January 22: Character matters

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

We sometimes distinguish between personality and character. Personality is our public face, the way we speak and act so as to impress, or not impress, others. They perceive us to be either friendly and out-going, sad and withdrawn, or some combination in between. Generally speaking, we decide which personality we choose to project. Character, however, is what we are in our innermost being. It is the wellspring which sets the course of our moral and mental life, the compass which guides our thoughts and activities. Because of its importance, we will look at three ways we can judge the quality of our character.

• As we look at the evidence for the quality of our character, we quickly learn we need to perform a spiritual EKG (Matt. 15:16- 20). Most of us have some knowledge of the purpose for an EKG (Electrocardiogram), a medical clinic test to identify possible heart disease. The preliminary results may point to the need for further tests, even for heart surgery.

Jesus provides the means for such a radical spiritual exam. He advised us to take stock of what kind of language spews from the mouth, a certain indication of the moral state of the heart. The foods one eats has nothing to do with genuine purification. The Levitical laws governed ritual cleansing as a reminder of the kind of person who ministers about the temple as well as testifying to the necessity of coming into God’s presence with clean hands and a pure heart. However, water and food in themselves can never touch the spiritual condition of the heart.

Jesus diagnosed the real sequence. It begins with evil thoughts arising from the heart, the location of the inner person. As the thoughts are nourished, they begin to gush forth in sinful acts. They show no regard for the sanctity of life (murders), the sanctity of marriage (adulteries), the sacredness of sex (fornication), the right of property (thefts), nor the good standing of the neighbor (false witness). At root, the heart violates the first three commandments, blaspheming God. Truly, such a person is defiled.

• To develop and maintain character, we ought to wear spiritual blinders (Prov. 6:16-19). You may have noticed the leather covers shielding the eyes of horses which pull wagons in cities. We also put them on mules for plowing. The blinders prevent the animals from being distracted or startled as they go about their work.

The Bible cautions us about the way we look at ourselves and others. It lists seven abominations God hates, beginning with a “proud look.” The “haughty eye” represents the snooty person, refusing to bow in submission before God. The “lying tongue” describes the person who disregards truth. The hands even turn to the killing of innocent people. These arise from a heart that gives birth to devilish schemes. Also, the feet are devoted to mischief, to joyful sins. Lies sow discord among brothers.

• Finally, to develop character we need to enroll in God’s wellness program (Prob. 4:23-27. These involve the total person: the heart, mouth, lips, eyes, eyelids and feet. From head to feet, the person who is concerned about holy living will exercise all of the spiritual body parts to keep them strong. As did Jesus, Proverbs emphasizes the importance of a strong, healthy heart. This is the key to a healthy body (v. 22). The eyes also play a critical role, but they need focusing ahead on worthwhile goals. By turning neither right nor left, the feet will be protected from walking along evil paths. Blinders are necessary.