Honor is a lost virtue. Honor, defined loosely as living up to the expectations of a group through keeping faith, promises, and truthfulness, is traditionally linked to free, adult males and is difficult to justify against universalist ethical theories. Honor has historically been central to political and commercial life, especially in a social context where individuals can bind themselves.

Modern philosophers often view honor as superficial compared to consequentialist and deontological ethics, yet some, like Aristotle, considered it the pinnacle of virtue. Honor’s commitments are socially contextual and non-contractual, relying on individual capacity and varying by society. It is seen as a measure of one’s ability to fulfill promises and display power. The concept faces challenges, such as its association with status and reputation, its misattribution to groups, and its alignment with the moral standards of its social context. While adaptable to enlightened concerns, honor’s non-universal nature may conflict with modern ethical intuitions like international human rights.

Despite its perceived primitiveness and association with questionable principles, like lawless gangs or vigilantism, honor remains significant in various forms. Honor cultures were much more common in the past, and it has grown to mean many things. Some relate it to valor, chivalry, and honesty; others connect it to a quality of worthiness and respect in relation to social standing. Socially, it has been connected to a code or a code of honor, or a kind of social norm that is understood and respected, and obeyed. It can cut to the core of what defines the elevated status of humanity: the dignity and respect owed to humans in virtue of being human. Of course, this dignity must be upheld and deserving through one’s actions.

The honor however does not come from our own pride, historical legacy, or honor of our tribe. The honor of the tribe is closer. We must remove ourselves completely from the equation. We must be honorable because we are a representative of Christ. Our honor is also not motivated by domination and superiority; rather, it is motivated by love and aligning ourselves with God. If anything, we seek to attain superiority over sin, but not over sinful people—this is an important distinction.

Through the Christian lens, honor is a duty. We must honor God, honor strangers, honor our intimates, and honor ourselves. We must align ourselves with the code of conduct worthy of Christians. Obedience to commands, while it is a small part of our relationship with Christ, is crucial and must not be taken lightly. Obedience and honor flows naturally from a loving relationship, but sin corrupts and we must always be conscience of honor to algin ourselves properly with God again.

Honor is closely related to holiness. We have to maintain holiness and strive to go beyond our sinful nature. The principles we follow from our relationship with Christ must be as important to us as the chase for glory is important for the warrior. We must enthusiastically uphold righteousness and high standards of Christ.

The lost virtue of honor must be on the minds of contemporary Christians. Drawing hard lines and doing things out of obedience is forgotten in this age of liberalism and self-reliance. To think that we are the arbiters of the code of conduct and that we can prioritize our desires over being honorable is hubris. We must humble ourselves. We must act honorably.