• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Wyatt Graham

Faith | Books | Culture

  • About
  • Podcast
  • Column

On the Obligations of the Four Cardinal Virtues and the Grace of the Three Theological Virtues

September 24, 2022 by wagraham 1 Comment

After the assassination Julius Caesar, Cicero wrote “On Obligations” to his son Marcus, who was studying in Athens. He obviously meant it for the public as well, but it has the sense of a father writing to a son.

It might be the most important book on ethics in the West, at least until recent years. Yet it’s recent decline in popularity does not gainsay its classic status or the reason why it become a classic—classics become so because they have a sense of excellence.

For Cicero, our obligation to aim for the best good among goods guides our moral life. All these goods stem from the four cardinal virtues: prudence or wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance (or self-control).

In other words, he names the kind of virtues that are universally accessible to people—the so-called civic virtues. Christians recognize these virtues as part of God’s common grace. They are not works of condign merit before God, but simply allow society to work.

They contrast the theological virtues which only grace can bestow, namely, faith, hope, and love. Yet the cardinal virtues are still naturally good. And Christians can perfect them by infusing the whole trail of virtues with love.

So prudence in love changes the whole scope of the cardinal virtues in ways that show the transcendent glory of God. Anyone can make a wise decision among alternatives, but we know the end of our wisdom is love or Love, which is God.

That means it may be wise to choose an aim for love’s sake that the physical man (in contrast to Paul’s spiritual man) cannot discern apart from the Spirit which makes one spiritual.

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Cardinal Virtues, Natural, Theological Virtues, Virtue Ethics

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tov says

    September 24, 2022 at 7:54 pm

    Pithy, accurate, and very well said, Wyatt.

    “That means it may be wise to choose an aim for love’s sake that the physical man (in contrast to Paul’s spiritual man) cannot discern apart from the Spirit which makes one spiritual.”
    Well, that pretty much is the core, the progress of, for example, Romans 12:2, for example:

    “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect…” Since we cannot have the best of both and please God.

    2 Cor. 13:4 “For He was indeed crucified in weakness, yet He lives by God’s power. And though we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve you. 5Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Can’t you see for yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you— unless you actually fail the test? 6And I hope you will realize that we have not failed the test.…” I brought this idea into the mix because it highlights the second most important aspect of proving one’s self — would say the self-test for loving one’s neighbour is unmistakably straightforward. Yet, rarely even considered, it would appear.

    “Matthew 22:37-40: ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
    Is there a better test? And to bolster that necessity, for example, 1 John 1:20 —
    …19We love because He first loved us. 20If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.…”
    I believe this test are perhaps the more disrespected of all of God’s mandates.

    Therefore, your statement is most appropriate, Wyatt.
    “That means it may be wise to choose an aim for love’s sake that the physical man (in contrast to Paul’s spiritual man) cannot discern apart from the Spirit which makes one spiritual.”
    (Notwithstanding John 16…)

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Wyatt is the Executive Director of The Gospel Coalition Canada. He enjoys his family and writing. You'll generally find him hiding away somewhere with his nose in a book.

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Want articles in your e-mail? Sign up here!

Does God have Emotions?

March 17, 2023 By wagraham 4 Comments

Is Wrath an Attribute of God?

March 10, 2023 By wagraham 1 Comment

Byung-Chul Han’s “Burnout Society”

February 28, 2023 By wagraham Leave a Comment

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 · Genesis Sample on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in