The Cardinal Virtues for the Christian Life, Part 3: Practical Wisdom

If anyone was community-minded in our nation’s history, it was Martin Luther King, Jr. He rightly sought the correction of the many injustices inflicted upon African-Americans. But his vision was larger than that. He wanted a better community for everyone. As he said, “I have a dream that one day on the red hills of George the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood” (The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., 260). He called this vision the “beloved community.”

His concern for justice was not limited to African-Americans alone. He understood that injustice degrades not only those who suffer from it but also those who perpetrate it. As he wrote, “We do not seek to remove this unjust system for ourselves alone but for our white brothers as well. The festering sore of segregation debilitates the white man as well as the Negro” (ibid. 145). If that was the goal, what was required to reach it? He needed a lot of practical wisdom both to counteract injustice and to bring people together.

The Need for Wisdom
Anyone who sincerely seeks the good of the community quickly discovers that good intentions are not enough. We need practical wisdom—wisdom to see both the goal and the right means to achieve it.

That is precisely what the Apostle Paul prayed for the church in Philippi. He knew they had love, a genuine affection for the community. What they needed was wisdom to direct that love well. He wrote:

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God (Phil. 1:9–11).

Let’s take this apart. First, Paul wanted them to bear good fruit. That means he wanted them to do and experience genuine good—for themselves, for others, and ultimately for the glory of God.

Second, he knew they already had love. They had the desire to do good and to act for the sake of the community.

Third, he saw that their love needed to abound “in knowledge and depth of insight.” This is wisdom. Love must be informed and directed.

Fourth, this wise love would allow them to “discern what is best.” It was not love grasping for whatever seemed right in the moment. It was love guided by judgment, seeking the best way to help. That is what love does when it is wise.

An Unwise Love
Is an unwise love possible? Certainly. We see examples of it all the time.

People often want to help, but they do so in the wrong way. After the fires in Gatlinburg, mountains and mountains of bottled water arrived in our area. It wasn’t really needed. But people wanted to “do something.”

In that case, the consequences were relatively harmless. But sometimes they aren’t. The classic example is the caterpillar struggling to emerge from its cocoon. That struggle strengthens its wings for flight. Someone may notice the struggle and intervene to help. The immediate goal is achieved, but the caterpillar’s long-term prospects are damaged.

So it is with human beings. We can become so uncomfortable with struggle that we prevent people from learning and growing. And once we fall into that pattern, we often fail to help when people truly do need it. That is why love must be guided by wisdom.

Another example is party-spirit. There is a kind of community-mindedness driven by excessive party zeal. This is a deceptive—even demonic—imitation of true wisdom. It feels right because it claims to serve the community, but it is not rooted in love for the whole community. This is the heart of James’ warning in James 3: that “the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17).

What Does Community-Building Wisdom Look Like?
So, what does this kind of wisdom look like in practice? Scripture gives us a remarkably clear summary in 1 Thessalonians 5:14: “And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” These words reflect four essential aspects of wise, community-building love. It begins with the recognition that not everyone is the same.

There are people who simply cannot do what we are asking. You cannot go from never working out to a 400-pound deadlift overnight. You need steps. The same is true of character. People grow gradually and need wise guidance along the way.

There are also people who are capable but afraid. They need encouragement. This is how God often works with those called to leadership. He says, “I am with you.” Encouragement helps people see what they can do, what resources they already possess, and what others in similar situations have done before them.

There are also people who are doing the wrong things. They need confrontation. One of the most important—and difficult—callings of leadership is confronting what is wrong. It is uncomfortable, but it is necessary for the health of the community.

And with everyone, growth is a process. That is why Paul ends with this command: “Be patient with everyone.” Building people up and strengthening a community takes time. Wise love understands that and remains patient.

This is what love looks like when it is filled with knowledge and depth of insight.

How Do We Get That Wisdom?
We ask. We ask others for counsel, but most of all we ask God. When the young King Solomon looked at the burden of ruling a kingdom, God asked what he desired. Solomon answered simply: “Wisdom.”

God was so pleased with that request that He gave Solomon many other blessings as well.

That same wisdom remains available to us. “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5). Wisdom is available for the asking. That is a promise.

An Encouragement
When Martin Luther King, Jr. confronted the injustice of segregation, he knew change would not come easily. “Lamentably, it is an historical fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily” (Autobiography,191). He could have chosen passivity, or he could have turned to violence. Instead, he concluded, “The way of acquiescence leads to moral and spiritual suicide. The way of violence leads to bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers. But the way of nonviolence leads to redemption and the creation of the beloved community” (ibid., 134).

King chose a means that fit the end he sought: the building of a better community through nonviolent resistance. That path came at great cost and provoked fierce opposition. As he noted, “My friends, I must say to you that we have not made a single gain in civil rights without determined legal and nonviolent pressure” (ibid., 191). In this case, violent action—even if sometimes justifiable—would have led in an entirely different direction. This was wisdom, and our nation is a far better community because of it.

That is what can happen when deep community-mindedness is joined to practical wisdom.

And yet, even wise action often requires us to endure many difficulties and discipline ourselves to do good things. For that, we need two more virtues: resolute endurance (fortitude) and deliberate living (temperance). We shall explain these in our next articles.

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