The Cardinal Virtues - Mere Christianity Book 3 Chapter 2 - Episode 15

What are prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude? And why should they matter to us? 

Join us as we chat about the cardinal virtues through our chapter-by-chapter study of Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who ask you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

1 Peter 3:15

www.seektruthhere.com

https://www.facebook.com/SeekTruthHere

https://www.instagram.com/seektruthhere/

http://www.youtube.com/@seektruthhere

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Hello and welcome back, everyone. This is the Reason Why podcast, where we learn what Christians believe, why they believe it, and how to know whether it's true or not. So far in our chapter-by-chapter study of C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity, he has walked us through the logical reasoning of the God of the Christian Bible being real and therefore Jesus as the practical conclusion to that reasoning and investigation. Lewis mostly builds this case using observation and reasoning, showing that belief in God isn't dependent on already accepting the Bible. Now, having laid that foundation, Lewis now shifts the conversation. He lets the conclusion stand from the beginning of the book, not insisting the listener or reader must accept it, but is proceeding with explaining behavior from the Christian perspective. And that being the case, we can expect him to utilize the Bible now. Last time, we began our discussion of morality. Lewis broke it down into three categories or interactions: man to man, man in and of himself, and man to his creator. This view serves to help us as we dig deeper into the surface study of right behavior. This episode, we're going to zoom in and look at some specific morals, aka virtues. You may have heard the term cardinal virtues before, and before we all shudder and tune out, let's remember we are not pursuing seminary degrees here in this show. Now remember back in the beginning, when Lewis talked about the inner sense of right and wrong, the moral law. Well, these virtues are what the law actually looks like when it's lived out. But let's learn what these mean and discuss to better our understanding and so we can engage in these conversations with others. Last time we talked about morality as what keeps the machine running properly. And these virtues are essentially the habits that keep things running the way they're supposed to. Lewis tells us that cardinal comes from the Latin word, that means hinge or pivotal. So that means that these particular morals are key, foundational even, the big ones. Lewis mentions seven virtues total, but in this chapter, he focuses on four of them, the cardinal virtues, these pivotal ones. The seven are broken down into four cardinal virtues and then three theological virtues. And according to Lewis and other scholars, the four cardinal ones are um all civilized people know them in general, and the other three, he says only Christians know about them. We'll get to the other three later, but first let's have a good look at these pivotal ones. We're gonna walk through each of these one by one and make them really practical. So they are prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude. Telling someone they're being a prude, that's not exactly a compliment these days. But prudence simply means practical common sense, which I guess can be looked down on nowadays. And that's sad really, because it's admirable to practice prudence. Today, many might define prudence kindly by saying it's being cautious. But the original and better meaning of the word is the ability to govern and discipline yourself by using reason. While it may make one act more cautiously at times, overall it's a sign of strong character to take the trouble to think seriously about what you're doing and what it will likely lead to. Our world right now is rife with instant gratification and lack of impulse control. And I won't excuse myself there. I need to learn to be more prudent. But just look at where our society's lessening or even lack of this virtue has gotten us so far. It's not great. Here, Lewis takes a moment to address people who may say, What's the point of being prudent? Exercise intelligence in decision-making when I just need to be good. Jesus said we should be like children. This is one of those many instances where it's good and important to read and know the Bible. Because Lewis explains, Jesus wants us to have a child's heart, simple, single-minded, affectionate, teachable, but we are also told to be wise as serpents. That means intelligent, alert, and first-class fighting trim, meaning sharp, ready, and engaged. That doesn't mean we all have to be scholars and geniuses. It does mean that we all need to utilize and sharpen the sense that we have been given. We can't keep walking in ignorance once we know there's more. Like Miss Maya Angelou says, do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better. And like Lewis says, when you become a Christian, you are embarking on something which is going to take the whole of you, brains and all. But don't worry, God is patient and a wonderful teacher. Just know, true Christianity will require that you grow, but God is good and he will manage that growth just right. Next up is temperance, another word that we have developed a skewed view of. It doesn't mean total abstinence and it doesn't just refer to alcohol. Essentially, it means going the right length and no further. For some things like harmful drugs, the right amount is none at all. But there are some things which are not all bad all the time. And so we must develop temperance for ourselves for those things. Let's take exercise, for example. Exercise in and of itself is good, and we all need to go at it for some length to maintain good health. But for some, not me, um, exercise can become an obsession. Being at the gym and working out for hours and hours nearly every day, to the detriment of time with your family and loved ones. Maybe your work suffers because you are devoting so much of your mind and time to working out. This is where developing and practicing temperance is important. For some, that might mean cutting back drastically. For others, only cutting back some. Another example is that I personally don't watch certain movie genres or ratings. I know what crossing that line will do to my mind. So I've tempered that. For others, it's not an issue. The right limits won't look exactly the same for everyone and everything, but we all still should consider prayerfully what those lines are for us individually. So prudence is thinking wisely about what you'll do, and temperance is putting those decisions into practice. Both of these connect back to what we talked about earlier in book two. If we're truly free, remember free will, how we choose to live actually matters. The next two virtues are easier to grasp and get on board with. Justice is more than just court stuff. Lewis says our word fairness actually gives a better understanding of what this virtue means. Things like honesty, truthfulness, loyalty fall under the term justice. And this shows up in everyday things, telling the truth, when it would be easier not to, keeping our word, giving people what you actually owe them. And the last one, and maybe the one we all admire most when we see it, is fortitude. We don't use this word very often, but it covers being courageous, not only in the face of danger, but in the face of pain. A soldier going into battle, a fireman running into a burning building, a child undergoing cancer treatment, a parent watching their child suffer through that treatment in the hopes of saving their life. This is fortitude. Lewis wants us to understand that there is a difference in doing a good thing, performing one of these virtues from time to time and being one or more of these virtues. Just as I, a completely untrained and uncoordinated person, can get a strike every now and then when I'm bowling, that is a completely different thing from a professional bowler who has spent years training and developing skill in muscle memory. So too can someone abstain from too much of something here and there, but still not be temperate. Or someone use common sense now and again, but not be prudent. We want to be the thing, not just hit the mark every now and then, because that's what character really is. Not what you do occasionally, but what you are consistently. And that doesn't mean we have to be perfect. I'm just showing the difference between developing character and simply doing an action. And Lewis says this is an important distinction to make to help us avoid three wrong ideas. One, that our actions are all that matter. Two, that God only wants obedience, and three, that the virtues only matter in this life. Our thoughts, intentions, and attitudes about the thing matter just as much because our character matters. And God doesn't just want obedience for obedience's sake. Lewis says he wants people of a particular sort. And while we may not have need for practicing these virtues in the eternal life to come with God because there's no danger or temptation, Lewis says that without having at least the beginnings of these virtues, basically, you're not going to enjoy heaven if all you're doing is indulging in every sin and whim right now, being a coward and unjust. But let's not fret. We do not have to be perfect to go to heaven or enjoy Jesus. Jesus is perfect for us. Remember the thief on the cross? If you don't know, Jesus was crucified with two other men, a criminal on either side. One mocked him as they hung dying together. The other humbled himself and recognized Jesus as Lord and King. And even though this man had lived a life of crime and was fully guilty, Jesus told him, You will be with me today in paradise. This man didn't have any time to get his life together and start working on being prudent or temperate or just or courageous, but I guarantee you, he is in heaven. And there are deathbed conversions which show it clearly that we are not trying to get right so that we can get on God's good side or earn his favor, which makes sense if you think back to where Lewis brought us through logical reasoning and observation to Jesus, not as a teacher of rules, but as the solution to the problem. We come to God and then we get out of the way and let him work on us and our character. And these are just four of the areas that he will grow us in. So these virtues matter deeply. Not because this is all about becoming impressive people. It's about becoming the kind of people we were actually made to be. And what we're going to start seeing next is how these virtues don't just stay personal. They can actually shape what a society looks like. Thanks so much for tuning in. I hope this was helpful. Please like and share it with someone you think might be interested. Check out my website and Facebook and Instagram for more resources and content. Because remember, the truth is worth knowing and sharing. I'll see you next time. God bless.