N.T. Wright calls the church back to the rich biblical tradition of virtue ethics—not as a burdensome list of rules, nor as a path to moral self-assertion, but as training for the coming kingdom.
By Dr. Tim Orr
In a time when the culture around us praises self-expression and spontaneous morality, the Christian call to character formation might feel outdated. But N.T. Wright helps us see it differently. He brings us back to a richer tradition—one rooted in Scripture and shaped by the Holy Spirit. For Wright, virtue isn’t about following a list of rules or proving our moral worth. It’s about becoming the kind of people ready for the kingdom of God (Wright, 2010a).
This powerful idea is at the heart of Wright’s teaching: Christian ethics should be shaped by where history is going. In other words, the future God promised—renewed creation, bodily resurrection, and Christ’s return—should shape how we live now. Our moral compass isn’t just about avoiding sin or feeling good about ourselves. It’s about living today in light of what’s coming tomorrow (Wright, 2008).
This challenges the common assumption in the church that salvation is all about going to heaven when we die. Wright reminds us this view owes more to medieval philosophy than the New Testament (Wright, 2008). Paul, for instance, tells us that Jesus will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body (Phil. 3:20-21). The goal isn’t to escape the world but to be part of God’s restored creation.
That hope gives weight to how we live today. Romans 8 shows us that the Spirit is already at work, shaping us, even as we long for the final redemption. Wright puts it this way: we’re not yet who we will be—but by God’s grace, we’re becoming that person (Wright, 2010a).
Wright draws from Aristotle’s idea of virtue ethics to explain how character is formed. Aristotle believed that repetition and practice shaped moral habits over time (Aristotle, 2009). You become virtuous by doing virtuous things, over and over. For Aristotle, this training aimed at personal excellence or civic virtue. But for Christians, the goal is the kingdom of God.
Wright offers a striking example of Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, who calmly landed a plane on the Hudson River after both engines failed. That kind of quick, wise action wasn’t just instinct. It came from years of disciplined training. In the same way, Christians are called to form godly reflexes—moral instincts shaped by Scripture, prayer, worship, and service. These aren’t dead rituals or ways to earn favor with God. Spirit-filled rhythms train us to live like Jesus (Wright, 2010a).
And unlike Aristotle’s idea of self-made virtue, Christian virtue is marked by humility and love. The goal isn’t power or pride—it’s communion with Christ and loving service to others. As 1 Peter 2:9 says, we are a "royal priesthood," called not to dominate but to reflect God’s wise and gracious rule in the world.
Wright also highlights three virtues that prepare us for eternity: faith, hope, and love. These aren’t just temporary commands or religious feelings. They are the very language of God’s coming world (Wright, 2010a).
Love, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13, is the greatest because it never ends. Love is how we’ll speak in the age to come. Practicing it now isn’t just obedience—it’s rehearsal for eternity. Hope isn’t vague positivity; it’s rooted trust that God will make everything new. Faith is cultivated confidence in God’s character and promises. These are not feelings we fall into—they’re ways of thinking, acting, and living that must be learned.
Like learning a new skill, growing in virtue can initially feel awkward. Wright compares it to holding a golf club the right way. It may feel unnatural initially, but it becomes second nature with practice. So it is with the Spirit-shaped life (Wright, 2010b).
Another key point Wright makes is that the fruit of the Spirit doesn’t just happen. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and the rest (Gal. 5) are not automatic results of becoming a Christian. They require cultivation—intentional effort and cooperation with the Spirit’s work (Wright, 2010a).
Paul tells us to "keep in step with the Spirit" (Gal. 5:25), which means we have a part to play. God empowers us, but we must respond. Wright contrasts this with a common misunderstanding that says the Spirit will do everything for us. But real virtue involves effort. It includes moments of resistance, discernment, and the courage to do what’s right, even when it’s hard (Wright, 2010a).
Some fruits, like self-control, are especially telling. Joseph’s refusal to sin with Potiphar’s wife and Jesus’ rejection of Satan’s temptations (Gen. 39; Matt. 4) show that spiritual maturity includes the ability to say "no" when it matters most. These choices don’t come from nowhere. They result from being trained by the Spirit over time (Wright, 2010a).
Finally, Christian character is formed in community. The church is not just a place for worship—it’s a training ground for moral formation. In a culture obsessed with individualism, this is countercultural, but it’s essential (Wright, 2010a).
Virtue is formed in small groups through mentorship, confession, worship, and shared mission. It’s modeled in Celebrate Recovery programs, Alpha groups, and justice ministries. The early church changed the Roman world through humility, patience, chastity, and charity—values the wider culture saw as weak or foolish. They did it not by shouting louder but living differently (Stark, 1996).
That’s still our calling. In a confused world, the church can offer a compelling moral vision—not by blending in but by standing out with love, integrity, and hope. As Wright puts it, we are called to "collaborate without compromise and critique without dualism" (Wright, 2010b).
N.T. Wright’s vision challenges us to rethink Christian ethics. It’s not about earning salvation or following rules for their own sake. It’s about growing into the kind of people who are ready for the world God is making (Wright, 2010a).
Through the Spirit’s power and our willing participation, we can become people of love, joy, peace, and self-control—people who will feel right at home in the new creation. In a world that feels increasingly fractured, this isn’t just helpful—it’s urgent.
Nicomachean ethics (W. D. Ross, Trans.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published ca. 350 BCE)
Stark, R. (1996). The rise of Christianity: How the obscure, marginal Jesus movement became the dominant religious force. HarperOne.
Wright, N. T. (2008). Surprised by hope: Rethinking heaven, the resurrection, and the mission of the church. HarperOne.
Wright, N. T. (2010a). After you believe: Why Christian character matters. HarperOne.
Wright, N. T. (2010b, March 18). After you believe: Ethics, character and virtue [Lecture]. New York Society for Ethical Culture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukyNU51OcnA
Tim serves full-time with Crescent Project as the assistant director of the internship program and area coordinator, where he is also deeply involved in outreach across the UK. A scholar of Islam, Evangelical minister, conference speaker, and interfaith consultant, Tim brings over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural ministry. He holds six academic degrees, including a Doctor of Ministry from Liberty University and a Master’s in Islamic Studies from the Islamic College in London.
In addition to his ministry work, Tim is a research associate with the Congregations and Polarization Project at the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture at Indiana University Indianapolis. His research interests include Islamic antisemitism, American Evangelicalism, and Islamic feminism. He has spoken at leading universities and mosques throughout the UK—including Oxford University, Imperial College London, and the University of Tehran—and has published widely in peer-reviewed Islamic academic journals. Tim is also the author of four books.