"Born to Build Character

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Each person that God calls is presented with the same choice that Adam and Eve faced—yielding to God and His government or yielding to Satan and his nature.

God is a Father. He has one Spirit-composed Son, but will later have many more sons (Rom. 8:19). He is reproducing Himself by developing His character in yielded, conquered, Spirit-begotten human beings. As human fathers beget their children physically, God begets His children spiritually.

Just as little children grow up to look like their physical parents, so also do God’s children slowly take on the spiritual likeness of their Parent, in holy, righteous character—“divine nature” (2 Pet. 1:4). Peter described Christians as “partakers of the DIVINE NATURE”—the nature of God. There is the physical nature of creation, human nature, and GOD’S NATURE. God is re-fashioning corrupt, carnal human nature into wonderful, glorious, perfect, holy, SPIRITUAL CHARACTER—His DIVINE NATURE!

Character is understanding—knowing—right from wrong and DOING what is right instead of what is wrong! God reveals what is right, but it is through the power of free moral agency, deciding to DO what is right, that righteous character is built.

Character is consciously choosing the right way, against resistance. It is not the easy way. It is swimming against the current, rather than drifting lazily in the direction it is flowing. It is building love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (self-control), wisdom, knowledge, understanding, humility, and more. This takes time, because character is built through experience. Animals develop none of these traits.

God has perfect character in all respects. He is love (1 John 4:8, 16). Love is the fulfilling of the law (Rom. 13:10; 1 John 5:3), which requires yielding to God. It is outgoing, out flowing concern for others, putting them first—ahead of self-interests.

Satan’s nature is selfish, incoming and concerned only with what is best for self and how to get more for self. This is the attitude he injected into Adam and Eve when they ate of the forbidden fruit.

Are you seeing that, while God made man in the form and shape, physically, of Himself, it does not end there? You were created to BECOME LIKE GOD—to build perfect, holy, righteous character. God is reproducing Himself in human beings. Just as you are the child of parents, and possibly have children of your own, God is your Parent. Again, as you physically look like your parents, and your children resemble you, God wants you to look like Him—in spiritual character! In this life, God begins to spiritually re-form and re-shape those He calls. His Purpose is to build within them His nature.

So then, God is reproducing Himself in those who have received His Holy Spirit. He is creating children that will look and BE just like Him! To build the very character of God is the reason you exist—is why you were born! But there is more to understand.

We have previously explained that God has allotted 7,000 years—seven millennial days—to work out His Plan “here below.” We are nearing the end of the already explained sixth day allotted to man under Satan. Christ will soon return to establish God’s government and perfect spiritual law on Earth. Satan will be bound (Rev. 20:2) and no longer able to sway this world to evil and rebellion against God’s revealed knowledge.

After Christ returns, and with Satan bound (Rev. 20:2), only a few will reject God, refusing to obey Him. They will trust in their human minds and reject the missing dimension of God’s Spirit, which would have led them to eternal life. They will reject building righteousness in their lives and choose to remain incomplete—unfinished—in development and purpose. But more about this time will be discussed later. First, we must see another dimension of the character-building process.

But Whose Righteousness?

It is supremely important—absolutely vital!—to understand that Christians only grow through being connected to Christ.

The Bible often speaks of “Christ in us” (Gal. 2:20; 4:19; Col. 1:27; Eph. 3:17; 2 Cor. 13:5). The Christian does not do the character-building works. Jesus Christ at work in him does them. Understand. The Father guides this process as each person remains in contact with Him through the Spirit of Christ (and God) in him.

Keep this clear. It is not anything that you do, of and by yourself, which produces works of righteousness. Romans 10:1-21 warns of those who do not understand God’s role in building character, good works, and righteousness: “For they being ignorant of GOD’S righteousness, and going about to establish their OWN righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Rom. 10:3). It is a complete waste of effort to build your own character, your own works of righteousness. They gain you nothing with God. All spiritual growth comes from Him! But you must do your part in yielding to God.

Paul wrote, “For we are laborers together with God: you are GOD’S HUSBANDRY, you are GOD’S BUILDING” (1 Cor. 3:9). This is profound understanding. God is building a Family. He is a Husbandman. True Christians are the product of His “husbandry”—His “workmanship.”

GOD, not any man, is building His Church. Christ said, in Matthew 16:18, “I will build My Church.” No wonder Paul wrote, “you are God’s building.” Yes, God is building something special within those He calls, just as He is building His Church overall.

Of course, every stable building has a proper foundation. This helps it remain solid. In 1 Corinthians 3:11, Paul adds, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”

Your life must come to be built on the stable, solid foundation of CHRIST—and Him at work in you!

The Coming Resurrection

As we have seen, most professing Christians believe that they are “born again” in this life. Invariably, they believe this follows on the heels of “receiving Jesus.” This is not what the Bible teaches.

We saw that Paul stated, “… flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither does corruption inherit in corruption. Behold, I show you a mystery” (1 Cor. 15:50-51). This knowledge is certainly a mystery to most.

While flesh and blood cannot enter the kingdom of God, spirit can! Because Christ wanted to allow no room for misunderstanding, He likened spirit to wind in John 3:3-8. Like wind, spirit is invisible. It cannot be seen. Only at the resurrection are all true Christians changed from flesh to spirit, as we have seen, and BORN AGAIN!

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