Jesus and Virtue Signalling (Matt 6:1-18)

“Do the right thing.” It’s a common slogan today, stemming in part from its use as the title of Spike Lee’s highly acclaimed 1989 film about race relations in the Bedford-Stuyvestant area of New York City. In today’s politically charged environment, doing the right thing may become virtue signalling or humblebrag, which amount to striking a pose for the approval of our peers.?It’s easy to posture in ways that get your peers’ approval and likes on social media, but is it right?

Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 6:1-18 that virtue signalling has no place in the life of a Christian. Following Jesus isn’t just about the right thing—what we do—it’s about the right motive—how we do it. Our new post shows how Jesus' teaching on giving, praying, and fasting is built on the Old Testament, and how it's also consistent with later Rabbinic teaching.

Our new post links?Matthew 6:1-18 with the greater righteousness that Jesus demanded in Matthew 5:20. It grabs our hearts by asking us why we do the right thing. Are we performing for God’s eternal approval or for the momentary applause of our peers? Who is our audience? What is our motive?

I hope this new post helps you deal Christianly with a very real problem in contemporary culture.

All the best,

David

drdavidlturner.com