Have Faith in Godနမူနာ

THE SHAPING PROCESS OF DIVINE CHARACTERS

INTRODUCTION

The Lord will always change the characters of the believers from time to time in His ways. His purpose in doing this is to make them be perfect, just like Christ (Mat 5:48). He is God who is able to change bad characters to righteous characters. This change does not happen instantly. The change only happens through every season of life. The formation of these righteous characters is a lifetime work and the result of meditation of the words of God, prayer, and the toughness of faith. Every believer needs to grow to be mature in his character. We need to be aware that maturity is a process.  None will grow instantly to be a grown man, be it in his age, faith, and characters. Therefore, every child of God is expected to test the maturity of his own character. Just like what Peter said in the Bible: “your faith has to grow by adding to it goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.”

This divine character will be a powerful testimony to everyone who sees and listens to it.  All people who listen to it will be blessed and be guided to know Lord Jesus. Now the question is, how does this shaping process of characters happen?

SHARING

1. Born-again experience (Titus 3:5)

The shaping process of divine characters is started when someone is born again. This born-again experience is a process when God renews our spirit through His Holy Spirit. This divine spirit is planted in the life of the believers which makes them have the status as the children of God. This seed enables someone to be a new person in Christ. Without this born-again experience, it is impossible for someone to start the shaping of Christ’s characters in his life.

A Pharisee named Nicodemus talked with Jesus about the born again experience, in which Jesus explained, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:6). 

The first phase to become like Jesus is to believe in Him who has the power to change our life to be new. There is no other power in the world that is able to change an evil, dirty and bad life to a right and true life other than the Holy Spirit. Therefore, if we want to have a better life and live in the truth, the only way to do it is to come to Lord Jesus and be willing to give ourselves to be shaped by Him. The words of God in the Bible have been proven for thousand years to be able to change bad characters to divine characters that are filled with love. 

2. The influence of environment and interaction with others (1 Cor. 15:33)

In 1 Cor 10:33, we find the word ethos which has the same meaning as character. This verse simply says that bad company is able to corrupt good characters. In its original text, the word ‘corrupt’ also means to tear down or to destroy. Bad company could destroy character building that is supposed to be built according to God’s plan. It is clear that someone’s character is determined by what is received by his soul in his daily living interaction. Character is a map of environment. and everything else that happens to someone. Here we understand the role of relationships in shaping someone’s character. A person could be pessimistic and lose his faith if he is surrounded by people with no faith and hope in the Lord. The other way will happen if we live in an environment that is filled with people who build each other. We will have strong faith. On the other side, if we have known the truth and we have a mature faith, our task is to influence our environment so that the truth could be spread to other people.

This is the reason why believers have to be in a relationship with the Lord and be careful to have a relationship with unbelievers. A person will have the character of Christ if he has the Spirit of Christ; and this could only happen through a journey with his Mater, Lord Jesus.

3. Self-conditioning (2 Pet 1:8)

All of us must have heard this phrase: “You can do it because you are used to doing it.” This phrase is true. Sometimes we do things automatically because they have been our habits. It is easier to do the right things if we start training ourselves to do them. Someone will be able to forgive and have the characters of Christ such as long-suffering, generous, compassionate, and others if he accustoms himself to those characters. If we have a longing to have Christ’s characters, we have to accustom ourselves to produce the fruits of righteousness in our daily lives or when we respond to things. We have to keep doing every good thing that comes from the Lord until we are able to defeat our fleshy will. Our greatest battle to accustom ourselves to do the truth is a battle with our flesh and mind. Bear in mind, however, that the Holy Spirit has given us the authority to subdue them under the power of God. We need to have the steadiness and longing to glorify the Lord. 

CLOSING

A long process is needed to make your characters be like Jesus’. Character’s maturity does not happen from Bible reading, praying, and fasting only (even though these three things are also important). God shapes us through struggles and our interaction with others to make us be what He wants us to be.