Articles
Virtue Signaling
When Jesus taught the Sermon on the Mount, he addressed His disciples apart from the crowds (Matt. 5:1). The main thrust of the sermon was a call for His disciples to be different than the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus said, "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 5:20). We would do well to heed Jesus warning that if your righteousness fails to exceed that of the Pharisees, "you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
Jesus addresses one of the problems of Pharisaical righteousness, saying, "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 6:1). Jesus condemned the Pharisees for "blowing a trumpet" when giving to the needy (6:2), and "standing" on "street corners" to pray (6:5), praying long-winded, wordy prayers (6:7), and disfiguring their faces so people would know they were fasting (6:16). Jesus said, the Pharisees wanted people to praise them, and they received their reward. However, they will never enter the kingdom of heaven because their motive for performing these works was wrong. Implied in Jesus' teaching is the Pharisees would only do these works if they were praised and recognized by people for doing them. They only did these works to appear righteous to others.
There is a modern equivalent to Pharisaical righteousness; virtue signaling. "Virtue signaling refers to the act of expressing a moral or ethical stance, often publicly, in order to show off one's supposed virtues, values, or moral superiority, especially on social or political issues." Virtue signaling suggests that some people may engage in performative acts of support or advocacy without taking substantial actions to back up their stated beliefs (ChatGPT). Virtue signaling is most common on social media, where people change their profiles to list their support for a social justice cause, share articles or memes or write posts supporting their favorite cause. It can also be done in meetings at work or school when one publicly states support for an initiative, but the individual never has nor intends to do anything concrete to support the cause. Most of us have seen examples of this over the last several years.
At the end of Jesus' ministry, He condemned the scribes and Pharisees, saying, "For they preach and do not practice" (Matt. 23:3). Christians should be concerned about the poor and justice for the disenfranchised. Put your concern into action. James taught us, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (Jas 2:14-17).
Put your concern into action as a Christian. A Christian's allegiance is to Christ, not the world (1 John 2:15-16). Do not lend your name to secular movements because doing so implies you agree with everything the group espouses (cf. 2 Cor. 6:14-16). Some have suffered inadvertently because their name is associated with something sinful a social activist group endorsed. James told us "to keep oneself unspotted from the world" while caring for "orphans and widows in their affliction" (Jas. 1:27). Peter warned us, "let none of you suffer as a murderer or thief or an evildoer or as a meddler." As a Christian, you discern between the holy and the unrighteous. Be sure that what you advocate for aligns with God's revealed word. If you are sure, then when you do good works or advocate for fair treatment of people, do so in the name of Christ so that God is glorified (1 Pet. 2:12). If you are canceled, or reviled for helping the poor, or working for justice, let it be as a Christian. Peter said, "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name" (1 Pet. 4:14).
Let us not love in word but in word and deed. I encourage us to heed the exhortation of our Lord and Savior, "For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."
(image - Eugène Burnand - https://www.eugene-burnand.com/)
