In what has become President Nelson’s final conference talk, he invited all of us to increase in virtue to grow our confidence before God. In studying virtue since that time, I have realized that I cannot find a definition of the word virtue that clearly encompasses all the ways that we typically use it, or even clearly explains what President Nelson meant by “virtue” in his talk. As I have searched, I’ve realized that there are three main ways that the word virtue is typically used in the scriptures and in General Conference and in everyday Latter-day Saint speech. First, we often use virtue to mean chastity or sexual purity. Second, we also use the word virtue to mean a kind of power, the power by which Jesus accomplished some healings or the power of the word of God (see Luke 6:19 or Alma 31:5 for examples). Third, we often use the term virtue to mean “the virtues,” as in a person is virtuous when they have developed and integrated a set of high moral principles into their life. When we talk about virtue we often mean one or more of these things.
So a good, comprehensive definition of “virtue” would account for each of these approaches. Having virtue should give us power, but chastity has to be an important component of it. And virtue is deeply bound up with other important actions and characteristics. Based on this, here is how I have come to define virtue: virtue is a desire to enter into and maintain proper covenantal relationships with others, especially God. Virtue is also the power that comes from these relationships. I think this adequately encompasses our common usages of virtue, makes it clear how those usages relate to each other, and points us toward clear steps for increasing virtue in our lives.
If we think about virtue as a desire to enter into proper covenantal relationships with others, it explains why chastity is so important to virtue. Marriages are fundamental to our understanding of covenants, and keeping sexual desire in its proper place is very important to maintaining all covenantal relationships. But seen from the perspective of covenants, virtue is not just about chastity. There are all kinds of covenantal relationships, such as between parents and children, or the baptismal covenant that binds us to other church members in particular ways. Virtue is about those relationships as well. Thus, chastity is foundational, but it does not explain all of the positive aspects of all the varieties of covenantal relationships we are supposed to enter into.
At the same time, it is clear how different lists of virtues and standards fit into this definition. The characteristics and habits these lists describe are valuable for building and maintaining these relationships. Every relationship needs a dose of humility. We are not making it through eternity without diligence. Honesty is the foundation of good relationships. And so on down your preferred list of virtues. Developing and using these characteristics is what allows us to function well within the web of relationships that come from a life of virtue. They are the means to accomplishing virtuous goals.
Finally, virtue is a kind of power. Covenantal relationships are a deep source of power in many ways. In a very basic way, having a network of people you are committed to means you can rely on them when you need help. But virtue goes deeper than this. When we truly desire to be connected with others, we are tapping into God’s work and glory. It is particularly telling that the scriptural uses of the word virtue to mean power are usually related to establishing or mending relationships. Thus, “virtue” goes out of Jesus when a woman unexpectedly reaches out to him in a crowd. Alma tries the “virtue” of the word of God to reclaim a group of disaffected Nephites. Making covenants to build and repair relationships is what God’s power is all about, so virtuous actions will be met with power.
Understood as the desire to form covenantal relationships, virtue is deeply necessary in our day. Loneliness, rage, and distrust are tearing communities apart across the world. In his talk, President Nelson mostly focused on the individual effects of cultivating virtue: “Virtue will free you from anxious, troublesome thoughts.” This is true. Adding the pure desire to connect with others will make us more resilient in the face of anxiety and temptation. But at the same time, imagine how an increase of virtue, of desires to form covenant bonds, would affect us at a societal scale. Imagine how the world would be different if everyone focused more on building and sanctifying eternal relationships. The more I have learned about virtue, the more I see President Nelson’s final talk as a deeply inspired prophetic message for our times.