God intends for us to be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). He made us a new creation in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17) which means we no longer walk in our old sin nature but rather become more and more like Him. God’s Word clearly shows us that Christlikeness goes beyond our conduct to the very core of our being, our character.
What Standard of Measurement Can We Use for Christlikeness in Character?
In terms of character, we could look at various traits listed in Scripture.
1) When we walk in the Spirit we will “not gratify the desires of the flesh” but rather will exhibit “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal. 5:16-22). Since the Holy Spirit’s role is to testify about Christ and bring glory to Him (Jn. 15:26; 16:13-14), certainly these traits would be fruit of Christlikeness.
2) By His divine power we are able to escape “the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” and instead “add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. (2 Pet. 1:3-9)
3) When we “walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us” (Eph. 5:2) the traits of divine love (agape) will be found in us. — “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” (1 Cor. 13:4-7a)
In addition to what you find in this post, the Steering the Church Toward Christ-like Character Leadership Guide include three important considerations when assessing Christ-like character within ourselves.
For More on These Topics, Go To:
- Church Ministry Assessments, Audits, Evaluations Resources
- Resources about Christlikeness in the Church
All Posts about Assessments
- The Right Standard for Assessments
- Using Assessment Results in Ways that Line Up
- Guard Body Life When Doing Assessments
- Great Commission: Encompassing or Complicated?
- Assessment Questions from the Great Commission
- Christ-like Standard in Assessments
- Assessing Christ-like Character
- Assessing Christ-like Conduct & Conversation
- Assessments Leading to Eternal Results?
- Involvement of the Holy Spirit in the Assessment Process
- Pulling on Spiritual Gifting in the Assessment Process
- Alignment with the Gospel in the Assessment Process
- Prayer in the Assessment Process
- Do Assessments Really Fit into God’s Character and Ways?
- Concerned with His Name in the Assessment Process?
- Use of Spiritual Weapons in the Assessment Process
- Need for Grace in the Assessment Process
- Guide the Assessment Process
- A Leader’s Roles in Assessments
- Don’t Like the Results of an Assessment?
Well said
Am much impressed and like to learn more
Samuel, let me suggest that you subscribe to receive e-mail notice of new posts. And, if you haven’t already found it, you might want to read: God’s Heart for the Church: Christ-like Character — There you will find links to other posts related to Christlikeness.