Delivering a lecture at the Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria Annual Dinner held at Ishaka Hotel on the 26th of November, 2021.
Text: 2 Timothy 3:1-8.
Godly virtue is the capacity to constantly do what is right and godly.
It is a habit that is formed that seeks excellence and attitudinal righteousness at all times.
What are the nine human virtues?
- Humility,
- Honesty to God, yourself, and others,
- Courage. It will surprise you that cowards will not inherit the Kingdom of God,
- Perseverance,
- Hope,
- Charity,
- Balance,
- Wisdom, and
- Justice.
You need an amalgam of these nine virtues to constantly display godly virtues. They are cultivated by being regenerated spiritually by the new birth through the Holy Spirit and by the belief, meditation, and assimilation of God’s principles from His word.
Another way is by proper mentoring, parental guidance, sound congregational fellowship, and godly community and national values.
Thirdly, there should be deliberate modelling by those in leadership positions, as Paul rightly said, “Follow me as I follow Christ”.
These virtues are getting extinct because of the deviation of the preachers of the gospel from the teachings of Christ and the apostles to the doctrines of men and mythology cum superstitious belief patterns.
The restraining force which is the church has focused the mind of her members on us, the preachers, hoping to get instant relief and material blessings without following godly principles.
The negative influence of satellite television, social media, and ungodly celebrities is another major factor.
The morbid rat race for wealth has destroyed the cohesive influence of family values. Our children now learn from househelps, cartoon characters, and movies. When last did you sit on that your expensive dining table to eat as a family? Parents send little children to school very early and head to work and hardly spend quality time with their children.
The military government takeover of Christian missionary schools was another major factor.
We can not rule out the very negative influence of the American culture and their brand of exhibitionist Pentecostalism in the erosion of our values.
To be continued.
Next, we shall look at the sustainability of godly virtues in a godless society.
God Bless You.
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