Christian Character - Conclusion

As I wrap this up, let us remember that these character traits are not meant to represent every Christian trait nor should they be used as some sort of test.  I just chose to focus on those first few verses spoken by Jesus that appeared to me to represent the character of a Christian.

First, let us list those verses from Matthew 5:3-9:

·        Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

·        Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

·        Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

·        Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

·        Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

·        Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

·        Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.

From these verses we dove into what they mean and how they represent Christian character.  I believe that we can describe Christ Followers as those who are humble before God and mourn because of what sin does.  They are those who are gentle and exercise self-control who earnestly desire those things approved by God. They are compassionate and forgiving with a single-minded motivation, attitude, and desire for that which pleases God. They are ones who seek to establish a true God sourced peace.

It is hard for me to read what I have just written because I know of times where I have failed to demonstrate this Christian character and to my shame chose my own selfish ways knowing how I ought to behave.

Since we have been discussing Christian character in this series it would probably be wise to touch on just what “character” is.  Merriam-Webster defines character as “the way someone thinks, feels, and behaves: someone's personality.”

Notice that there are no conditions as part of that definition.  It does not say that character is someone’s personality only on Sundays or only in public.  Character is who we are every second of every day of our lives.  Character is who we are when no one is looking and when everyone is looking.

I have seen a person with two different characters in a given week; their “Sunday” character and their “rest of the week” character.  I see only two ways that someone could present more than one character over that short of a time span.  Either they are acting or have a personality disorder.  Speaking from personal experience, I think acting is probably the answer to most of these situations.  People are who they are until Sunday and then on Sunday they act like they think Christians should.

If we are regenerated and reconciled with God, then how is it possible to have more than one character without some significant internal conflict when we act contrary to who we are in Christ?  And if we have that internal conflict how then are we not making a conscious choice to do those things that are contrary to the character of a Christ follower?  Shouldn’t we feel guilt and shame for what is basically our sins?  Maybe that is why we are trying to eliminate all things that remind us of where we fail so we no longer feel any guilt or shame.  I will save that for another blog post.

I think Matthew 5:3-9 gives us a good idea of what the character of a Christ follower is.  I believe that these traits are very important because Jesus made a point to speak about them.  How many of these traits can you identify within yourself?  How many are missing?


Previous posts in the series:
Christian Character
Poor in Spirit
They That Mourn
The Meek
Those Who Hunger and Thirst
The Merciful
Pure In Heart
The Peacemakers