Aspects of Christian Character: Christian Character

While the title may seem a bit redundant, it does hold true for who were going to study. Was there anyone on earth in the Bible who exhibited perfect Christian Character? Can you guess? Well, we're going to be studying the only perfect conveyor of Christian character, and that's Christ himself.

Most people know the basics of who Christ was, even more so the story of the birth of Jesus. Most everybody knows that he was born in a stable to Mary and Joseph, even though Mary had been impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Most people know that shepherds and wise men (traditionally three, but we really have no idea, we just assume because they gave three gifts) and that the wise men gave gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Beyond that, they may know a few details about Jesus' life, mostly probably how he was crucified, but other than that, the world seems to be in the dark. What made Christ both God and man? How does a mortal man exhibit perfection? Well, we must go through the story of Jesus' life, and find what traits stand out, and what Jesus did. The Christians were called 'little Christs' because they imitated Christ. We must examine Jesus' live and strive to imitate him and set an example for the generations.

As mentioned before, Jesus was born in a stable. Although that was the beginning of his life, the interesting stuff doesn't start happening until he was about twelve:

41Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. 42When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. 43After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."

49"Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" 50But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

51Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Luke 2:41-51

Jesus, even at such a young age, knew where he stood with God and what his job on earth was to do. In here we see that he has his priorities straight, but later in the passage he exhibits two important qualities of Christian character: obedience, and wisdom. Now after this we don't know much about what happened to Jesus until he was around in his thirties. That's when his true work on this earth started.

1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

3The devil said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."

4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone."

5The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6And he said to him, "I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7So if you worship me, it will all be yours."

8Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.'

9The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down from here. 10For it is written:
" 'He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'

12Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'

Luke 4:1-12

So in here we see him again acting obedient to his heavenly father, but there's another trait in there. Every thing that the devil offers Jesus, he offers with the reward of personal satisfaction. First, he knows that Jesus is hungry, so he tempts him with turning the stones into bread so he can eat. Then, he tempts him with 'authority and splendor' and riches if he would just choose to bow down to him. And lastly, he tempts him with the Word of God itself, with the safety and protection of God.

Now, there are so many other stories to tell about Jesus and the miracles he performed and the people he led to God that it would take almost too much time and space to recount them all. However, there's only one or two that I want to specifically look at:

9As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"

12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

Matthew 9:9-12

Even though Jesus was a respected teacher of the law, he had enough humility to hang out with the 'low-lives' of his time. He knew what he was doing, and he was not afraid, even unto his death.

Aspects of Christian Character: Submission to Elders

Not too many people know a whole lot about Timothy. We know that he traveled with Paul, and was a good friend and pupil to him, but other than that, not too much. Here's where we first get introduced to Timothy:

1 He (Paul) came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. 2The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him.

Acts 16:2

So we now know two things of him: His father was a gentile (which isn't specifically about him), and that he had a good reputation. In the Jewish culture, being of the line in which your parents or at least one of them were Gentiles was an apparent no-no. We find out later that Paul then circumcised Timothy, and Timothy joined them (Paul and Silas) on their journey.

The next mention of Timothy isn't almost worthy mentioning, only that he, Paul, and Silas stopped at Berea on there journey and Timothy stayed there to let them go on without him. We skip to Acts chapter nineteen to find that Timothy is now one of Paul's 'helpers', and along with another one of his helpers, they travel (Timothy and Erastus) to Macedonia (modern day Asia). So Timothy was obedient to the call that Paul had placed on him. This is the first mention of him being submissive to his elders.

The next mention of Timothy isn't until Paul writes to Timothy in the two letters/books Timothy One and Two. Paul writes to Timothy, calling him his "To Timothy, my true son in the faith." Paul writes him and warns him of various things that could happen, and he encourages him to not let bad things deter the faith that he has in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's obvious that Paul was a person, and a role model that Timothy held in high regard. In addition to referring to Timothy as his son, Paul also writes to Timothy as if he were a father, having a conversation with his son, warning him of dangers, and admission of his own pitfalls. A comparison would be to compare Paul's writing to Timothy to Solomon writing to his sons in the Proverbs. Many of the Proverbs encourage listening and paying heed to instruction, and here's what Paul says to Timothy:

18Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, 19holding on to faith and a good conscience.

1 Timothy 1:18

Here's an important snippet that Paul wrote to Timothy about respect of elders:

1 Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

1 Timothy 5:1-2

This is partially the basis for Paul's and Timothy's relationship toward each other and you can see that they both held a great respect toward each other, even from Paul to Timothy, being that Paul was much older.

3I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. 5I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

2 Timothy 1:3-7

Paul knew that Timothy was a faithful and respectable person and would heed his words.

10You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance

2 Timothy 3:10

14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:14-15

From all this we know that Timothy held to the principles of elderly submission.