What is true virtue?

Virtue means doing something good for the sake of God, even though one was free not to do it. In the same way, it is virtue to consciously refrain from something wrong for the sake of God.

True virtue begins with a decision. Someone who does good because they simply cannot do otherwise, or because it has become a habit they no longer think about, is not yet acting virtuously in the real sense. Virtue arises where a person has a choice and consciously chooses what is good, for the sake of God.

This works in both directions. It is virtue to do something good although one could leave it undone. And it is equally virtue not to do something wrong although one could. If, for example, someone could copy answers in an exam without being noticed and refrains for the sake of God, they have shown real virtue.

The first verse above makes clear that virtue does not lie in outward forms, such as which direction one turns to. It shows itself in faith and in what one does for others out of love for God. The second verse goes further. Only those who give of what they themselves love attain perfect righteousness. It is precisely where something costs us that the conscious decision becomes visible.

Understood in this way, virtue is not just a rule to be ticked off. It is an attitude that grows through many small decisions in everyday life. Every conscious choice for good, made for the sake of God, makes a person a little purer.