How you can build
RIGHTEOUS CHARACTER
We
understand and believe it is God's purpose to build holy, righteous
character in human beings. But just what is character? Why is it such a
primary objective in our Christian lives? Do you really know HOW to
produce GODLY character?
by Albert J. Portune
CHARACTER could be simply defined like this: "Character is that moral
or spiritual force within us which impels one to unyielding integrity."
We concede that a person has character when in the absence of external
constraint or coercion, he or she inherently chooses the path of right,
honesty, fairness, goodness and equity.
Character is not expressed by forced conformity to a prescribed
standard of conduct. But character is expressed and strengthened when
that conduct springs from free choice of the individual.
Not Born With Character
We are not born with that kind of Character. We don't inherit character
as we might inherit a strong body, or black hair, or blue eyes, or the
height of our frame. We can't be given character. Character is a
spiritual and moral force that DEVELOPS within a person.
But character is difficult to measure. Two people may have character,
but they will probably differ in the strength of that character - the
strength of which can only be expressed by the degree or amount of
temptation, pressure or trial necessary to overpower that level of
inner moral or spiritual force.
A has character. B has character. Subject the two of them to the same tests, trials, pressures and temptations.
One may yield, the other may not. The one who doesn't yield has DEEPER character than the one who does.
When we are under extreme pressure, temptation and stress - and still
choose the RIGHT course of action - then our character is deep. But
when we compromise under moderate conditions of stress and pressure,
then our character is shallow.
Peter's Example
Just before His crucifixion, Jesus said to His disciples, "All ye shall
be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite
the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad"
(Matt. 26:31).
But Peter - impetuous as he was - felt that he had the moral force
within him to stay steadfast no matter what would occur. "Though all
men shall be offended because of thee" answered Peter, "yet will I
never be offended" (verse 33).
However, Jesus well knew Peter's weakness and replied, "Verily I say
unto thee, that this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me
thrice" (verse 34). But again Peter responded: "Though I should DIE
with thee, yet will I not deny thee" (verse 35).
Later on, Peter did deny Christ. The moral, spiritual force within
Peter was not strong enough to cause him to stay steadfast and loyal to
Christ.
That same evening, another of the maids saw Peter and said, "This
fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth." And he denied Him again! He
lied! He broke several of the very commandments of God that Jesus
Christ had taught.
After awhile still others came to him and said, "Surely you also are
one of them; for your speech betrays you." Then Peter began to curse
and swear, saying, "I DON'T KNOW THE MAN"! (verses 71-75.)
Again, Peter's character failed the test.
Then the cock crowed! Peter remembered Jesus had told him he would do
this very thing, and he wept bitterly. This trauma in Peter's life so
moved him that he repented deeply, and the remembrance of the
experience helped him to become a powerful leader in God's Church".
Daniel's Three Friends
Let's review another example, this time in the third chapter of Daniel.
Nebuchadnezzar made a huge image of gold and commanded everyone to fall
down and worship it when the orchestra played. But Shadrach, Meshach
and Abednego refused. They knew God's command said NOT to bow down and
worship idols. And so they were facing a test of their character!
Notice verse 14: "Nebuchadnezzar spake and said
unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, do not ye
serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?"
"Now listen, I'll be fair with you," Nebuchadnezzar may have whispered.
"Forget the past - what you have said. You just be ready at the time
you hear the sound of the music. If you will fall down next time, and
henceforth, and worship the image I have made, O.K."
"But if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour [before an hour
is gone] into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God
that shall deliver you out of my hands?" (Verse 15.)
It was a very clear-cut choice. There could be no compromise, no way out. "Either you WILL bow down - or you DIE"
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego answered and said to the king, O
Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it
be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning
fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if
not [if He doesn't choose to spare our lives], be it known unto thee, O
king, that we will NOT serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image
which thou hast set up" (verses 16-18).
They wrote their own death warrant!
"Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury. ..." You can well imagine - the
great king had dignified the episode by calling a special meeting,
bringing these men personally before him and saying, "I am going to
play the music again, and this time YOU ARE GOING TO BOW DOWN, or you
are going to Die" And these three men of God stood right up to him and
said they would NEVER worship the golden image!
"... and the form of his visage was changed . . ." (verse 19). You know the rest of the story. But what is the lesson?
A choice had to be made. And that spiritual and moral force that was
within Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego impelled and empowered them to
choose the right, no matter what the cost!
What about your OWN character? How much character do you really have?
And most important of all - is it growing or is it declining? Arc you
consistently making the right choices and following through?
Each of us in God's Church has our own level of character. None of us
has been tested in the way Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were - but
our character is being tested! For there has never been a time in all
the history of this era of God's Church since I have been in it that
the tests and trials have been as deep and as profound and poignant and
real as they are this year!
The Character of God
Character is that one element in God's Plan and in God's Kingdom which even God cannot create at WILL by divine fiat.
God can't just say, "Let there be character," and suddenly there is
character! It just doesn't come into being that way. Character cannot
be made instantaneously because it is a quality of choice - something
that we have to develop gradually out of choosing the right and then
DOING IT.
If God had created us so that we would ALWAYS do right, under every
circumstance, automatically - because there was no other possibility
for us - we could have no character. We would be programmed individuals
- like mechanical robots. God could create that kind of being by the
millions, but we would never be sons of God! For unless there is a
choice to go one way or the other - there is no character involved.
If the Father, or the Son, had no choice, they would have no character
either. But God is a God of choice! And God has character so deep, so
profound, so perfect, that His eternal performance is absolute! The
backup of all His laws is not "automatic" in the sense that He cannot
under any circumstances cause things to happen otherwise. If that were
true, God would not be God. But God, through His righteous character,
will always do right because He does have perfect character.
God has such righteous character that the choice is never a problem,
God CHOOSES that He will never lie, for example - that is why God will
never lie. God's Law will ALWAYS go straight down the line, and you can
depend on it - because of God's character!
It is important to realize that, brethren.
That kind of character is what we are to be developing as the begotten
sons of God - the kind of ABSOLUTE right performance that comes from
the strong, spiritual and moral force from within, which will always
produce right, good, holy, proper conduct.
Such conduct is not automatic! But it can be developed through
continued making of RIGHT CHOICES, even under duress or stress of
temptation.
Result of Wrong Choice
But let's notice an outstanding example of a wrong choice. Commencing
in Ezekiel 28:12, we read: "Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the
king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest
up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in
Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering . . .
the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in
the day that thou wast CREATED. Thou art the anointed cherub that
covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of
God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Thou wast PERFECT in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till
iniquity was found in thee."
This "anointed cherub" was Lucifer, an angelic being of the very highest order - who had the ability of choice.
Now notice Isaiah 14:12-15: "How art thou cut down to the ground, which
didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart [because
you had the ability to think, the ability to weigh, the ability to
rationalize and to compare and to CHOOSE], / will [I CHOOSE TO] ascend
into heaven, I will exalt my throne ABOVE the stars of God [all the
other angels of God]: I will sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north [that's where God's throne is]:
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like THE MOST
HIGH. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. "
Under the stress of temptation and lust, Lucifer CHOSE to do evil. A
high angelic being made the wrong choice - he chose to rebel. That's
how he became the devil!
Why Character Is So Important
Satan is going to wander in the blackness of darkness forever, foaming
out his own shame (see Jude 13) because he compromised his character.
He disqualified himself from his position as one of the covering
cherubim over the very throne of the Creator of the universe! He was
thrown out of heaven and soon will be driven out of his office on earth
because he did not CHOOSE to exercise self-restraint, to utilize
character to obey God's Law always.
Is character important? It was in Satan's case! And what about yours? Do you think it is important to be in the Kingdom of God?
God is reproducing Himself. But He can't make Sons of God without
character. To become Sons of God, we must develop character that is
like God's. Character like His Son's who now sits at His right hand.
Without character like that, His Kingdom simply cannot be
expanded.
Every single one of us has been called to be a king., a priest and a
ruler in the World Tomorrow. Each of us makes choices in our homes, in
our cars, on our jobs, or wherever we are every day. If we compromise
with what we know is right, do you think it is important to the Creator
God?
Every person who becomes a born Son in God's Family is going to he
given tremendous POWER! And that power must be backed up by the right
kind of CHARACTER - the kind of deep moral and spiritual force within
that will impel those persons to chose and do the right, honest and
pure thing always*. We must begin developing that kind of character
now, or we will simply NOT BE GIVEN eternal life. That's why character
is so important!
Christ Has Led the Way
In Hebrews, the second chapter, God gives us a very clear look at where
we are going and how we are to get there. Notice beginning in verse 6:
"But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou
art mindful of him?,or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou
madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with
glory and honor, and didst set him [man] over the works of thy hands
[and what works they are! The dominion of the heavens and the earth -
endless in scope and size, beauty and majesty!}: Thou hast put all
things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in
subjection under him, he left nothing that is not [to be] put under him.
"But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who
was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death,
crowned ,with Glory and Honor that he by the grace of God should taste
death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by
whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto [that same kind of]
glory, to make the CAPTAIN ["pioneer" - as Moffatt renders it - the one
who showed the way] of their salvation perfect through sufferings"
(Heb. 2:6-10).
And in Hebrews 4:14-15, we read: "Seeing then that we have a great high
priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us
hold fast our profession. For we have not. an. high priest which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points
tempted like as we are,
YET WITHOUT SIN."
Jesus Christ led the way. He is the first one to qualify to be a Son of
God. He is the first to reproduce Godly character. How did He do it? By
making right choices - continually! BY NEVER COMPROMISING WITH SIN IN
THE SLIGHTEST!
In Hebrews 5:7, we find this remarkable statement about Jesus: "Who in
the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications
with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from
death, and was heard in that he feared; though he were a Son, yet
learned he obedience [What is obedience? Obedience is choosing the
right path, choosing the good, the correct
path - in other words, to paraphrase it -
He learned character by the things which he suffered. And being made
perfect [by always choosing and doing right], he became the author [of
the expansion of the Family of God] unto all them that obey him" - who
develop character like He did.
Jesus Christ of Nazareth had to exercise character throughout His
mortal life. He didn't automatically become a born-again Son of God. He
didn't automatically choose and do right. He could have sinned. He
could have failed and He knew it! But He stayed steadfast, and He
learned character and obedience because He was put to the test!
Tempted Severely
Jesus was tempted and tried in the same manner we are - only much more
so. In Matthew 4, we read how the devil "tempted" Him in one particular
instance (out of many throughout His human life). Satan told Jesus to
turn stones into bread, appealing to His hunger. He may have said words
to the effect, "You are HUNGRY, you've got the power, you are the great
Son of man, so make yourself some loaves out of these stones here." But
hungry, weak, buffeted as He was Jesus faithfully replied, "Man shall
not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that proceedeth. out. of.
The. Mouth. o£ God." (verse 4). That is the kind of faithful
character you and I need in every trial and vicissitude of our lives!
Then the devil took Jesus up on a high place of the Temple, and said,
"IF thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He
shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they
shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a
stone" (Matt. 4:6). Now he tried to appeal to vanity - "IF thou be. . .
."! And Jesus said to him, "It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt
the Lord thy God" (verse 7). To be sure, Jesus was tempted to shut that
sassy mouth, and to throw Himself off and prove that He was the Son of
God, but He didn't - that would have been sin!
Finally the devil took Him to a high mountain and showed Him the glory
and majesty of all the kingdoms of the world, and said, "All these
things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me" (verse
9). He could have added, "You won't have to go through any crucifixion
- you won't have to go through any trials - you won't have to fight
temptation. You won't have to do all this preaching and get yourself
kicked in the face for it." All those tempting thoughts he could have
used or conjured up in Christ's mind. But Jesus said to him, "Get thee
hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God,
and him only shalt thou serve" (verse 10).
What beautiful character our Pioneer - the Author of our salvation - expressed!
Since God is going to reproduce Himself, build His Kingdom and expand
His dominion through us, that's the kind of character WE'RE going to
have to develop.
That's the kind of character that you're going to have to WANT with all
your being! Perhaps in this life you won't be able to reach the same
level or standard of inexorable lack of compromise with God's Law that
Jesus did. But you must fervently, energetically, do the BEST YOU ARE
ABLE, and to your UTTERMOST capabilities and talents strive to exercise
that kind of character!
I hope we really grasp the lesson of Jesus' experience, brethren.
Unless there are trials, unless there are tests, unless there are
choices, there is no character building.
Every test and every trial you run into in your life - little things
that happen between you and your wife at home, between you and your
children, between you and your employer - little things of every day,
every hour, every moment - are tests to see whether your character will
be built sufficiently for you to be made a Son of God!
How to Develop Character
But exactly how can we develop that kind of character? Let's make it
really clear and bring it right down to the "grass roots," as far as
our lives are concerned.
First, let's realize that God has given His Holy Spirit to us. God's
Spirit makes us different from ordinary men or women. The Holy Spirit
enables us to look through our eyes with Godly vision - spiritual
vision. We are now able to compare spiritual things with spiritual. For
the first time, our minds are open to really know what is right and
what is wrong!
A Spirit-begotten Christian begins his spiritual life from his baptism
- and goes on to develop greater and greater depths of spiritual
understanding. As he grows, he comprehends more deeply and finitely
what is right and what is wrong shout his own life, and also what he
personally must do about it.
From the moment we receive God's Spirit, we are then responsible for
whatever knowledge of right and wrong that it opens to our minds to
see. From that point on, building righteous character begins.
As we grow we will face trials and tests. God tempts no man (James
1:13), but He often allows us to be tempted and uses those temptations
to try us - to see just how much character we have built. Each time we
give in to temptation we tear down some character. But each time we
face trouble or temptation head-on and conquer it, we become a little
stronger. Our character has grown a little greater.
We don't ever have to fail these tests - IF we remain close to God in
prayer and Bible study, continually drawing upon and activating His
Holy Spirit in us.
You can always be the winner!
You simply choose the right and exert all your own power, and God will
supernaturally strengthen you through the mighty POWER of His Holy
Spirit so you can resist any temptation and endure any trial that comes
your way!
Never Compromise
From the moment of your baptism, you set upon a road along which you
repeatedly have to make decisions - CHOICES - as to whether you will
obey God or disobey. To compromise or not to compromise. The key to
character building is: NEVER COMPROMISE with God's standards, with His
Law and with His will! You have the power at hand to obey. So ALWAYS DO
what God shows you is right.
Let me repeat again - NEVER COMPROMISE! Every compromise with God's Law
leads to DEATH! Every compromise with the principles of God's Law
causes destruction - character assassination! No matter how small the
compromise with God's standards, His Law and His will, nothing is more
deadly to you!
In James 1 :17 we read, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no
variableness, neither shadow of turning." The Phillips translation of
the latter part of that verse is "with whom there is never the
slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency."
In other words, with God there is absolutely no compromise. God is
UNCOMPROMISINGLY consistent and never departs from His laws. Therefore,
if you want to be in the Family of God, never compromise, because
compromise is a curse, an eroding, a weakening, a tearing down of
character. Even the slightest little compromise is a weakening
agent.
Areas Where Compromise Begins
In Luke 18:1, Jesus spoke of prayer: "And he spake a parable unto them
to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint [or to
give up prayer]." Prayer is the pulse of spiritual life! It is the
heartbeat of our spiritual growth and progress. How much do YOU
compromise with prayer?
Believe me, brethren, we are vulnerable!
Do you have heart-rending prayer with God every day - never fainting -
never giving up? How many of us are assassinating our character by not
praying at all? We can assassinate our character even when we do get
down on our knees before our God and pray, if we don't pray properly
and put our whole heart into our prayers. The quality of our prayer and
what we pray about are vital.
Lack of prayer - once allowed to commence - can spread on into the
weeks and the months, until prayer is simply no longer a FORCE in a
person's life. As a result, his character goes right down the drain.
Take another example of compromise. Jesus said, "This is my
commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you" (John
15:12). We've heard those words many times. And yet we all too often
don't perform the loving service for our brethren that we have the
power to do. Instead, we sometimes say harsh things to them and about
them, usually behind their backs - half truths, three-quarter truths,
even whole truths about things better left unsaid. Instead of covering
a multitude of sins, we expose them to the sun and the air!
Brethren, gossip is like a wound going down into the innermost parts of
the belly. To stop it, all we have to do is SHUT our mouths and SHUT
our ears! All we have to do is turn and walk the other way. All you
have to do is say, "I don't want to talk about that anymore."
Follow Christ's Example
Jesus Christ qualified to become a son of God because He didn't
compromise with love. In the midst of a jostling crowd, if a woman
touched the hem of His garment, He healed her! Jesus wept over the
imminent doom of Jerusalem, fed multitudes, comforted the sick, healed
the blind, set the lepers free - all acts of love, and examples of
righteous character. No compromise! There wasn't a time when Jesus
Christ turned His back on any man - or ever will!
Brethren, choose to follow the example of our Pioneer. Don't compromise
with practical opportunities to show love and compassion - whether on
your job, at services, at the Feast of Tabernacles, or whatever. Don't
fail to love one another!
Take these times of trial, and testing, and use them to BUILD that
set-jawed, unyielding, uncompromising inner integrity OF GOD - the kind
of character that out Savior developed. God gave you the POWER of His
Spirit so you CAN do it - if you CHOOSE to do so and refuse to
compromise!
Reprinted from the July 1972 Good News
