Be Like Ben (Sort Of...)

The Bible not only defines for us what a truly virtuous life looks like, but empowers us to live a life that reflects the presence of Jesus, who is the picture of true virtue. Ephesians 4 shares a taste of that:
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

You gotta hand it to him - he really, really wanted to live a perfect life.  A life of virtue.  He even wrote that he should try to imitate Jesus - well, and Socrates.  He is regarded as one of the greats among the founders of this country. 

And, while his spirituality might be regarded as a mixed bag, at a moment when it counted, he stood up in a gathering of his deadlocked, stalemated peers and challenged them to depend on God. 

The site was Independence Hall in Philadelphia, the occasion was the drafting of the U.S. Constitution, and the man was Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin was certainly a thinker, an inventor.  And, he was quite inventive in his declaration of standards for personal behavior.  They have been termed his "13 Virtues."  Not necessarily Biblical, but certainly consistent with much of what we believe. 

The website for the Benjamin Franklin Historical Society states:

Benjamin Franklin wrote a list of virtues with the idea of achieving moral perfection on habits useful to him. Soon he found out that the task was more difficult than he had imagined “Habit took the advantage of inattention”. He concluded that bad habits must be broken to prevent slipping and good ones acquired should be established. He intended to fix one habit at a time, attempting the whole at once would distract his attention.

In fact, it has been noted that Franklin kept a chart to track his progress.

The 13 values are as follows: 

1. Temperance
2. Silence
3. Order
4. Resolution
5. Frugality
6. Industry
7. Sincerity
8. Justice
9. Moderation
10. Cleanliness
11. Tranquility
12. Chastity
13. Humility

There are quite a few highlights that you could correlate with Scripture. He emphasized the benefit of silence, writing: "Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself. Avoid trifling conversation." The Bible speaks about the importance of using wise words, words that build up and not tear down, words that are not idle.  James tells us we should be slow to speak and emphasizes the untamable nature of the tongue. 

There's the concept of resolution. Franklin wrote: "Resolve to perform what you ought. Perform without fail what you resolve."  Biblically speaking, under the power of the Holy Spirit, we should be careful to keep our word, to be decisive, and to be diligent to follow through.  We should be people of our word and walk in personal integrity, so that we can generate trust.

Another area is sincerity. According to Franklin, one should "Use no hurtful deceit. Think innocently and justly; and, if you speak, speak accordingly." His next area, in fact, is that of justice. The Bible teaches us that we should show mercy to others, that we should always tell the truth, and that we should exercise good and fair discretion.  

I think you could find Biblical parallels to most, if not all of these. The indication is that Benjamin Franklin was devoted to living a moral life. But, when it comes down to it, he seemed to be someone who believed in the value of Christianity, but did not fully embrace Biblical Christianity. 

Christian historian Thomas Kidd, formerly of Baylor, now at Midwestern Seminary, who wrote a book about Franklin, stated: 

If Franklin truly was a deist, he wasn’t a very good one. Doctrinaire deists believed in a distant Creator, one who did not intervene in human history, and certainly not one who would respond to prayers. Yes, Franklin questioned basic points of Christianity, including Jesus’ divine nature. Yet his childhood immersion in the Puritan faith, and his relationships with traditional Christians through his adult life, kept him tethered to his parents’ religion. If he was not a Christian, he often sounded and acted like one.

Franklin wanted to be virtuous, as we all should.  His way of going about it was apparently sweeping and methodical.  But, we have to possess more than the "want to."  And, granted, there are those who don't seem to want to live a moral life.  If we do, we can find the resources in the Bible to enable us to at least move in that direction. If we're striving to be perfect and using the resources of this world, we will fail. But, we can depend on the direction of the Word and the power of the Spirit in order to live a life that pleases God.   

But, methodology is certainly important. There is a "Ben's Virtues" app that has been developed that is centered around prioritizing his virtues.  Back to the Bible offers the "Go Tandem" app that can be used as a catalyst for spiritual growth by issuing reminders throughout the day about the need to surrender to God in certain areas.  We have the spiritual disciplines, including prayer, Bible study, and numerous resources that can be used for our benefit.  Please allow Faith Radio to be used in your life as a resource in order to spur you on to draw closer to Christ.  Hundreds have gathered today at Wynlakes for the 25th Annual Faith Radio Golf Tournament, which is devoted to not only providing funding for over 20 days of broadcasting, but to facilitate spiritual growth in the lives of our golfers through powerful resources and through fellowship with one another.  Please pray for God to use the Tournament to bring people closer to the Lord.