Christian Character – Part 1.
Ephesians 4:1-3,
Paul, as a prisoner of the Lord, for the gentiles, (Ephesians 3:13) urges the readers of his letter to live in a manner which reflects what God has done for them. THIS IS PERSONAL. It is our personal response to God’s saving work within us. So Paul begins with a description of our Christian motives, our temperament as believers.
1. Humility.
The Jews, were exhorted to practice a humble lifestyle, for example in Micah 6:8 or Isaiah 57:15 There are many more references to humility, especially in the Psalms and Proverbs. But humility wasn’t a thing in Greek society. These Ephesian believers were part of that society, they had grown up among people who despised humility. For a Greek, the word ‘humble’ meant low-born, or disreputable… In this sense ancient pagan society reflects our modern culture, where what is valued in the aggressive, the go-getter, the achiever, the proud. For the believers in Christ though, humility was the very first description of the Christian character. We MUST be humble when we:-
- Know who and what we are! To be a Christian, pride must be excluded, because we have yo to come to Christ as wretched sinners. We cannot come to him claiming any merit of our own, we must come with complete humility. Matthew 18:4 Romans 12:3
- Know who Christ is! When we realise that Jesus is God’s only begotten Son, the Messiah, the only Sinless One, the One in whom God the Father was well pleased, who on the cross gave his own life for us sinners. When we grasp the fact that he humbled himself for us. Philippians 2:8
- Know our own frailty. When we simply recognise in our own hearts and minds that without Christ we are nothing.
And that attitude of humility should percolate out into how we practice our lives, how we live as believers in contrast to modern society. Romans 12:10 The second characteristic is:-
2. Meekness.
Another translation would be ‘gentleness.’ For the Greek word πραύτης (prautēs) has no exact English equivalent. In his meekness Moses (Numbers 12:3) stood before Pharaoh, and boldly declared the judgment of God upon a man who could have had him snuffed out in an instance. Jesus said, the meek shall inherit the earth;
Probably the best way for us to understand ‘meekness’ is to think of it as ‘self control.’ Now, I would have to confess that I find self-control is a very difficult aspect of the Christian character to cultivate. There are times when I get frustrated or angry, and I lash out at others… Don’t you? Perfect self-control is beyond us, and we need to pray, to ask God the Holy Spirit to take up the reins of our life, to be ‘God-controlled.’
Again we notice, that in exercising that self-control, the Christian is emulating Christ.READ 2 Corinthians 10:1
3. Long Suffering.
Not tolerance, not suffering in silence as sin and death wrack havoc in our world. We are not to be tolerant of sin, or injustice or cruelty… In 1st Corinthians Paul gives us a very practical illustration of this Christian endurance. He pictures a Christian woman, married to an ungodly man. (Or vice-versa, but it would be more difficult for a woman in Gk society). Paul’s advice is to endure all the insults and ridicule, – because in her patient long-suffering, the husband may see something of the character of Christ, and be won for the Lord. 1 Corinthians 7:12-16
How long are we to practice this Christian endurance? As long as this life lasts. Jesus taught, in Mark 13:13 cf 1 Corinthians 9:24 Now, remember that in all these Christian characteristics we are emulating our Saviour, who was long-suffering toward us: 2 Peter 3:9
4. Love.
The word is agapē. The love that lasts forever is not the love that you feel, it is the love that you DO. Agape love is a verb – it is something that you practice, – like the love of Christ, who loved us when we were unloveable, Romans 5:7-8. That’s real love. So Christian love is not just an emotional feeling, it is something you do, and it is so strong, that the believer will love and do good even to those that he doesn’t like – even to his enemies.
5. Peace. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Love, the practice of true Christ-likeness towards others, friends and enemies alike, leads to an obvious conclusion, – we will live at peace with others. Three practical observations.
- Peace among the Lord’s People is a BOND. We are bound together in Christ.That bond is practically maintained by our cultivating these Christian attributes or dispositions, with the help of the Holy Spirit, bearing fruit within us. Paul beseeches us to develop these worthy characteristics, daily puttng to death our old nature. READ Luke 9:23
- Unity in the church is not possible without the Holy Spirit. It’s not denominational. Or institutional. It is not defined by our form of worship or our views on secondary issues – it is Christians, who agree on the fundamental basics, who bow to the Lordship of Christ, who love the Lord and His people, who are already bound together in this great bond, the true church.
- These descriptions of the Christian Character are IMPERATIVES. They are exhortations. We are to ‘endeavour’ (σπουδάζω spoudazō) to keep the unity… These are things we must work on, we must develop in our own lives. ‘Making every effort!’ The challenge then is, “ How much effort do I put into my Christian life? To cultivating a Christian character?”
Paul has already rehearsed the great truths of the Christian faith in chapters 1-3. Now he has begun to teach the underlying characteristics that mark out a believer in Christ as different from the rest of pagan society. These characteristics are not saving works. Being humble and meek and long-suffering and loving will not get you to heaven. They are our RESPONSES to Christ, who was humble and meek and long-suffering and loving for us, and whose suffering and dying self-sacrifice made peace with God, for us. They are the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian, preparing him/her for heaven.
© Bob McEvoy 2023
The Salty Scrivener 