GOD'S LIGHT FOR THE WORLD

 

Character Development

 

1.   Virtue

2.    Knowledge

3.    Temperance

4.   Patience

5.    Godliness

6.    Brotherly kindness

7.   Charity

 

Colossians 3: 1-25

From the Book “Confrontation” pg 93

We have characters to form here. God will test us and prove us by placing us in positions to develop the most enduring strength, purity, and nobility of soul, with perfect patience on our part, and entire trust in a crucified Saviour. We shall meet with reverses, affliction, and severe trials, for these are God's tests. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver and purge His people as gold and silver that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness. {Con 93.1}  

     The cross of Christ is all covered with reproach and stigma, yet it is the hope of life and exaltation to man. No one can comprehend the mystery of godliness so long as he is ashamed to bear the cross of Christ. None will be able to discern and appreciate the blessings which Christ has purchased for man at infinite cost to Himself, unless they are willing to joyfully sacrifice earthly treasures that they may become His followers. Every self-denial and sacrifice made for Christ enriches the giver, and every suffering and reproach endured for His dear name increases the final joy and immortal reward in the kingdom of glory. {Con 93}. “Confrontation” pg 93

 

 

 

It is in this time of probation that we are to prepare either for eternal life in glory, or for perdition. It is here that we are engaged in the work of character-building; and if we succeed, we shall merit from the Master the welcome, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Christ has gone into the most holy department, and has left us word to watch and pray, lest he return suddenly and find us sleeping. The character which we are now making will come in review before God before Christ leaves the sanctuary. Here God will see what characters we have been building for time and eternity. How shall we stand before the great Eternal? How many sheaves will we have brought to the Master through our earnest efforts? RH, August 18, 1885 par. 9 

 

 

 

Individual differences of temperament and personality can make life interesting and challenging, but the Bible does not categorize people according to temperament or personality. The Scriptures speak of nations and genealogies. They do not classify temperament types. The Biblical classifications of people are always in terms of their relationship to God. Psalm 1 reveals that there are two types of people.

Psalm 1:1-5, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish

When a person gives their heart to Jesus something happens. They are fundamentally changed. Notice what is provided when a person comes to Christ. 2 Peter 1: 2-4, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

The Lord does not have Peter say, "Add virtues to your temperament strengths. Instead he says in verse 5, “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity."

The gospel is not a new life built on the old but it is a new beginning. The text continues. In verse 8,"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Friends, our salvation is by faith in Christ alone. Let's be honest about it. A focus on temperaments is not a focus on Jesus but tends to be a focus on me, me and me. The Christian life is not supposed to be a study of human personality and temperaments but rather a process in which Christ and his character is the focus of our attention.

The Bible makes it easy to grasp when it says, "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (the glory of the Lord is his character. When Moses asks to see the glory of the Lord he shows him his character.)

I wonder what Paul would write to us if he had known to what extent some have carried what we call Christian Psychology. Would he have written something like he wrote to the Galatians? Galatians 1:6-9 " I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed."

 Listen to the words of Jesus that he spoke in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5: 3-16, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

Listen to the Holy Spirit speak through Paul in Galatians 5.19-26, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

"And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another." Galatians 5:22-26

 

Being a Christian does not mean being a person who followed a specific set of rules but rather someone who is committed to becoming a certain kind of person…a person who is like Christ. Christian faith is not about rules so much as it is about character. It is not what you do, it is who you are. The commandments and laws are important, it’s just that our best hope for keeping them is to focus on molding our characters to be more like Christ so that living according to the law of God becomes a natural part of who we are rather than forced from the outside.

Now all of that may be true, but it's not much help to hear unless we're going to also talk about how we go about becoming more like Christ. The passage in Philippians about having the "mind of Christ" which many scholars think represents one of the earliest hymns of the Christian church, I think gives us some clues.

 

 Philippians 1:27  Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Christ Object Lessons pgs330-331

 

God will accept only those who are determined to aim high. He places every human agent under obligation to do his best. Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong-doing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and everyone who receives Christ as a personal Saviour is privileged to possess these attributes.  {COL 330.2} 

     And those who would be workers together with God must strive for perfection of every organ of the body and quality of the mind. True education is the preparation of the physical, mental, and moral powers for the performance of every duty; it is the training of body, mind, and soul for divine service. This is the education that will endure unto eternal life.  {COL 330.3} 

     Of every Christian the Lord requires growth in efficiency and capability in every line. Christ has paid us our wages, even His own blood and suffering, to secure our willing service. He came to our world to give us an example of how we should work, and what spirit we should bring into our labor. He desires us to study how we can best advance His work and glorify His name in the world, crowning with honor, with the greatest love and devotion, the Father who "so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16.  {COL 330.4} 

     But Christ has given us no assurance that to attain perfection of character is an easy matter. A noble, all-round character is not inherited. It does not come to us by accident. A noble character is earned by individual effort through the merits and grace of Christ. God gives the talents, the powers of the mind; we form the character. It is formed by hard, stern battles with self. Conflict after conflict must be waged against hereditary tendencies. We shall have to criticize ourselves closely, and allow not one unfavorable trait to remain uncorrected.  {COL 331.1} 

 

 

 

And so it is as we face the massive task of developing the character of Christ within ourselves. It can seem overwhelming. Others have done it so much better. We stumble and fail so often. How can we possibly do it? Answer?

We can't. Not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord.

 

CHARACTER

Psalm 15:2 He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

Psalm 15:3 He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

Psalm 15:4 In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.

The word character is not found in the Bible anywhere, but there are 58 Scripture verses that speak of the character of man and of God. I will list a few of them at the end of this page for you to check out for yourselves.

WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES PERSONAL CHARACTER MAKE?

It seems that people spend much of their time digging themselves out from personal catastrophes-circumstances that were often years in the making but “suddenly took them by surprise.”

Broken marriages, unwanted pregnancy, financial crisis, problems at work, difficult children are many of the problems. We are our own worst enemies when it comes to doing the right thing.

Two questions arise:

1. Why don't we see and recognize the traps we lay for ourselves?

2. What could we have done to avoid these situations?

In almost every situation, the answer boils down to the same issue: character.

Compromised convictions are: an endangering, especially of reputation; exposure to danger, suspicion, etc.: a compromise of one's integrity.

This is one definition of what it means to compromise one's self. Putting ourselves in harms way, making wrong choices, we compromise our lives in ways that our contrary to the Bible teachings of our God.

Reshuffled or misplaced values. What do you do with a deck of cards, you shuffle them right? You rearrange their sequence. What happens when you misplace something? You temporarily lose it until you remember where you last saw it.

This is what we do to our values, we reshuffle them, misplace them, you can say we put them on the back burner for something we think is better for us, when it is not.

God gives us values to live by, moral values, how to live values, etc. And it is up to us to keep those values pure and untouched by our lustful sides.

And then there is Selfishness. Being self centered, only thinking of self gratification, “whats in it for me mentality.” These people have no cares about anyone other than self. And if it means stepping outside of themselves to help another, or do for another, they would find it a great inconvenience to their plans and an interruption to their lives. Being selfishness is like being on the outside looking in, they are missing out on so much.

Somewhere in all this people have veered off the path of rightness. They are not aware that anything has happened in their lives until things start to go wrong, and that is the beginning of their personal self-made trap.

Your character is who you truly are. It will affect how much you accomplish in this life. It will determine whether or not you are worth knowing. It will make or break every one of your relationships. Your character is instrumental in establishing how long you will be able to hold onto the blessings God has given you. Your character is the internal script that will determine your response to failure, success, mistreatment, pain, crisis, hardships, etc. It reaches into every facet of your life. It is more far-reaching than your talent, your education, your background, or your network of friends. These things can open doors for you, doors that only with Gods help can be opened. Your character determines what happens once you pass through those doors.

You can have all the education in the world and be a stupid person. Ever hear of the expression “book smart and common sense stupid.” I know some of these people, they are family members. College education, psychology degrees, and the most common sense lacking people I know for all their education.

Your good looks and net worth may get you married and if your character is right, will keep you married. God may give you children, but it is your character that will determine your relationship with them. I see trouble brewing with my great nephew who has Aspergers syndrome, a form of autism. Both his parents are in the psychology field and neither one know the right way to help their son. His social skills are terrible, he gets angry and frustrated and the bigger he gets the more these qualities will make it harder for him to exist in the world. There is danger here for him if he cannot learn to live well with others. And that is the fault of parents not walking with God and instilling those values needed for their sons spiritual, mental and physical health.

And your character either paves the way or obstructs the way for the possibility of one day relating to your children as friends. There is nothing wrong with being friends with your child, as long as they understand you are still the parent and values, morals and rules must be followed as put down by Our Father in heaven. We can be friends with God our Father, but we also remember that He is Our Father and must abide by the Commandments He has set down for us.

So what does all this boil down to: How to have the Character of Christ in our lives. How He lived is how we should live, what He did is what we should do. Pure, healthy, loving, giving, merciful, compassionate character. All good attributes to have. But having a good character is not easy to come by. It depends on how you were raised. And if you were raised in a bad home with no morals or values, then it will be very difficult to obtain a good character. You must remove yourself from that situation and call on God to help you onto the road of wellness within yourself. To begin building up that good character that will one day allow us to enter through the gates of heaven.

These are but a few of the verses that can be found regarding ones character and how we are to act and not act in the sight of God and others. So I pray you take them to heart, heed the teachings of Jesus and His heavenly Father and follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit to build up your good character.

Psalm 51:6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Psalm 106:3 Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.

Proverbs 6:16-19 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Proverb 31:10-12 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

Proverb 31:26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

Proverb 31:30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

Jeremiah 17:10 I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Ezekiel 18:5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right,

Ezekiel 18:7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;

Ezekiel 18:9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord GOD.

Luke 8:15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Galatians 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

1Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.