Christian Character - 2

II. What are some of the specific flaws that Christians sometimes have in their character?
Christians are like everyone else. We STILL have flaws. Find me a perfect Christian, and I will show you Jesus, because He is the only one. Even the Apostle Paul struggled with his flaws. In Romans 7, he says, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…(21)When I want to do good, evil is right there with me.” (NIV) Christians still struggle with anger, envy, lust, impatience and all the other worldly characteristics. Just because we become Christians, doesn’t mean that it’s what we call “easy street”. Back to my favorite verses, Col 3:1-11 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above…Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry…You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. 8 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9 Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (NIV) Wouldn’t it be nice if the junk in our lives just disappeared when we believed! It doesn't, it takes effort on our part of drawing close to God and having Him draw close to us.

This passage tells us that after we believe, after we are baptized, we STILL struggle with the world and we must "put to death" that which is of the world. Being a Christian and having Christian character is about daily choices of how we are are going to live. Every choice we make reveals what our character is.

Pablito