How should a Christian view virtue signaling?

from the old testament

• God is not impressed by outward actions of virtue. He looks beyond outward appearances and examines the heart. When God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint the next king of Israel, Samuel assumed that Jesse's impressive-looking son Eliab must be God's chosen one. But God corrected him, saying: "For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). People often judge based on visible qualities such as appearance, status, strength, or charisma, while God evaluates a person's character, motives, and inner devotion. This is why virtue signaling is a concern: others may be impressed by outward displays of morality or righteousness, but God knows what's truly in a person's heart. 
  
• God hates pride because it elevates self rather than glorifying Him. Proverbs 8:13 says, "The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate," and Proverbs 16:18 warns, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."Virtue signaling can become an expression of pride when a person uses acts of righteousness, compassion, or moral concern to gain admiration, approval, or a reputation for being virtuous. Christians are called to genuinely pursue those things, not to impress others but to glorify God. 
  
• God is not impressed with self-praise. Proverbs 27:2 says, "Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips." We are not to do good deeds to get a pat on the back or to make others notice us. We do good things because we want to reflect God and glorify Him.
• God rejects religious acts performed for appearances. In Isaiah 29:13, God rebuked the people of Judah because they continued to say and do the right religious things outwardly while their hearts remained far from Him: "This people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me." 
  
• Likewise, in Isaiah 58:3–4, the Israelites complained that God seemed to ignore their fasting, but God exposed their hypocrisy, revealing that they were fasting while simultaneously pursuing their own interests and mistreating others: "Behold, in the day of your fast you seek your own pleasure... Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to fight..." Displays of devotion without genuine love, obedience, and repentance are not how God calls us to live. What matters to God is not merely what we do in public but whether our hearts are truly devoted to Him.
• Proverbs 29:25 warns that "the fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe." A person who does virtue signaling shows that they care more about what others think. This is not how God calls us to live.

from the new testament

• Jesus explicitly condemns performing righteousness to gain praise: "Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them" (Matthew 6:1).
• Matthew 6:2 continues to say that giving to impress others is hypocritical: "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do... that they may be praised by others."
• In Matthew 6:5, Jesus was addressing the religious leaders of His day who often prayed publicly in prominent places, not primarily to commune with God, but to be admired by others for their apparent spirituality: "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray... that they may be seen by others." Jesus was not condemning public prayer itself (He frequently prayed publicly), but the motive behind it. The problem was that these individuals were using prayer as a platform to display their righteousness and gain people's approval. This is one of the clearest biblical examples of virtue signaling: taking something genuinely good and turning it into a means of self-promotion. True prayer is directed toward God, not toward an audience, and the desire for God's approval must always outweigh the desire for human praise.
  
• Jesus expressly rebuked religious virtue signaling. In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounced a series of woes against the scribes and Pharisees, the religious leaders of Israel, because they were more concerned with appearing righteous than actually being righteous. He said, "They do all their deeds to be seen by others" (Matthew 23:5), exposing their desire for recognition, honor, and public admiration. Later, He compared the Pharisees to whitewashed tombs: "So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" (Matthew 23:27–28). Their outward displays of holiness concealed hearts that were far from God. The problem wasn't that they performed good deeds but that they used those deeds to cultivate a reputation for righteousness while neglecting genuine obedience, love, and inward transformation.
  
• Christians are called to seek God's approval, not man's. Galatians 1:10 asks us, "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? ... If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." First Thessalonians 2:4 likewise models for us truly good motives for our actions: "We speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts."
• We are called to do good and be virtuous, but our good works should glorify God, not ourselves. Matthew 5:16 says, "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." First Peter 2:12 likewise says, "Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation."
• Love, not self-exaltation, should motivate us in doing good (1 Corinthians 13:3). Philippians 2:3 adds to this: "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."
• At the same time, we must be careful before accusing others of virtue signaling. First Corinthians 4:5 warns, "Do not pronounce judgment before the time... Then each one will receive his commendation from God." Matthew 7:1— 5 also calls us to first check our own hearts, motives, and actions before calling out someone else's sin.

implications for today

You’ve probably seen it before: someone posts a powerful statement about justice or compassion, it gets hundreds of likes, and then a week later they walk past the very need they posted about without stopping. It’s easy to post about Christian things or act a certain way just to get likes, to belong, or to look good to others, without those convictions actually shaping private behavior. Jesus’ warning still lands with force here: it is possible to “do all deeds to be seen by others” (Matthew 23:5 ESV) while the heart remains unchanged.

This does not mean living virtuously or doing good is wrong. We are called to let our “light shine before others” so that people may “see your good works and give glory to your Father” (Matthew 5:16). The difference is direction: virtue signaling directs attention toward self, while true godliness directs attention toward God. One seeks reputation; the other seeks reflection of Christ.

In this digital age, ask yourself: Am I posting for validation and visibility, or out of love and obedience to reflect Christ? Does my life match up to what I am posting? When I do good, am I looking around to see who might notice what I am doing, or do I do it regardless of who sees it because it is the right thing to do and out of love? May we be known for truly seeking to do what is right and loving, not just so others can see. When we do good out of love for God and others, rather than for people's approval, our good works can be acts of worship that point others to Him.