“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
2 Corinthians 3:18 NVI
What does character mean?
The word itself comes from the Greek verb “charassō”, it meaning “to sharpen, cut in furrows or to engrave”. The etymology of this word is very rich and precious. The idea is that our moral and ethical stance will be defined throughout life as an engraving or as a stamp.
Character is the sum of all the characteristics of an individual as proven by his conduct.
It is the combination of all of someone’s moral virtues and defects. A person’s character is manifested by his usual way of behaving.
It includes your attitudes, the way you show your feelings, thinking, speaking, acting, reacting and deciding.
The deepest aspects of one’s character are made known especially in the way one reacts to a test, a temptation, adversity, misfortune, difficult moments and also in how one behaves in the face of high compliments, power and success.
Our character and the design of God
The New Testament says, referring to Christ:
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, ” Hebrews 1:3
This means that Christ has the same character as the Father. All the moral virtues of the Father are in the Son (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 4:4).
It is written: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27
What does this image of God mean to us, humans? It means, among other things, that God created man with His character, with the same moral virtues. His purpose was for man to multiply with his holy character upon the earth.
With the fall, the image of God in man was deformed and he went on to convey this deformation to his offspring.
However, according to the Bible, the redeeming plan conceived by the Lord foresees to restore us until God forms the character of Christ in us again.
“For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.” Romans 8:29.
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18
God’s desire is to bring us again to holiness in all our way of living.
“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.” Ephesians 1:4
“15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:15-16
In setting the goal of “being perfect” (Matthew 5:48; Colossians 1:28; 4:12), He is pointing to a kind of behaviour that expresses His holiness.
The term “perfect” in these texts is the translation of the Greek word “teleios”, which does NOT refer to an absolute perfection, but has the meaning of something whole and complete; something that has already reached its full development. This means that God’s plan is to edify us in all aspects of our life, to the point of maturity in which our character reflects his own character.
The development of human character
The action repeated by an individual once, then twice and ten times, eventually one hundred times, will become a habit. If this habit has to do with moral conduct, it will crystallise into a definite mark of character.
These qualities can be positive (sincerity, generosity, humility, honesty, etc …) or negative (falsehood, racism, arrogance, selfishness, etc …). It is obvious that many of these traits are developed in childhood. Thus, we can say that: Behaviour forges character, and once it is forged, it naturally conditions behaviour.
There are several factors that contribute to the developing of an individual’s character. Let’s look at the main ones:
- Genetic heritage – When Adam and Eve sinned, their genes were affected. Since then, all their descendants have inherited a sinful nature, which the Bible calls “flesh.”
We are all born with this strong inner influence of sin.
Many of its tendencies are quite specific and genetically transmitted from our close relatives (parents, grandparents, etc…).
In this way, we often find a violent genius, for example, being transmitted from father to son even without the aspect of coexistence. But despite this, we are not hopelessly condemned to slavery.
In Christ we have all the resources to change sinful tendencies, even though we were born with them. As we have seen, the fruit of the Spirit is God’s response to our innate behavioural deviations.
- Education – The tremendous importance of education in the formation of an individual’s character is obvious, especially in the first five or six years of one’s life. Parental responsibility for education is paramount.
Concepts taught and repeated tend to shape behaviours that, as we have seen, are sedimented until they are imprinted in character. Hence the importance of spending time teaching concepts to children and using discipline to forge their lives healthy boundaries.
- Good Influences – People who live close to us have a major influence on the formation of our character, especially parents and older brothers, as well as friends.
“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. ” 1 Peter 1:18
Often, wrong ways of living are transmitted through generations through role models. In Proverbs 1:10-19, Solomon counsels his son not to get carried away by bad company.
Once again we must emphasise that these factors of bad and good influences, but remember that they are not defining.
In the Bible we have examples of people who allowed themselves to be influenced by bad references, as well as others who escaped these influences, even if it existed.
Isaac let himself be carried away by a bad example of Abraham (the lie) and repeated the same mistake (Gen 20.1-14; 26.6-11).
Jacob received the influence of his mother Rebeca negative character characteristics.
(Gn 27.5-19). The meaning with the children was one of them (Gen 37.3). On the other hand, Joseph, Jacob’s son, did not absorb these negative qualities.
Samuel is another who guarded himself against the bad example of Eli’s children, with whom he was raised from early childhood (1 Samuel 2:12-18)
- Environment, culture and society – The environment in which we live exerts a strong influence on our way of thinking and acting and, therefore, on the formation of our character. Because man is a social being, he tends to be shaped by the majority, because he wants to be accepted. In every environment of human community, rules of conduct enforce and determine the types of behaviours that are acceptable or not, often contrary to what God has established in His Word.
Culture, collective thinking, the media, fashion, and so many other factors are used by Satan to spread patterns that are offensive to the Lord’s holiness.
God’s word, however, commands us to resist this external force:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Romans 12: 2
- Adverse circumstances – The circumstances in which a person goes through life can have a profound influence on his/her personality and inner values.
Many become bitter, rebellious, dishonest, violent and manifest so many other deformations from a negative experience or because of an adverse or disadvantaged life. Extreme poverty and domestic violence, for example, have a terrible power to deform character.
However, this is not an absolute or determining factor. Amid families or groups that have experienced real existential tragedies, we can find good people who have not let themselves be dominated by moral corruption or rebellion.
- Spiritual influences – For us Christians, the power of the spiritual world is more than certain in people’s lives. If it is true that the action of the Holy Spirit can sculpt in us a Christ-like lifestyle, it is also true that demons can cause terrible marks on someone’s personality, whether by using and promoting the above-mentioned factors, or by direct manipulation in the lives of those who are not under the lordship of Christ.
The determining factor in character formation
Man was created in the image of God. Among other things, this means that, unlike animals, God made us responsible beings. This is the decisive factor in the formation of character, although, unfortunately, responsibility is a very weak point in the consciousness of our society.
Man is a being who has understanding and will. He can understand what God communicates to him, he is able to know the Lord’s will and, when he knows it, he has the obligation to fulfil it.
Animals have no moral responsibility. A male dog sees a female dog in heat and goes after it. Man is not allowed such instinct led behaviour.
God told man what to do, what he can do, and what he should not do.
It is up to each of us to make the right decision and obey.
- Every man will give account to God – The root of the word “responsibility” is the verb “to respond”.
The point is that we should all respond to someone for everything we do and who we are.
Each person is responsible before God and must respond before Him for his/her acts, words, behaviours, thoughts, feelings, desires and intentions:
God asked Adam to give an account when he sinned.
“Where are you? Did you eat the fruit of the tree that I forbade you to eat?” Genesis 3:8-19 He did the same thing with Eve
- God called Cain when he slew his brother (Genesis 4: 8-11)
- He confronted Saul when he disobeyed (1 Samuel 13: 8-14)
- He called David out when he adulterated (2 Samuel 12: 1-7)
- He dealt harshly with Ananias and Sapphira when they lied (Acts 5: 1-11) The examples are many. God will always settle accounts with man.
One day we shall all respond for our acts before Him who knows all things:
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” 2 Corinthians 5:10
- No one is excusable before the grace of Christ – The action of Satan exists, the activity of demons is a reality, the weakness of our flesh is indisputable. Nor can we deny the influence exerted upon us by the wickedness of men, the pressure of the world, or adverse circumstances.
But none of this exempts us from our personal responsibility.
Even less today, because God, through Jesus Christ, has provided us with all that we need to live in victory over Satan and demons, our flesh, sin, temptations, the world, and over any circumstance.
Genetic, social, cultural and spiritual factors are a reality; but they should be nothing but tendencies to us.
What will determine whether we will turn to these habits is choice. We have received from our fathers a vain way of life, but we have been redeemed by the humble blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Every old man was buried in the death of Christ, and we have joined Him in baptism by faith. Now the new man is being formed in us. We have the genes of God in us, the incorruptible seed. The Word of God created in us the very nature of Jesus. And it is our responsibility to give ourselves to this new reality that is in us through the Holy Spirit.
How about recognising this in a meaningful way before God?