Lent | Vice & Virtue
The Seven Deadly Sins, or what we will refer to as Capital Vices, are a grouping of sins within the teachings of Christianity. “Capital” comes from the Latin word for head (caput), meaning source, like the head of a river. These sins have long been considered capital sins not because they are the worst, but because they are gateway sins through which all others flow.
The seven vices should also be seen as deeply ingrained, character-shaping habits of the heart. This insight is captured by the language of virtue and vice.
In our day, these vices are often seen as virtues — celebrating with pride our disordered love. While “sin” and “vice” are not popular concepts, removing sin from our language does not remove the reality that the wages of sin is still death.
In the New Testament the Apostle Paul used the language of “putting off” the old-self, dying to our sinful nature, and “putting on” the new-self — the process of transformation of our character from vice to virtue (Eph. 4:22-24).
The Apostle Peter tells us to “make every effort” to supplement our faith with virtue (2 Pet. 1:5).Therefore, throughout Lent we will identify particular vices in our lives that we are called to put to death and make every effort through repentance, spiritual disciplines, and Holy Spirit-empowered grace to replace them with the opposing kingdom virtues.
You are invited to embark on the well-worn path of historic, biblical Christianity by mediating on, wrestling with, and addressing the capital vices and replacing them with kingdom virtues through the season of Lent, following Jesus into the wilderness, resisting the devil, being ministered to by God’s Word, spurred on by God’s people, and filled with the Holy Spirit.
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Wrath // Patience | Promontory Campus | Vice & Virtue
Colossians 3:8-13
What do we love enough to be angry about? Anger is an emotional response to something we love being threatened. In our sin, the things we love are often focused on ourselves and we can be swept away in the emotion. But the forgiveness of Jesus changes what we love most and in His grace we can be patient trusting that God is in control.
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Wrath // Patience | Harrison Campus | Vice & Virtue
Colossians 3:8-13
Anger is a destructive sin that damages our relationships with others and with God. Jesus came not only to show us the better way of patient love, but to take upon himself the weight of our sinful anger as well as the wrath of God which we rightly deserved.
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Wrath // Patience | Agassiz Campus | Vice & Virtue
Colossians 3:1-5, 8-13
One of the most insidious vices, that we easily fall into is that of anger or wrath. Often disguised in pseudo-righteousness, anger quickly morphs into wrath and a litany of other manifestations as human nature takes over, and we seek justice on our own terms. In Colossians, Paul reminds his audience that we are new a new creation because of the Gospel, that believers are “in Christ” and as such are called to put off worldly practices and put on the virtue of godliness. Patience, the willingness to suffer long even in the face of provocation, is both a fruit of faithfulness and the antidote to wrath.
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Wrath // Patience | Chilliwack Campus | Vice & Virtue
Colossians 3:1-5, 8-13
One of the most insidious vices, that we easily fall into is that of anger or wrath. Often disguised in pseudo-righteousness, anger quickly morphs into wrath and a litany of other manifestations as human nature takes over, and we seek justice on our own terms. In Colossians, Paul reminds his audience that we are new a new creation because of the Gospel, that believers are “in Christ” and as such are called to put off worldly practices and put on the virtue of godliness. Patience, the willingness to suffer long even in the face of provocation, is both a fruit of faithfulness and the antidote to wrath.
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Lust // Chastity | Promontory Campus | Vice & Virtue
1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Sexual sin is a challenge practically every Christian believer wrestles with at one time or another. What does God's Word have to say about this...and what kind of help will that give when we're in the middle of a moral battle?
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Lust // Chastity | Harrison Campus | Vice & Virtue
1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Lust is a sin which twists God’s good invention - sex - into a pale imitation of his original design. Lust corrupts sex to make it more about personal pleasure and self-fulfilment than glorifying God. But because of what Jesus has done and will do for each of us, our sexual desires can be cleansed from Lust to glorify God, just as he created them to do.
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Lust // Chastity | Agassiz Campus | Vice & Virtue
1 Corinthians 6:18-20
Sexual desire was created by God and given to us as a beautiful gift. But the inappropriate or excessive desire for sexual gratification – lust – is a destructive path that leads to death. However, God has made it possible for us to win the battle with lust and to maintain sexual purity through the redeeming work of His Son, Jesus, and by the indwelling presence, power and work of His Spirit.Sexual desire was created by God and given to us as a beautiful gift. But the inappropriate or excessive desire for sexual gratification – lust – is a destructive path that leads to death. However, God has made it possible for us to win the battle with lust and to maintain sexual purity through the redeeming work of His Son, Jesus, and by the indwelling presence, power and work of His Spirit.
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Lust // Chastity | Chilliwack Campus | Vice & Virtue
1 Corinthians 6:18-20
This week we are working on killing the vice of lust and growing in our practice of the virtue of chastity. It is neither a cultural view of sexual liberation nor a negative view of sex (often associated with the church) that leads to human flourishing but, rather, a healthy view of God’s vision for sex and a healthy self-control (chastity) around everything outside of God’s vision for sex (lust) that leads to human flourishing and God’s glory.
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Greed // Generosity | Promontory Campus | Vice & Virtue
Hebrews 13:5-6
Greed is the sin that promises us that if we have enough stuff, we will be happy. However like all other sin, greed keeps us in chains bound under a desire that cannot be met. Ultimately our true contentment is found in Christ which releases us to be generous to others.
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Greed // Generosity | Harrison, Agassiz & Lake Errock Campuses | Vice & Virtue
Hebrews 13:5
Greed is a dangerous, insidious sin that can creep into our lives in more areas than just money and possessions. Nevertheless, the Gospel challenges our excessive personal desires for more with the sufficiency of Christ, which in turn drives us to be generous because “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
