learn from it and grow (Lk. 16:1-9).

But also, see that virtue as an open door for evangelism and not as a challenge to the truth of God’s word.

Finally, if you are not a Christian, you may be practicing many virtues that God calls His people to, but you must do so in submission to Him and His King on the throne. Anything short of that makes you merely a virtuous enemy of the cross.