NECESSARY CHARACTER TRAITS IN SAINTS
It is very important that we heed the Apostle’s words in our text, “Seeing, then, that all these things are to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?” We hope to be copies of God’s dear Son. He had the Father’s spirit in all things. He made the Father’s will His own. So we are to have the Father’s spirit and to make His will our own. We are to have the mind that was in Christ Jesus, the mind of the Apostles and all the true saints.
The Scriptures tell us how the Lord’s Spirit manifests itself. It is manifested in meekness in our intercourse with the brethren, in a humble appreciation of ourselves; in contentment with everything our God gives, in a delight to have Christ as our Teacher. It is manifested in gentleness. There are some people who are gentle because, naturally so, they do not know how to be anything else, because they have not a sufficient character to be anything else. These “putty people” (easily molded) will gain the proper character during the Millennium; but presently God desires those only who have a strong individuality and a love of righteousness. Others are not appealed to by the Lord’s Message.
The class that appreciates the Lord’s Word are those who have a real or distinctive character, something of a will of their own by nature. You could not give up your will to God if you had none. The condition upon which we may become Disciples of Christ is to surrender our wills. From that time on we must keep them surrendered. There is no harm in a person’s having a strong will. He will make one of the best soldiers in the Lord’s army if that will is turned in the right direction. The class that God is calling has a good, strong will. But this will must be trained to full obedience to the Lord. It must die to self. We are learning this daily in the School of Christ.
If you are inclined to practice patience for a while and then get tired, remember “you have need of patience that having done the will of God you might receive the promise.” (Heb. 10:36) The Lord has been patient with you. The prize-winners must become like our Father and like His Son. We must learn patience, if it is not there naturally.
You may feel inclined to say, “The Lord must accept me just as I am.” But the Lord will not take you into the Kingdom just as you are. Yes it’s true he accepted you at first as you were; but He expected you to overcome, to develop as a New Creature. If you wish to be in the Kingdom class, you must attain the character-likeness of Christ.
“When first we entered the School of Christ, we were babes and acted like babes. But the Apostle says that we are not to remain babes. We are to put away childish things, to be no longer children tossed about by every wind of doctrine. As babes we were fed upon “the sincere milk of the Word,” (as was typified by the “laver” in the courtyard) that we might grow thereby. (1 Pet. 2:2) But as grown men we no longer desire milk as a steady diet, although we enjoy a glass of milk occasionally. (Heb. 5:12, 14) We prefer to come to our Father’s table, the table of the Lord (typified in the “Table of Showbread” in the “Holy”), and receive the Truth the strong meat that belongs to such as are of full age, the meat that will make us strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
But someone may ask, “Why does not the Lord make us perfect by His own power, without such painful effort on our part?”
We answer, the character you develop is stronger for your struggles, and it is your own. It is a necessary part of our schooling to develop character. Why do we send children to school? It is because by the lessons there learned they will be exercising their mental faculties, thus making their minds stronger for every subject, fitting them for the responsibilities awaiting them later in life. So it is with us.
Meekness, patience, long-suffering these are some of our lessons. To be long-suffering means to bear long and be kind, to have the quality of endurance toward others, to be very kind in your home toward husband or toward wife, toward your children, toward mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. This is sometimes hard. But remember, “There is none righteous [perfect], no, not one.” If you have not found that you yourself have many imperfections, you have not learned the first lesson in the School of Christ.”
We each have heads of different shape, and brains whose quality varies. But when we give ourselves to the Lord we all need a course of vigorous training; for we are very defective. We must have experiences that will reveal to us our own individual weaknesses and faults, that by Divine help they may be corrected as far as possible. The Lord desires every one of us to know how much and where we lack, what we need in order to build ourselves up into Christ. We should each know what part of our own character needs the most attention. In order thus to build ourselves up we look to that perfect Law which shows us just what a perfect character is--gentle, meek, loving, forgiving, patient, etc.” 3H768
In our next post we shall take a look at what specific aids are made available to the student in the school of Christ.
It is very important that we heed the Apostle’s words in our text, “Seeing, then, that all these things are to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?” We hope to be copies of God’s dear Son. He had the Father’s spirit in all things. He made the Father’s will His own. So we are to have the Father’s spirit and to make His will our own. We are to have the mind that was in Christ Jesus, the mind of the Apostles and all the true saints.
The Scriptures tell us how the Lord’s Spirit manifests itself. It is manifested in meekness in our intercourse with the brethren, in a humble appreciation of ourselves; in contentment with everything our God gives, in a delight to have Christ as our Teacher. It is manifested in gentleness. There are some people who are gentle because, naturally so, they do not know how to be anything else, because they have not a sufficient character to be anything else. These “putty people” (easily molded) will gain the proper character during the Millennium; but presently God desires those only who have a strong individuality and a love of righteousness. Others are not appealed to by the Lord’s Message.
The class that appreciates the Lord’s Word are those who have a real or distinctive character, something of a will of their own by nature. You could not give up your will to God if you had none. The condition upon which we may become Disciples of Christ is to surrender our wills. From that time on we must keep them surrendered. There is no harm in a person’s having a strong will. He will make one of the best soldiers in the Lord’s army if that will is turned in the right direction. The class that God is calling has a good, strong will. But this will must be trained to full obedience to the Lord. It must die to self. We are learning this daily in the School of Christ.
If you are inclined to practice patience for a while and then get tired, remember “you have need of patience that having done the will of God you might receive the promise.” (Heb. 10:36) The Lord has been patient with you. The prize-winners must become like our Father and like His Son. We must learn patience, if it is not there naturally.
You may feel inclined to say, “The Lord must accept me just as I am.” But the Lord will not take you into the Kingdom just as you are. Yes it’s true he accepted you at first as you were; but He expected you to overcome, to develop as a New Creature. If you wish to be in the Kingdom class, you must attain the character-likeness of Christ.
“When first we entered the School of Christ, we were babes and acted like babes. But the Apostle says that we are not to remain babes. We are to put away childish things, to be no longer children tossed about by every wind of doctrine. As babes we were fed upon “the sincere milk of the Word,” (as was typified by the “laver” in the courtyard) that we might grow thereby. (1 Pet. 2:2) But as grown men we no longer desire milk as a steady diet, although we enjoy a glass of milk occasionally. (Heb. 5:12, 14) We prefer to come to our Father’s table, the table of the Lord (typified in the “Table of Showbread” in the “Holy”), and receive the Truth the strong meat that belongs to such as are of full age, the meat that will make us strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”
But someone may ask, “Why does not the Lord make us perfect by His own power, without such painful effort on our part?”
We answer, the character you develop is stronger for your struggles, and it is your own. It is a necessary part of our schooling to develop character. Why do we send children to school? It is because by the lessons there learned they will be exercising their mental faculties, thus making their minds stronger for every subject, fitting them for the responsibilities awaiting them later in life. So it is with us.
Meekness, patience, long-suffering these are some of our lessons. To be long-suffering means to bear long and be kind, to have the quality of endurance toward others, to be very kind in your home toward husband or toward wife, toward your children, toward mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters. This is sometimes hard. But remember, “There is none righteous [perfect], no, not one.” If you have not found that you yourself have many imperfections, you have not learned the first lesson in the School of Christ.”
We each have heads of different shape, and brains whose quality varies. But when we give ourselves to the Lord we all need a course of vigorous training; for we are very defective. We must have experiences that will reveal to us our own individual weaknesses and faults, that by Divine help they may be corrected as far as possible. The Lord desires every one of us to know how much and where we lack, what we need in order to build ourselves up into Christ. We should each know what part of our own character needs the most attention. In order thus to build ourselves up we look to that perfect Law which shows us just what a perfect character is--gentle, meek, loving, forgiving, patient, etc.” 3H768
In our next post we shall take a look at what specific aids are made available to the student in the school of Christ.
