Growing with Respect to Character (Part 2)
5. Perseverance (Patience) (2 Peter 1:6). This concept naturally flows from the preceding one. Enduring various trials produces patience (James 1:2-4). We all like to be in control of our lives, but patience is forged when we submit to adverse circumstances, whether created by life's problems or other individuals. As dismal and as heartbreaking as such experiences are, they have the benefit of teaching us patience, if we allow them to profit us.
6. Godliness (2 Peter 1:6). To become like God should be the obvious goal of all Christians. Millions of people belong to health clubs because they want to keep their physical bodies in shape, yet how many are as concerned about their souls? “For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Tim. 4:8). Godliness is much more important than the possession of material things we so often prize (1 Tim. 6:6). Few compliments can characterize the life of a Christian better than to be called godly.
7. Brotherly Kindness (2 Peter 1:7). The difference between this quality and the next one is that agape requires doing what is in someone else's best interest (1 Thess. 5:15), but philadelphia adds a positive element to it. We can act in someone's best interest yet not feel kindly-affectioned toward him. But with brethren such should be the case. Sometimes, brethren disappoint us—perhaps because we have the highest expectations of them. The mature Christian can rise above petty slights—real or imagined. “Let brotherly love continue” (Heb. 13:1).
8. Love (2 Peter 1:7; Gal. 5:22; Col. 3:14). Is there any concept dealt with more frequently in the New Testament, whether it be Jesus' charge to His disciples to “love one another” (John 13:34-35; 15:12-13) or John's requirement of demonstrating our love by laying down our lives for each other (1 John 3:16)? Truly, Jesus is the greatest example of this characteristic. He showed His love for us by dying on the cross for us while we were yet sinners (Rom. 5:8). Can we deny the Father's love for us, since He has given us life and breath and all things (Acts 17:25)—and then, even though we rebelled against Him, He redeemed us through Christ? We also must love those outside the church who remain lost. By doing so we will be like God.
9. Joy (Gal. 5:23). People are not usually drawn to anyone with a perpetual frown on his face. Over the years, we have learned not to ask certain people, “How are you?” The dissertation that follows will likely last at least an hour. After enumerating personal problems, next follows a litany of bad news about all the relatives and neighbors, down to the current plight of someone's pet gerbil. Of course, all Christians face problems, but Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10). Even though the outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:16). Paul was in prison when he said, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, Rejoice!” (Phil. 4:4). Joy does not depend on outward conditions but one's relationship with God.
10. Peace (Gal. 5:22; Col. 3:15). Likewise, conditions may be turbulent all around us, yet we can still experience peace with God. Jesus was so peaceful that He slept in the boat when it was being tossed about (Mark 4:35-41). When they woke Him, He made the sea peaceful. We do not possess such wondrous power, but we can, through self-control, keep ourselves peaceful. At Jesus' trial, He was the only one who was calm; none of those who condemned Jesus had peace within themselves. We must allow the peace of God to rule our hearts. Do Muslims look as if they have peace? Let someone threaten to burn the Qur'an, and then watch how peaceful they look. Muhammad does not inspire peace either internally or externally. As it was said of Ishmael, so it yet applies: “His hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him” (Gen. 16:12). Let all Christians “seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:11).
11. Longsuffering (Gal. 5:22; Col. 3:12). Paul begins with two characteristics of love: “Love suffers long and is kind” (1 Cor. 13:4). James states it in the opposite way: “…let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (1:19). Kneejerk reactions are seldom helpful; however, neither is unwillingness to talk to someone or to answer questions. Sometimes a reporter will take a camera and try to interview someone outside his house or in an office where he works. The politician, judge, or professor will keep insisting, “Make an appointment for an interview.” Invariably, the reply will be, “Sir, we left thirteen messages, and none of them has been returned.” Likewise, some brethren could have avoided many problems if they had just been honest and upfront. All of us must practice being longsuffering—as God is with us.
12. Kindness (Gal. 5:22). This word is also translated as “goodness” (“gentleness” in the King James). It is the same word used to describe God: “Behold, the goodness and severity of God…” (Rom. 11:22). Longsuffering is more passive, and we think of it in terms of what we must sometimes endure. Kindness or goodness is not something we just exude while standing still; it implies taking an active part in helping others. Do we take the initiative in finding ways to exercise the “Golden Rule”? We cannot just refrain from harming others; we must do for them what we would like them to do for us.
13. Goodness (Gal. 5:22). Although it may seem like the previous term (both can be translated “goodness”), this word [19] is a form of the Greek word, agathos [18], which is usually translated “good.” Christians are called upon to do good (Rom. 13:3; 1 Peter 3:11; 3 John 11). Paul also wrote that the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth (Eph. 5:9). If we are bearing fruit for God and trying to be like Him, then certainly one of our greatest qualities will be that of goodness. Can others observe this quality in us?
14. Gentleness (Meekness) (Gal. 5:23; Col. 3:12). Akin to humility, meekness is not the absence of power, but power under control. Jesus, for example, certainly had the power to prevent His crucifixion, but He submitted to ungodly men in order to accomplish something greater than His own deliverance; His meekness brought about our deliverance—from sin. Not using whatever power we possess can also prove advantageous.
15. Tender Mercies (Col. 3:12). The last six attributes of a mature character are listed among the new clothing that Christians must put on. The verb form of this word [4697] is invariably translated “compassion.” The noun [4698] refers in general to the inward organs of man (heart, liver, spleen) and is translated as “bowels” in the King James. Tender is an excellent choice to portray the personal feelings of warmth from within that are extended towards others. As with love, mercy is something that we truly need from God—and which we also must grant to one another.
16. Humbleness of Mind (Col. 3:12). Humility is often referred to in the Scriptures as an essential quality of God's children. Sometimes, just the concept can be seen. “Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another” (Rom. 12:10). “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:3). One must be humble to even enter into the kingdom of heaven. Those who are rich in spirit cannot. Many will not put truth ahead of what father or mother (or spouse) believed; they will not deny a feeling they once had or face the possibility that they are not yet a Christian. Truly their pride will lead to their own destruction (Pro. 16:18). Humbleness of mind was demonstrated by Jesus, and we are to think as He did (Phil. 2:5-8).
17. Bearing with One Another (Col. 3:13). One can readily see how the principle of bearing with others applies to God. Jesus once asked: “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?” (Matt. 17:17). He must have felt that way toward His disciples on a few occasions. That being the case, we must bear with one another, also. How often do we disappoint each other and fail to live up to others' expectations? Dwelling on such matters will leave us discouraged and pessimistic; thinking on things of good report provides encouragement (Phil. 4:8). Unfortunately, some do not bear with (endure) sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4:3), and this attitude has hurt the church immensely. Bearing with false teachers is not a virtue; Christians must be patient and bear with each other—not false doctrine!
18. Forgiving One Another (Col. 3:13). This is a part of bearing with one another's weaknesses and offenses. Jesus provided a way for us to deal with offenses and misunderstandings; it is called communication. Go to the brother and try to resolve the problem between yourselves alone. Failing that approach, then involve one or two more in order to establish the facts. Withdrawal of fellowship may be necessary (Matt. 18:15-17). Likewise, if one knows that a brother has something against him, he needs to go and talk with him (Matt. 5:23-24). Forgiveness is difficult to procure without communication.
19. Be thankful (Col. 3:15). For how many things ought we to be thankful? The list is indeed lengthy, and it includes both physical benefits and spiritual blessings. Thanksgiving is to be a regular part of our prayers (Phil. 4:6). As we are built up in Christ and established in the faith, we must abound in it “with thanksgiving” (Col. 2:7). God's people have always had much to be grateful for; sometimes we have been unappreciative. Instead of praising Him in the wilderness for their deliverance from Egypt and the daily manna, they grumbled about not having the fish, “the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic” that they had in Egypt. God was not pleased with their ingratitude. The Gentiles had previously been rejected by God because they were not thankful (Rom. 1:21). No wonder that Paul commands: “Do all things without murmuring and disputing” (Phil. 2:14). Being thankful is the positive aspect of that principle.
20. Let the Word of Christ Dwell in You Richly (Col. 3:16). The Word is said to dwell in us as we listen to it and live accordingly. Knowledge was already listed (#3), but here is emphasized the additional step of the information needing to be internalized and applied. The adverb translated “richly” is derived from the adjective rendered “rich,” which is found in many verses, such as the farmer in Luke 12:16, the rich man who ignored Lazarus, the ones James denounced (5:1-6), and the Laodiceans, who mistakenly confused material wealth with spiritual well-being (Rev. 3:17). In other words, just as Christians must be rich in good works (1 Tim. 6:18), they also need to be rich in allowing the Word of God to influence their lives. We must have more than a casual acquaintance with God's revelation to us. It should be known, repeated, memorized, and in our thought processes in our daily living. We will better able to resist temptation (Psa. 119:11; Matt. 4:4). If the Bible is merely the book on a shelf, it will have no relevance to life's situations. The Word dwelling in us richly can prepare us for the crises we continually face.
CONCLUSION
As these twenty points indicate, going on to perfection entails more than just a few words in a phrase. Growing and maturing in Christ may be easy to say and advocate, but it is much more difficult to actually accomplish. But we are not done yet; one more principle remains that applies to the entire process. As Peter began to talk about the things that needed to be added to faith, he said that we are to give all diligence in doing so. In other words, it must be a priority. Spiritual growth must be one of the highest goals we have in our lives. Most people exercise great diligence in earning a living and paying their bills. Is as much effort devoted to this necessity? Is our daily physical food a priority while our spiritual sustenance is optional?
Christian parents demonstrate great concern over their children's secular education and by comparison relative indifference to their spiritual education. The same parents who insist on staying home from Bible study on Wednesday night so that their children can finish their homework or study for a test are often the same ones who will not be certain that their offspring have memorized Scriptures or completed a Bible lesson. The result of this type of thinking is that young people reach adulthood ready to pursue a career, but they have fallen away from the church. This predicament does demand us to choose one or the other. Both can occur. A rich indwelling of the Word will help preserve the spiritual health of our youth.
We do not know the reason that John Mark left Paul and Barnabas on that first missionary journey, but he did (Acts 13:13). When the time came to begin a second journey, Paul refused to take Mark with them; he apparently thought that the same thing might happen again. Perhaps he thought Mark needed more maturity, or maybe he was just exhibiting stubbornness himself. At any rate, “the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another” (Acts 15:39). Barnabas and Mark sailed to Cyprus, and Paul took Silas to accompany him. What happened with Mark in the intervening years we do not know, but at the end of Paul's life he wrote to Timothy: “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry” (2 Tim. 4:11). Mark had demonstrated his true worth; he had grown as a Christian and as a worker. Paul recognized his value. How wonderful it is that the last word on this relationship is not recorded in Acts 15!
Achieving the right character is a difficult process that depends upon our receiving the Word of God richly and diligently applying what we learn. Mature Christians need to be observed by those in the world; they already see enough hypocrisy and imperfections. Members of the body of Christ also need good examples to follow. It always detracts from the Christian message when two workers devoted to Christ cannot get along with each other. Paul had to admonish Euodia and Syntyche in that regard (Phil 4:2). However, as long as the church consists of human beings, we will face such situations. Let us all remember, however, the goal of maturity that God set before us.
[These points were taken from the author's manuscript, “Growing With Respect to Character,” which appeared in our 6th Annual One Day Lectureship in 2010: Spiritual Growth. Next week's frontpage article was the conclusion of this study.]