12/04/2024
Christianity without a good character is mere religion of self deceit.
Salvation is one of the most important aspects in the Christian race, but it is not all there is to Christianity; it is the first step and the basis of Christianity.
If you think that being saved alone is the quality of a good Christian then wait till you meet a Christian with a bad character then you will understand that being a Christian that has a bad character is a disastrous combination: one will always fight against the other for supremacy.
Being a Christian with a bad character can make it very difficult for even God himself to reach you. We have a popular case in question of King saul in the Old testament and Judas iscariot in the New testament.
That you are born again, have accepted Jesus as your lord and savior is not a yardstick to be irresponsible but an avenue to build character. The Bible says, "be not confirmed to the world but be ye transformed by the renewing of Your mind", which is the first and continuous function of the holy ghost in any regenerated spirit or soul.
You can't be a Christian and be a wicked person, you can't be a Christian and be backbiting, you can't be a Christian and dress half naked; what part of Christianity tells you to do that? You can't be a Christian and be telling lies and when you're asked, you say it's Wisdom, you can't be a Christian and something good is happening in your neighbourhood and you find it hard to celebrate with them because of envy and jealousy, you can't be a Christian and be frustrating people out of the faith because you occupy a leadership position in church, no! You can't be a christian and be arrogant, where did you learn that from?
See, if you cannot learn to build a good character, your Christianity is questionable. There is a popular saying that, 'you are the Bible people read.' Now, the question is, is your character a blueprint that people will read and emulate?
Your character gives people a blueprint of what you are and what people should see in you. People don't read your salvation anymore, they only see your character to judge your salvation.
Remember, Christianity has to do with the way you relate with the outside world having your salvation intact; that means your salvation is not being corrupted by the world rather the world is being impacted by your salvation and your good character. Your Christianity is not supposed to make life hard for others it's supposed to make it easier. So while you claim to be saved, don't also forget to learn to build a good character and make the world a better place.