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[This is taken from a discussion at a Christian message board. Someone asked
a few questions and I answered them.]
I would like to know what you all think are the
qualities and the type of personality a Christian should have? [The
poster had brought up the fruits of the Spirit] Since you brought up the
fruits of the Spirit, those would perfectly cover my answer to this
question.
The fruits of the Spirit described in Galatians 5
include kindness, gentleness, self control, etc. What are your thoughts on
that? I believe all Christians have the fruits of the Spirit although at
varying degrees. Jesus promised believers they would receive the Holy Spirit
(John 7:37-39). The Spirit is given to those who ask God (Luke 11:13). We
ask by receiving God's truth and accepting salvation through Christ and are
then sealed by the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14). The fruits of the Spirit
cover every way in which Christ expects us to live as his followers. They're
the way we know we're being led by the Spirit. If we're not being led by the
Spirit, we do things that oppose these fruits (Galatians 5).
The reason I said people have the fruits to varying
degrees is because the fruits are planted by the Holy Spirit and then
develop over time. The word "fruit" indicates an analogy to edible fruits
which fully form only after the seed is planted and tree or bush has grown.
Once we become Christians, the fruits are within us, but through study and
experience those fruits mature. For example, God puts us in situations which
require patience so we develop more patience, we can't develop patience if
we never need to use it.
What exactly does being humble mean? How does a
humble person act? Does that fit in with what we see in Christians in
America today? "Humble" is defined as "not proud or haughty", "not
pretentious", and "unassuming". To humble oneself is to "destroy the power
and prestige" our egos crave. A humble person doesn't look for recognition
for anything they do or say. They put other people's needs above their own.
They don't pretend to be something they're not. Gentleness ties to humility
(being humble) because a gentle person never makes demands or threats to get
their way.
Some Christians can live very humble lives. Some of
them we can name while most of them we'll never know because they'd rather
live their lives serving others and are so humble we don't even know
they're doing it. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who aren't so
humble: they have the wrong motive for serving others, they stop at nothing
to get what they feel they deserve, and they show off in front of others so
their egos get a boost.
I would love to hear any thoughts you have on
humility, gentleness, kindness, etc and the way the Bible describes how a
servant of the Lord should be. As you've probably noticed, the first
fruit listed is the fruit of love. The reason for this is love is the most
important. Without love, none of the other fruits are available. For
reference, I use 1 Corinthians 13. This chapter describes what love is and
is not. We can't experience joy in sorrow, make peace with ourselves or
others, have patience with people or show them kindness, be faithful to God
and others, be gentle, or have any self-control if we don't love them.
It could also be said that without at least a small
amount of the other fruits, real love as described here wouldn't be
possible. First Corinthians says love is patient and kind, two of the
fruits. Not being easily angered shows self-control and patience. Keeping no
records of wrong is showing faithfulness to God by forgiving others. Not
being envious, rude, boastful, or proud is covered by joy (being happy with
what we have), being kind to others, being faithful to Jesus' teachings not
to behave in such a way, and being gentle.
I believe those verses in 1 Corinthians sum up the way
we should be as servants. And now these three remain:
faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love. [Verse 13] |
