The term “virtue signaling” is said to have been coined by a British journalist in 2015. The Cambridge dictionary defines it as “an attempt to show other people that you are a good person, for example by expressing opinions that will be acceptable to them, especially on social media.”
The term is normally used when a person, corporation, or organization expresses an opinion with the appearance that it is primarily to gain credit, make a favorable impression, or otherwise be more highly esteemed in the eyes of another group or a target market. Virtue signaling is so common now, most visibly in the spheres of politics and celebrity, that you could probably point out examples on a daily basis.
“Virtue” is typically defined as moral excellence, goodness, or righteousness. In fact, righteousness or being righteous is one of the most often-mentioned character qualities in the Scriptures. With it comes the idea of proven character. Sadly, what some seek to elevate as virtue today is actually the opposite of what the Bible declares to be righteous.
There is an interesting cross-section of people who are referred to as “righteous” in the New Testament:
- Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth (parents of John the Baptist) were said to be “righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments …” (Luke 1:6);
- Simeon, whom the Holy Spirit told that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah (Luke 2:25);
- Joseph of Arimathea, who supplied the tomb for Jesus’ burial (Luke 23:50); and
- Cornelius, a centurion, declared to be “a righteous and God-fearing man well-spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews …” (Acts 10:22).
These were just ordinary individuals who had developed a reputation of true righteousness. While the term has come into use only recently, virtue signaling has, in fact, been practiced for thousands of years. Jesus exposed some of the most prominent virtue signalers of all: the religious leaders of that day. One example is from Matthew 6:1-2:
“Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men.”
Later, in Matthew 23, Jesus is seen exposing the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees, whose goal in life was apparently to receive the praise of men:
- “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men” (verse 5)
- “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues” (verse 6)
- “For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones.” (verse 27)
- “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (verse 28)
Then right in the middle of these sections of Matthew 23 we see Jesus’ definition of true virtue, in contrast to the false righteousness of the Pharisees: “But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted” (verses 11-12).
We also see the contrast between virtue and virtue signaling back in Matthew 6:
- Regarding giving: “so that your giving will be in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6:4)
- Regarding prayer: “… pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (verse 6)
By this we see what distinguishes “virtue signaling” from actual virtue in the Scriptures: it is all about Whom we are doing it for; it is about our response to what the Lord has graciously done for us – loving Him and others – and not for bringing attention to ourselves.
If we support a cause or carry out a benevolent act out of a motivation to be noticed, we put ourselves in the same category as the Pharisees. If we perform a benevolent act out of love for the Lord and others without any expectations of credit, that would be true virtue. For the one who is virtuous, it’s OK if people don’t notice, and it’s also OK if they do notice, but human recognition is not what the virtuous or righteous person lives for.
So here are a few questions to consider:
- Should you carry out an act of love if you know that it will likely bring you praise? Certainly. God’s command is for us to love our neighbor irrespective of whether we are seen or unseen, and whether or not we are praised. That said, we all have temptations to want to look good in the eyes of others – to signal our own virtue. This is a good time to remember that we as believers are all here only by God’s grace and mercy, and we serve Him out of gratitude. The parable Jesus taught the disciples in Luke 17 reminds us that “we are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done” (verse 10).
- Should you withhold an act of kindness because you think you might be doing it with the wrong motive? No. God says in Proverbs 3:27: “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” Love is about doing what is right even when you may be thinking about how nice it would be to get a pat on the back. Just remember that the Lord is responsible for the results, and you cannot control how people respond. It is the Lord for Whom you are doing it anyway, which is one of the great freedoms we have as believers (Colossians 3:23-24). Ultimately, our peace is not dependent on how people respond.
- Is it wrong to tell people about how the Lord has used you in the lives of others? Certainly not. We learn in Hebrews 10:24, “And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds.” This was happening in a big way in the early church, where they were sharing their possessions with all who had need. But don’t go the route of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-6. They engaged in one of the greatest virtue signaling acts in the Bible when they sold their property to merely look good, dishonestly keeping back some of the price. The primary reason for giving a personal testimony is to minister hope or to give encouragement, recognizing that the basis for living is not our own example, but God’s Word.
- What should be our response if we perceive that others are doing right things with what you think might be the wrong motive? Rejoice anyway! Here we see the example of Paul in Philippians 1:17-18: “the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.”
- To what extent should we try to discern the motives of another person when they carry out a good deed? Not at all. It is not our job to discern a person’s motives. 1 Corinthians 4:5 reminds us that the Lord “will disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”
It is not our job to be the judge of those who appear to be signaling their virtue. Jesus said of the hypocrites three times in Matthew Chapter 6 that “they have their reward in full” (i.e. earthly praise). One of the great blessings of being a Christian is that we don’t have the pressure of seeking worldly praise or of signaling any virtue we may have. While some people may be more visible than others, all of us can be at peace knowing that those who faithfully love and serve others, even in the background, unnoticed, are those who will receive the ultimate commendation: “well done, good and faithful servant.”
Steve Smith