Jeremiah 17:1-2 (NKJV)
1 “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; with the point of a diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart, and on the horns of your altars, 2 While their children remember their altars and their wooden images by the green trees on the high hills.
The definition of character is based off the idea of engraving or beating and shaping an item like a workman forms iron on an anvil. Engravers cut into some type of material and create permanent designs or writing.
As the prophet Jeremiah revealed, people are born in a sinful and evil manner. The Jews of the generation that he prophesied to, were so shaped by sin it hardened their hearts and molded them into idol worshipers. Their actions, practices, and customs were ingrained in pagan worship and so were their children.
Even if they said they loved the real God, it was not really true because they were completely tattooed in their minds with pagan practice and beliefs. They then naturally mixed paganism with how they worshiped the true God. But, God rejects this.
So this is why we must talk about character. Everyone exhibits character some form of character… good or evil!
But, when we generally speak of character we are talking about virtue. This means practicing good or right attitudes and actions as a normal everyday practice. God wants His virtues so ingrained in us that we are known as good. For example, Honest Abe was a nickname for Abraham Lincoln. He was an honest man.
2 Peter 1:5-10 (NKJV) says:
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge,
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
As you see, the first concern is always true faith in God. After that is established we must give great attention and effort in changing our motives, attitudes, and actions to meet the holy standard of God.
But, God’s character must be so cut into our hearts and minds that we are radically changed and it becomes normal to be like Jesus, living a life of selfless love. This can only happen when we are born again, and the Holy Spirit pours out God’s grace to divinely influence our hearts.
We must be so transformed that people of the world notice that we are different. Read Matthew 5-7 and see how clear this is taught by Jesus.
One of God’s primary methods of developing our character is through our authorities. Parents try to mold and raise their children by training and disciplining them. They hire teachers to help them through education and athletics. The military forges and molds young men and women into mature and strong character also. The boss at work pressures employees to shape up or ship out too.
But, even though God uses them, their influence cannot fully mold character and God has a standard method to complete the change.
To get to the place that the Holy Spirit’s character is showing in us we must be cut deeply and hurt. Dying to self, and seeing the fruit of the Spirit coming out of us is a tremendous task. God does not wave a wand over us and give magic words to make it happen.
Instead we are commanded “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” Romans 12:1-2. The word “transformed” is the original form of the word metamorphosis. A caterpillar builds a cocoon, dries up and appears to die. Finally, a completely transformed and now glorious butterfly emerges and must work with all diligence to escape the old skin of the cocoon.
Let’s try to visualize this process.
C. S. Lewis wrote a series of books called The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. He depicted a dragon boy in one of the volumes who wanted to be set free from his evil heart. He tried to scratch the dragon skin off but he only took off a thin layer each time and still looked like a dragon. But, Aslan the lion grabbed him and with his claws savagely tore into him so deeply it hurt. But when the boy then jumped into the well and saw his reflection, he noticed he looked like a boy now, not a dragon.
When Adam and Eve sinned against God they lost the image of God and took on the evil, spiritual heart of the dragon who seduced Eve. Their children were all born with the same evil heart, just like God’s enemy.
Within a short time God only saw violent dragons destroying each other all the time and wished he never made man. Even when some loved God they still had this dragon skin covering their hearts. It hurt God to always see his enemies image in Adam’s descendants, instead of His.
God sent his son, the Lion of Judah, to the earth and was the first man since the beginning to not have a dragon heart. But even his followers still had dragon skin smothering their hearts.
But then, Jesus died on the cross for the complete and full payment for all people’s crimes against God. Something new then began to happen. Those who repented and believed in Jesus received the Holy Spirit inside them and began to have new desires to think like Him, obey Him and even act like Jesus.
The cross killed the dragon in the believers, but the old dried up, cocoon-like dragon skin was still on the Christians. To look like Jesus, the dragon skin had to be ripped off before they were visibly seen as new creatures in Christ.
The question is, “How do we get this new character visible when it is covered in dead skin?” “How do we emerge as butterflies?” We as C.S. Lewis tried to show, none of us will hurt ourselves deep enough to pull off the old dead dragon skin.
Hebrews 12:5-8 reveals the answer.
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
Chastening and scourging are not the things Christians want from God. We want blessings! Testing and trials are not a big prayer request to the Father either. We want ease and comfort from our God.
If you read Hebrews 12:5-8 carefully, you noticed that if you have no trials, chastening, testing, or scourging – you are not a Christian! The Father wants all Christians to partake in a righteous lifestyle, reflecting His image and character. It is brought into our lives through His hand of discipline and correction.
The apostle Peter further explains in 1 Pet 2:19-23
For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
We all hate to be falsely accused of doing something wrong. We think it is unfair and usually get angry and highly protest to the authorities involved. We want the best jobs at work, not the worst possible. We want to be treated nicely not harshly. But we must learn to be like Jesus and God trains us to really be like Him through such unwanted circumstances They push us, mark us and kill our reputations. Remember, God’s ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are not our thoughts.
To really lose the old cocoon skin and see our character transformed to be Christ-like takes great daily effort on our part. You see, we must take up our cross daily and follow Jesus. A cross always means hurt and death.
The old sinful nature is the dragon skin, shriveled up and dead because of the cross of Calvary that saves us from our sin. God’s mighty hand of character development is faithful and persistent cutting and chiseling through the old habits, hangups, and hurts using authorities above us, and the chastening of God through unwanted circumstances brought on through friends, neighbors and enemies. Through the circumstances of life the Christian learns to forgive, instead of bitterness, hate and retaliation. The Holy Spirit burns the conscience when a saint sins, and then pressures them to repent and change through the consequences of their wrong doing. God the Holy Spirit increases the river of grace flowing from within forcing new, strong desires to obey Him, and strengthening every believer to be able to overcome.
We must present ourselves everyday to God, pick up our cross and let Him have his “cruel” way and deliver us from the dead skin that blocks and covers God’s reflective glory in us. Patient obedience and trust in the hard times always allows God to finish his character development program to mature us.
Do you really want to be like Jesus? Do you want the “peaceable fruit of righteousness? Do you want to love like Jesus loves? If you really do, embrace your cross and follow Jesus. You will gain the strength to overcome the temptation and trials. You will then truly bear much fruit for God’s kingdom. “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all of your days.”
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;”
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