Question 1: Wright begins this section with Paul’s depiction of love as a virtue. As such, love is transcendent…that which transforms us into complete humans and allows us to bear the divine image. The early church latched upon the word, “agape,” in an attempt to convey this unique activity.
- Why is “love” such a peculiar and difficult word to define, much less implement?
- What is your current understanding and application of love, as you think God intends of us?
Question 2: Section two continues to explore the vast implications of agape, especially as set forth in 1 Corinthians 13. Apparently, love moves both forward and backward…from the future into the present, and the present into the future. Love represents the great transition and transformation. Wright further characterizes love as “the language they speak in God’s world, and we are summoned to learn it…” In fact, love goes beyond duty… “it is our destiny.”
- If love is indeed the divine language we are called to learn, a language that bridges the present to the future and back again, how does 1 Corinthians 13 provide the grammatical structure to comprehend and express this language?
- How then do we allow this language to promote deeper intimacy with one another and with God?
Question 3: Wright insists that “Paul is not discussing the question of rules versus spontaneity. He is talking about the great change that has come over the people of God with the death and resurrection of the Messiah and the gift of the Spirit.” This change is marked by the “fruits of the Spirit”…nine in all. However, these fruits do not grow automatically. They must be tended to, as with a garden. Such pruning, etc., is the result of deliberate choice.
Christian virtue, then, is “both the gift of God and the result of the person of faith making conscious decisions to cultivate this way of life and these habits of heart and mind.” Thus, we partner with the Holy Spirit to acquire and practice virtue. To go it alone is to leave the garden untended.
- So, what does your “garden” look like these days?
- Where have you and the Holy Spirit partnered, and what are the results?
- Why do we attempt to go it alone at times?
- What characteristics “of the flesh” do we find difficult to prune on our own?
Question 4: This section is a bit challenging to get one’s arms around. Wright discusses the interplay of virtues and moral values as they relate to individual and communal applications. In addition to love, faith and hope also have “lasting” qualities in God’s new world. Imagine how your faith and your hope not only carry over, but are transformed and more deeply realized in the eschaton (the arrival of the new heaven and new earth).
- What confidence can you derive and apply from this continuity of virtues in your life?
Question 5: Living the Christian faith within the Christian community requires sustained effort and work. Any hope of unity here necessitates “love-in-action.” The language of virtue must be learned and practiced in order to be realized. These become habits of mind and heart…“it’s a matter of learning to think and act in accordance with the Spirit of Jesus Christ in such a way that the things which harm unity are spotted early on and rooted out.”
- What specific “habits” have you learned and acquired that sustain you today?
- How do they intersect with your involvement in the church and in the community?
Question 6: Wright notes that “virtue is always the result of work and cost. Paul’s appeal for unity…is nothing if not an appeal for virtue.” Corporate virtue with the church becomes a significant challenge and opportunity to more fully express love, hope, and faith.
- What are the current “challenges and opportunities” we face today as the church?
- What sustains us in our efforts to be a part of something much greater than ourselves?
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