cultivating christian character

Cultivating Christian

Character

ATTRIBUTION/CREDITS

• “Essential Virtues – Marks of the Christ-

Centered Life”

• Written by: Jim Berg

• Copyright: 2008 by BJU Press

Previously...

•Groundwork for Christian

Character

– Cultivating Goodness

(Excellence)

– Cultivating Knowledge

Previously...

•Backbone of Christian

Character

– Cultivating Self-control

• Deal w/world, our desires,

promote order

Last Week...

•Cultivating Endurance

– Keeping on in the face of

intentional opposition, defying

something onerous or evil

– To remain constant under

external pressure

• It implies ACTIVE

RESISTANCE against those

external pressures, or

• ACTIVE DEFENSE of some

ethical principle being threatened

externally

• Why must believers cultivate this

endurance?

• In order to ensure any response

to whatever external pressure we

face glorifies God

• Cannot do it in our own strength

• Must be Holy Spirit-powered

and God-sustained

• In the end:

Endurance is the ability to

remain faithful and glorify God

under external pressure by

looking to God for strength to do

it

Cultivating Godliness

•2 Pet 1:6: “Add

to…endurance godliness.”

•Take a look at your charts

•Essential personal virtues

Loving God with my Whole Heart Loving Others as Myself

The Groundwork for Christlike Character (v. 5) The Backbone of Christlike Character (v. 6) The Trademark of Christlike Character (v. 7)

Saving FAITH SELF-CONTROL BROTHERLY KINDNESS

Being a "partaker of the divine nature" through the righteousness of Jesus Christ

Cultivating a God-empowered mastery of my internal desires

Cultivating a God-engendered affection for and service to those in the "household of faith"

EXCELLENCE

ENDURANCE LOVE

ESSE

NTI

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VIR

TUES

Cultivating a God-mandated purpose to develop and display the excellencies (character) of Jesus Christ

Cultivating a God-sustained faithfulness under external pressure

Cultivating a God-imitating mindset that scripturally and sacrificially meets the spiritual needs of others

KNOWLEDGE GODLINESS Cultivating a God-taught understanding of the person, the work, and the ways of Jesus Christ

Cultivating a God-honoring devotion to Jesus Christ that promises righteousness and opposes evil

COMMITMENT to Christ COURAGE for Christ COMPASSION like Christ

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These traits produce a whole-hearted disciple who chooses the appeals and ideals of Christ and rejects the appeals and ideals of the world

These traits produce a brave-hearted disciple who advances Christ and His ways and opposes evil in himself and others regardless of risk to himself

These traits produce a tender-hearted disciple-maker who seeks the lost and who by his example and effort disciples others to live a Christ-centered life


•Berg calls godliness “the crown and the summary of the four “personal virtues””

•Calls godliness the “launching pad into the two “social virtues,”” -- brotherly kindness and love”

• Label at top of chart







EXCELLENCE

ENDURANCE LOVE

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•Godliness completes the set personal virtues Peter says we need to love God w/ our whole heart

•Sets the stage, prepares our heart, for column 3, which is loving others as our selves







EXCELLENCE

ENDURANCE LOVE

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•Achieving godliness (more on this coming) marks a maturity level in a believer that facilitates our ability to reach out and love others

•But remember, simultaneous and sequential…(back)


• So what is godliness?

• The original Greek word translates as “religion”

• Meant worship that was worthy of God

• Used to mean “authentic piety,” living, breathing, visible every day way of life whether at home, alone, in the workplace, etc.


•Step back, big picture, pull it

all together

GODLINESS GOOD WORKS

DEVOTION DISCIPLINE BROTHERLY LOVE

KINDNESS

ARETE SELF-CONTROL

KNOWLEDGE ENDURANCE


•Believers achieve Godliness by

– Cultivating personal devotional virtues (arête, knowledge), with

– Personal discipline virtues (self-control and endurance)


• When we cultivate these personal virtues that allow us to love God with all our heart…

• They become the fuel that gives us the spiritual commitment and spiritual strength to cultivate the social virtues and love others


•Godliness must become a way of life

•A godly lifestyle will be distinctive and different than the world

• It also is useful to the cause of Christ


• St Paul sums it up in Titus 2:11-12

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age…”


•So what are the marks of a

godly man (believer)?

•How do you know if you’re

cultivating godliness with

some success?


•Can probably think of

hundreds

•Focus on three in this study

•One today, two in next

week’s Godliness Part Deux


•Devotion to God • Know he’s committed to pursing

arête and knowledge

• Increasingly high and frequent thoughts of Jesus

• As knowledge grows, Jesus becomes more dear for what He did for us on the cross


•More aware of and saddened

by sinful thoughts, self-serving

actions, indifference to others

• More buoyed by the peace felt

after confessing a wrong and

receiving God’s promised

forgiveness


• Less discouraged by his sin/moral failure because he’s seen Jesus’s forgiveness in the past

• Looking to give God the glory more than looking for self-glory (sorry if it’s to him)


•Barriers to cultivating this

devotion abound

•Hours and hours of time

spent in front of screens,

video games, pursuing

hobbies, sports, etc.


•Berg says “The Christian who would be Godly cannot fill his time with entertainment and recreation.”

•Rather, cultivating godliness requires ever increasing time in God’s Word


•Believer must personally

and regularly spend time

with Jesus in His Word

•Meditate on what one reads

•Respond with confession, a

contrite heart and praise


•Godly devotion manifests itself in a distinctive Christ-centered life vs a self-centered life

•Berg:

–“Many men (believers) today are Christian, but alarmingly few are godly.”


•The bar of godliness is

incredibly high

–But do NOT be discouraged!

•Godliness takes TIME!

•Cultivating godliness is a

process


•Make this perfected, high bar your target

•Godliness grows when a believer makes cultivating the earlier virtues a lifestyle

• Start slow – decide to make a small change and stick with it


• Pick one worldly thing you love/do/spend time on and replace it with 30 minutes in the Word

• Be warned – breaking a habit is hard!

• Make 30 min in the Word your new habit – habits become routines


• Expect opposition – this is spiritual warfare!

• Our sinful nature likes the worldly things we indulge in

• You may not want to give up that 30 minutes of Facebook time

• You’ll need to lean on your cultivated self-control and endurance to overcome the lure of the world


•Keep at it and make it a

routine

•Once it becomes routine,

add 30 more minutes!

•CULTIVATE GODLINESS!


• The godly man (believer) is known by his observable devotion to God

• None of us are there yet, but we know where the bar is set

• With prayer, intentional, active effort and God’s grace we can cultivate godliness and move toward that high bar day by day


•And remember:

•A godly man (believer) will not remain on the sidelines when evil attacks or good is facing opposition

•He cannot and will not be a weakling when defending the causes of God

Next Week…

Exploring the Backbone of

Christian

Character…

Godliness (Part II)







EXCELLENCE

ENDURANCE LOVE

ESSE

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