The Virtue of Fortitude[1]
Fortitude simply refers to the ability to endure difficulties and sufferings well for the sake of the good. The church father Ambrose spoke of fortitude as “courage of the mind when a man conquers himself, restrains his anger, yields and gives way to no allurements, is not put out by misfortunes, nor gets elated by good success, and does not get carried away by every varying change by some chance wind.”[2] Fortitude is the habit of mind and action of those who are united to Christ to readily bear all things for the sake of the good, even in light of difficulties and sufferings of self and world.
Fortitude is possible, fitting, and necessary.[3] It is possible because, by virtue of Christ’s imputed righteousness, we are brought to life and our soul’s faculties are made new. Fortitude is fitting because the blessed vision of God awaiting us is our source and strength for building our capacity to resist evil and face fear. Fortitude is necessary because, though we have been transferred from darkness to light, that blessed vision awaiting us is not yet realized in full possession.
Importantly, fortitude is determined by its knowledge of and the quality of the good, and thus requires the individual to know what the good is (i.e., God Himself). Particularly, fortitude follows the knowledge of reality that we receive in union with Christ. In other words, courage follows right reason because action follows being; united to the resurrected Christ, we act in that resurrected power. In faith, we are able to be brave for the good. Fortitude is not aimless or haphazard bravery, which is only foolish. Fortitude is not determined by the extent of strength; rather, like the rest of the virtues, its exercise is determined by the object pursued.
2 Corinthians 4:8–12 demonstrates that the power of fortitude comes from the sufferings of Christ and His resurrection power. The life of Jesus was one of suffering, for His gaze was set on those whom the Father had given Him. Christ’s endurance of suffering, even to death, was not only to fulfill the righteous requirements of the law, but to, in unfathomable grace, pour out that righteousness onto His bride so that she would be restored and brought home with Him.
The power of God is powerfully displayed in weakness. It’s when we are afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not abandoned, and struck down but not destroyed, that the life of Jesus is manifested in our weakness, frailty, and dependence. Richard Sibbes notes here that the spiritual person is courageous and strong precisely in the face of opposition: “The more opposition, the more courage he has . . . the more [the early Christians] were opposed, the more they grew . . . The spirit of liberty gives boldness, strength, and courage against opposition.”[4] Fortitude, then, is found where the light of life brings the new covenant’s resurrection power for our communion with Christ. Only here do we persevere in holiness and endure death’s affliction such that thanksgiving increases, all for God’s glory (2 Cor. 4:1–2, 8–12, 14–16).
Word and Prayer
The virtue of fortitude plays a unique role in pastoral ministry. Particularly, it is seen in the ministry of Word and prayer. As the pastor shepherds the flock entrusted to him, his mode of shepherding is administering God’s Word to sinners and sufferers as he intercedes on their behalf. In other words, not only does the virtue of fortitude aid the pastor in his ability to keenly comfort the afflicted and patiently admonish the wayward, but in doing so, those brothers and sisters are equipped to endure on their pilgrimage.
Colombe artistically depicts Lady Fortitude as battling a dragon invading the castle. In literature, dragons and monsters typically represent our own wickedness through the indwelling presence of sin.[5] For Colombe, Lady Fortitude’s dragon is the constant war we all wage against ourselves: “To protect the castle of the soul, we must have the courage to wrangle and destroy our dragons of vice . . . she [Lady Fortitude] reminds us to have the courage to pluck out the dragons lurking in the castle of our hearts.”[6]
This, of course, is how the Apostle Paul depicts the nature of the Christian life in Ephesians 6. It is a battle each and every day. The courageous person therefore must look to God in Christ for help in daily help through training and discipline. This is why Colombe’s sculpture depicts Lady Fortitude wearing protective armor as she leans back on a sturdy pillar. She is clothed with the armor of God (Eph 6:10–17), and “relies on God’s towering strength and power to accomplish her deed.”[7]
This sort of ministry, administering true reality to sinners and suffers, is a most glorious ministry. Pastors have the privilege of administering the truth that Christ’s death removes the evil one’s power and Christ’s resurrection empowers endurance in suffering. Through His sin-bearing death, Christ has accomplished victory over Satan, and the propitiation for sins. Of course, Satan still roams about taunting and mocking. Yet, his (borrowed) power of destruction, God’s wrath, has been removed in Christ’s sin-bearing death. God’s mercy in Christ is our shield, and Satan cannot succeed against it. The divine peace that comes through Christ’s decisive defeat of Satan, achieving and imputing righteousness, and pouring out resurrection power to us creates in us fortitude.
It’s true: sin and suffering remain until Christ’s second advent, which means we have to endure the assaults of hell for a little while longer. But we confess with Peter to Christ: “To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” What other source of power is needed to live the virtue of fortitude? While fear of death, indwelling sin, and the assault of hell are the primary obstacles to being courageous, the victory achieved by Christ’s death and resurrection has put those obstacles to an end.
Preach the Word
Augustine notes: “whoever follows after what is inferior to himself, becomes himself inferior… For if happiness consists in the enjoyment of a good than which there is nothing better, which we call the chief good, how can a man be properly called happy who has not yet attained to his chief good?”[8] While there are several ways to describe the act of preaching, this statement captures the admonishing fervor of a preacher as he heralds to the congregation not to follow self but Christ who is their chief good and happiness.
Following self results in many wounds and casualties. One result is strife which can be conceived as a deficiency of loving peace. Those caught in the vicious circularity of strife have disregarded the chief good, God Himself, and are trapped in their own self-enclosure. In other words, the pastor’s heralding to follow Christ and not self has corporate effects.
The practice of forbearance, closely linked with the virtue of fortitude, lays out the moral responsibility of those loved in Christ to bear with and exhibit long-suffering for our brothers and sisters when they irritate, frustrate, or annoy us, hurt our feelings, or make life more difficult than it already is (Eph. 4:2; Col. 3:13). While forbearance is a command by Christ, it is also a virtue that we cultivate as we endure and live with those around us under the rule of Christ’s peace. Thus, the virtue of fortitude looks like the long-suffering practice of bearing with those who we may want to quarrel with in anger or disregard in strife.
The vice of discord is the deficiency of peace wherein charity is destroyed and self-regard is perpetrated. Gregory says: “let those who sow strife consider the extent to which they sin. For when they perpetrate this particular sin, they also eradicate every virtue that they may have in their heart . . .whoever destroys the charity of his neighbor by sowing strife acts as though he were in the service of God’s enemy.”[9]
In order to practice forbearance, it requires us not to be so easily offended. Proverbs 18:19 notes that those easily offended are more unyielding than a strong city. In contrast, it is those of good sense who find glory in overlooking an offense (Prov. 19:11), and love, by definition, does not keep a record of wrongs (1 Cor. 13:5). In other words, those who exhibit fortitude, by following Christ and not self, are those who are not riddled with fear, distrust, and worry. Since the life of virtue is in accordance with reality, “we should bear all things rather than forsake God.”[10]
[1] This is an edited excerpt from Every Perfect Gift: Classical Virtues for Christian Formation.
[2] Ambrose, De officiis I.36.181. Cited in Webster, God Without Measure, vol. 2, 91.
[3] Webster, God Without Measure, vol. 2, 88–89.
[4] Richard Sibbes, “Excellency of the Gospel Above the Law,” in The Works of Richard Sibbes, vol. 4 (Banner of Truth, 2023), 232.
[5] “Dante’s threeheaded, monstrous Satan is a mirror of our own capacity for evil. Frankenstein’s monster is a mirror of the society who treats him poorly. Odysseus meets a series of monsters that teach him something about his own vices and virtues.” Davis, Beholding by Becoming, 165, n33.
[6] Davis, Beholding by Becoming, 165.
[7] Ibid., 165.
[8] Augustine, Morals, 47–48.
[9] Gregory the Great, Book of Pastoral Rule, 155.
[10] Augustine, Morals, 22.41