Courage

This morning, I’d like us to think about Christian character. And specifically, a Christian virtue that we don’t usually hear much about from the pulpit. It’s mentioned only eight times in the New Testament, but it’s critically important, for at least two reasons. First of all, it’s important because no one gets to heaven without it. So this virtue is an essential aspect of Christian character. But second, it is important, because it is what makes the practice of all the other Christian virtues possible. So it is a key foundational, or enabling, virtue. What am I talking about? It’s courage.

Let me begin by backing up those rather bold statements I just made. I said that no one gets to heaven without courage. Really? Yes. Listen to what the apostle John writes:

“1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur.” (Revelation 21:1-2, 5-8)

Here John is describing the new heaven and new earth, and the Holy City, the new Jerusalem. He is telling us what blessings await us there. But he is also telling us who will not be there. And while most of these will come as no surprise—“the unbelieving, the vile, murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars”—there is one that stands out: “the cowardly”. Those who are cowardly, i.e., those who lack courage, will not inherit heaven. And this seems odd to us. Because we think of courage as something extra, something which only a few people are gifted with, rather than something basic and essential. Conversely, we tend to think of cowardice as a relatively minor character flaw. If someone is timid or fearful, we may not respect them highly, but we probably don’t think of them as being in the same category as these others that Jesus is speaking of here in Revelation: the unbelieving, murderers, etc. What that tells us is that there’s a gap—a significant gap—between how we see this virtue of courage and its corresponding vice of cowardice, and how God sees them. And so we have to ask why. Why does God set such a high value on courage? Why is this an essential characteristic of a Christian’s character? To put it more bluntly: Why does the lack of courage actually suggest a lack of faith? And if we need to be changed in this area, how do we go about it?

Why is courage so important? As I said before, it makes the practice of all the other virtues possible: it is a foundational, or enabling virtue. It’s what gives us the strength to actually put our faith into practice, even when we face opposition, or risk, or threats of one kind or another. And so, without the courage to act, none of the other virtues really matter. For example, love without courage is just empty sentimentality. If you say that you love someone, but you are unwilling to take a risk to actually do something to help them, it means very little. If you stand at a distance from them, hesitating to act because of the fear of being rejected, or misunderstood, or taken advantage of, or being exploited in some way, all the while saying how much you love them, God will not be impressed. Listen to what James has to say on the subject:

“14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)