What are the keys to developing godly character? You need to know them, and apply them in your life!
On an international trip, my wife and I arrived in London Gatwick Airport. Two days earlier, riots had erupted in London, and magazines and news agencies were filled with headlines. How severe were these riots? “The law-abiding majority suddenly saw that some of their compatriots were happy to torch cars and buildings, loot shops, and attack firemen and ambulance crews… In the absence of internal, moral restraints, external ones can only do so much” (The Economist, “Riots in London, Anarchy in the UK,” August 13, 2011).
What was missing in the lives of these rioters? What was missing that led to this anarchy? What was missing was “internal, moral restraints”! What was missing was godly character!
Individual Character Affects National Character
How does our individual character affect the character of our nation? Moses summarized the mission of the ancient nation of Israel. He showed how individual character affects national character. He also showed how to avoid the national problems faced by the United States and other nations around the world today.
Moses wrote, “Surely I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people’” (Deuteronomy 4:5–6).
That should be our national mission. “For what great nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him? And what great nation is there that has such statutes and righteous judgments as are in all this law which I set before you this day?” (vv. 7–8).
That should be the national purpose of Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and all other nations around the world! A nation is comprised of its regions, its families and its individuals. What constitutes a great nation? Its loving relationship with the Creator!
Israel ultimately failed in its national mission. God has now called His Church to fulfill a mission. We are the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16). As members of His Church, God has called us to be individual ambassadors, to be His servants, His bond slaves who have godly character. Regardless of the circumstances around us, we can stand up for what is right.
Importance of Godly Character
Matthew 24 describes our day and age, and provides a warning for us. How are we going to stand up to ungodly influences? How will we avoid “growing cold” as Jesus Christ warned? “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). What is lawlessness and anarchy?
Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines anarchy as “a state of lawlessness or political disorder due to an absence of governmental authority.” We know that lawlessness leads to destruction, and if it were not for God working with His chosen people, the whole world would end in cosmocide. “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).
We need to understand the importance of our role and of our calling, because God has called us to be the “salt of the Earth” and to preserve it—just like salt preserves! We are preparing to teach the world, as kings and priests, how to have true lasting peace!
After Death, Character Remains
When you die, what remains of your identity? Do you take something with you? You are not an immortal soul; the spirit in man and the Spirit of God are combined in you during your lifetime to record your individual character. After you die, God “stores” these while you await the resurrection. What He resurrects will depend on how you in this present life have cooperated with Him to create in you His holy and righteous character.
So, it is important to know what you are, who you are, and to ask the question, “What degree of human nature controls my thoughts and actions?” Think about that. How strong is your character to resist temptations?
God’s ministers exhort us to repent of sin—any sins we may be practicing. The Apostle John warns us, “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God” (1 John 3:10). “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth” (1 John 1:5–6).
John is writing about our need to practice the truth. Keep that concept in mind when you think about developing godly character. What is the fruit of your daily routine and habits, and of your reactions to circumstances? What do you practice? You may stumble, and then repent. But you must not practice a lifestyle or habit of sin. If you are practicing sin, you need to stop sinning. You need to repent of sinning!
Those whose lifestyle reflects a way of sinfulness need to repent. Yet even those who have deeply repented will sin on occasion: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
Christ is our Lawyer. He is our Intercessor. He is our great High Priest who intercedes for us when we repent of that sin and ask for God’s forgiveness. We read, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
We are human. We all make mistakes, but we must always have a repentant attitude after we make those mistakes. When you are committed to maintaining a repentant attitude, you quickly acknowledge your fault when you sin, then you take action so you do not make a habit of that sin—so you do not practice sin.
Grow in Godly Character
This world’s religions do not understand the need to grow in godly character throughout our lifetime. Why? Because of the false doctrine that says, “Once saved, always saved.” That statement is true, in a sense, only after we are born into the Kingdom of God. At that point, as a Spirit-born member of the God Family, you are always saved, but the way “once saved, always saved” is applied in mainstream Christianity is false, and is based on a wrong concept.
We are in the process of “being saved,” as we read in 1 Corinthians 1:18 and 2 Corinthians 2:15. And we know we must persevere: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:13). There is a past, present and future aspect of our salvation. We must continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Once we are reconciled to God, we must continue to grow in godly character during our lifetime. God does not want us to be weak in character.
Faith: An Element of Character
Faith is a strong element of character. Jesus was emphasizing this point, making it very clear when He said, “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matthew 6:30).
Would you like Jesus to say that to you even now: “O you of little faith?” We know that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). We must diligently study Scripture, and grow in godly faith.
Jesus instructs us: “Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31–32). God is infinite. He knows every hair on your head. He knows all the atoms and molecules in the universe. He is in control. He knows all your needs.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (vv. 33–34).
Develop Strong Character
How strong is your character? “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32). Here is a positive statement about people who have character, who can control their emotions. God says that if you control your spirit, you are greater than the great commanders and military leaders of armies throughout history.
Do we have the character to fulfill our God-given mission as a Church, to cry aloud, spare not and to fulfill the Ezekiel warning? Will we faint? God says: “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small” (Proverbs 24:10). And are we fulfilling God’s will in our own lives? We need to have strong character. You may have heard of the “Seven Laws of Success.” Perseverance—“stick-to-it-iveness”—is part of the sixth law. This means never giving up! “For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again” (Proverbs 24:16).
We all have different personalities. We all have different emotional profiles. Even infants have differences in personality. But we must have the self-control to balance our emotions. “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls” (Proverbs 25:28).
Examples of Character: Weak or Strong?
The Bible gives us examples of some who had strong character, and others who had weak character. Esau was one who was weak in character. He sold his birthright for a morsel of food (Hebrews 12:16). He did not stand up for his responsibility and his blessing: “For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears” (v. 17). Esau gave up his birthright for some lentils. Reuben—Jacob’s eldest son—was also disqualified from a double blessing because of his sin (Genesis 49:3–4). Is your character stronger than theirs?
There are many biblical examples of men and women with strong character. The faith chapter, Hebrews 11, lists many. We also remember the Apostle Paul’s comment about the evangelist Timothy: “But you know his proven character” (Philippians 2:22). God described ancient King David’s character: “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will” (Acts 13:22).
The biblical account of Joseph is a classic example of strong character. Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. Yet he was conciliatory toward them when, years later, they came to Egypt to buy food—not knowing that Pharaoh had given their brother Joseph rule over all of Egypt.
Joseph said to them, “But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has been in the land, and there are still five years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Genesis 45:5–7).
And he was faithful. Joseph had experienced many trials. He was sold as a slave by his own brothers, and later his master’s wife falsely accused him of attempting to violate her. He was even sent to prison in Egypt. But he had strong character. How did he respond when his master’s wife tried to tempt him into committing adultery? “And it came to pass that after these things, that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, ‘Lie with me.’ But he refused and said to his master’s wife, ‘Look, my master does not know what is with me in this house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’” (Genesis 39:7–9).
Note that the commandment, “You shall not commit adultery” was in force before Mount Sinai, but Joseph was determined to resist temptation. He would not sin against God. He was strong in character.
We, too, experience trials and tests as we learn the lessons of life.
Trials and Tests Are Necessary
When I first learned about the Sabbath, I had just been hired by the American Automobile Association (AAA) of New York to be a traffic engineer. New York had the second-largest AAA organization in the United States, after Los Angeles. I remember telling them that I needed to keep the seventh-day Sabbath. I had not started working for them yet, since I was still in my graduate class at Yale, but I remember that an AAA executive called me. He said, “Well, Dick, you said you couldn’t work any time during Saturday, but the AAA here in New York said you’d need to train on Saturdays. That means we can’t hire you.”
I went home that day with the most comfortable, wonderful feeling—that I had passed a little test. Then, later, God gave me a job that was even more challenging—and more inspiring—for having passed that test.
Some of our brethren have faced even more challenging tests seeking permission for their children to take time away from school to attend the Feast, or negotiating with an employer for time off to attend the Feast. They have learned to stand up for what is right, and trust in God for the outcome.
When we step out in faith, we learn important lessons, and God blesses us for our obedience to His will. This is one of the great lessons of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Remember: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments” (Psalm 111:10).
Keys to Character Development
What are the keys of character development? We have to choose between good and evil, between right and wrong. We grow in character when we make the right decisions. And, even when we make the wrong decisions, we should learn lessons that help us grow in character and make the right decisions the next time.
God has given us free moral agency—the privilege to choose! “I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing, therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him” (Deuteronomy 30:19–20).
Do we cling to Him? “For He is your life and the length of your days, and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them” (v. 20).
We make hundreds of choices every day. Do we make the right choices? That depends on the degree of our spiritual character and our closeness to God the Father and to Christ! A fundamental key of national character and individual character is that of right relationships—most importantly our relationships with the Father and with Christ. Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong called character development “The Supreme Creative Accomplishment.” That is also a subhead in Mystery of the Ages (p. 69). Mr. Armstrong wrote that there is one important quality that even God cannot create instantly by fiat. He cannot unilaterally, by Himself, create in us the same perfect, holy, righteous character inherent in both God and the Word. As Mr. Armstrong points out: “This kind of character must be developed, by the choice and the intent of the one in whom it comes to exist.”
Mr. Armstrong noted that it takes a lifetime to grow in godly character, and we know that the history of the world is of continual suffering and pain because of following Satan’s way rather than God’s way. One of the most inspiring and wonderful truths God has revealed to His Church is that those who were blinded in this age—those who were enslaved to Satan and sin—will have an opportunity to eventually develop godly character and receive the gift of salvation. Yes, the vast majority of humankind will have that wonderful opportunity in the White Throne Judgment.
Character Building Institutions
Let us never forget another major key to godly character development: we must do God’s will, fulfilling the Great Commission and doing the very Work of God (John 4:34). In his Living Church News editorial, “What Do You Stand For?” Dr. Meredith wrote: “So we can, in that light, deeply relate to General MacArthur’s words: ‘Duty, honor, country.’ As we grow older as a Church and as individual members, let us never forget why we are here. Let us hold our heads high as we charge on day and night to do the Work of God with zeal, with dedication, with courage and with sacrifice. No military mission was ever so vital. No warfare was ever so important. And no reward was ever so magnificent as the one we will receive, if we overcome ourselves and Satan, and if we are zealous and faithful in proclaiming Christ’s Message to a world that has truly lost its way” (January-February 2003).
Ambassador College has been “characterized” as a character-building institution. Having completed an Ambassador College degree—I graduated with a B.A. in Theology in 1965—I can say from firsthand experience that, at least for me, it certainly did help me build character.
Mr. Armstrong, in his book, Mystery of the Ages, wrote about the effect of Ambassador College: “Jesus Christ through the Church built three colleges, two in the United States and one in England. The three campuses in material beauty have mutually excelled each other as a high character physical setting for the development of God’s righteous character in students. The beauty of godly character in these students has excelled the physical beauty of the campuses” (p. 140).
Now, that is quite a comment. And, we can also say that the spiritual beauty of godly character of our brethren around the world has also excelled any physical beauty of our environment.
Living University has as one of its objectives, “To enhance the individual development of character, personality and true values by fostering and maintaining an academic community emphasizing moral, social, ethical, cultural and spiritual standards.”
Dr. Meredith, the Chancellor of Living University, wrote in the college catalog, “At Living University, in all we do, we challenge each other to fulfill our motto, Recapture True Values, by demonstrating our core values of leadership, service, commitment, integrity, excellence, culture and creativity. These values are embedded in God’s way of life as detailed in the Bible.”
Character Development
Developing godly character is extremely important. It is why we are here. We are learning about the character of Christ, the divine nature, and we are learning about the very character of God our Father. We are learning to be like Him. We must also teach our children godly character.
“Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 11:18). Some Jewish people do that in a physical way, with literal pieces of paper in boxes called phylacteries or tefillin. But God wants us as Christians to do it spiritually.
“You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth (Deuteronomy 11:19–21).
From Mr. Armstrong, we learned four steps to character development that are instructive as to how we can grow in godly character. Those steps to building godly character are:
- The willingness and the ability to determine and to understand right from wrong.
- The commitment to choose living righteously and allow God to create godly character by our own volition.
- Resist all temptations to compromise once we have made the decision to do what is right.
- Practice righteous living until it becomes a habit and is internalized.
As we follow these steps, we internalize God’s way of life into our own. We go from merely knowing, to actually doing what we know. We are aware of the Holy Days. We understand God’s Plan of Salvation. We know about the Ten Commandments. Based on what we know, we know the right way to go. We must practice and live God’s way of love (Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4).
Colin Powell, the former U.S. Secretary of State, speaking at the White House Conference on Character and Community, stated: “Character means having a conscience, a conscience that is always present, that is always acting, that is always guiding you. It’s an internal moral compass that is always pointing in the true direction, always keeps you on track, gives you the strength to stay away from the temptations that come along” (June 19, 2002).
There is an anonymous quotation that says, “Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions because they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”
In Mystery of the Ages, Mr. Armstrong wrote, “I repeat, such perfect character must be developed. It requires the free choice and decision of the separate entity in whom it is to be created. But further, even then, it must be instilled by and from the Holy God who only has such righteous character to endow” (p. 69). He then continued: “But what do we mean by righteous character? Perfect, holy, righteous character is the ability in such separate entity to come to discern the true and right way from the false, to make voluntarily a full and unconditional surrender to God and His perfect way, to yield, to be conquered by God, to determine even against temptation or self-desire to live and to do the right” (pp. 69–70).
We can see incredibly strong character in many people who are handicapped or disabled, who nevertheless overcome and push forward. They produce, they have determination and they persevere. So should we.
However, we do not do this on our own. Godly character requires the gift of the Holy Spirit. “And even then, such holy character is the gift of God. It comes by yielding to God to instill His law, His right way of life with the entity who so decides and wills. Actually, this perfect character comes only from God as instilled within the entity of His creation, and upon voluntary acquiescence even after severe trial and test” (p. 70).
God’s Grace Needed
As we grow in godly character through tests and trials, we experience God’s grace, which is His unmerited pardon but also His loving favor. The Apostle Peter instructs us to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
The Apostle Paul relates faith and grace to our character development in this inspiring exhortation: “Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us” (Romans 5:1–5, RSV).
As we persevere through trials, suffering and tribulation, we grow in godly character, on the foundation of grace and faith.
The Apostle Paul ends several of His epistles by stating, “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” or “be with you all.” We want the grace of Jesus Christ. We want the Father’s grace. Grace is God’s favor and mercy. The very last verse of the Bible gives us this magnificent blessing: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:21). Never let anyone tell you that it is wrong to put an emphasis on God’s right application of grace. We need that grace.
It Takes a Lifetime
Our calling is to be conformed to the very nature, mind and character of Christ, but it takes a lifetime. We all have different personalities, talents and abilities. We rejoice in the incredible variety in the human family. God has indeed put a variety of personalities and talents into the members of His Church, but we all must have His spiritual character as a foundation. We all must be conformed and transformed into the nature and character of Christ. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).
Brethren, as we grow in godly character, we need to pray as David did, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
We are called to set a right example to this world. As the end of this age approaches, anarchy and lawlessness will abound. Immorality and violence will spread, but God has called us to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. And, because there is an elect—we who are now growing in godly character—God will save the world from utter destruction. So, as we continue to serve, endure and grow, we must remember our Creator: “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19).
God has called us His nation—His citizens. We are the Israel of God, and our citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). We are spiritual Israel, destined to rule with Christ. As Dr. Meredith has exhorted us, let us “hold our heads high as we charge on day and night to do the Work of God with zeal, with dedication, with courage and with sacrifice.”
We must continue to grow in godly character—day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month, and year-by-year—in preparation for our part, under Christ, in helping to bring peace, happiness and prosperity to all of humanity.
That is our calling, brethren, and that is our destiny!