Character Rehab
If you grew up in the 90s, chances are you are familiar with the ‘WWJD’ bracelet. The wrist accessory that took the world by storm had quite humble beginnings in a small youth group led by Janie Tinklenburg in Michigan. The youth leader needed a creative yet constant way to remind those in her care to always consider ‘what would Jesus do?’ in every situation. Although the idea would quickly become a cliche fashion phenomenon, the intention behind it was pure gold. What if we could pause for a moment, focus on Jesus’ character, then attack life’s ups and downs. Would it change our outcomes? Would we, as individuals, be different? Would our world look different?
The reality is the character and attributes of our God are constant and have never changed. We sing about them every Sunday, and if you're anything like me, you have them on repeat for the rest of the week on that Christian Hot 100 playlist. You know them. He is the 'Great God' that has sent us ‘Melodies From Heaven' to remind us that He is a "way maker, a miracle worker, a promise keeper," a 'Man of His word' and a 'Refiner.' He is even 'Another in the Fire' that 'Keeps on Getting Better.' He is 'Most Beautiful,' His 'Promises' will never let us down because His 'Reckless Love' will never stop pursuing us with 'The Blessing' and favor for "our family and their children, and their children." You get it; our worship songs are continually reminding us of who God is. Why? Well, one reason is we're likely predisposed to forget. In fact, someone is hoping we do.
The first time we’re introduced to our only enemy, just three chapters into the Bible, the first thing he does is question God’s character. Did God mean what he said, Eve? Will you surely die? Perhaps you misunderstood God and His instruction. Quite literally, the ‘oldest trick in the book’ is to create confusion around what God said and His character. It’s the only tool in his toolbox, and it has been used and executed with alarming success.
It’s worth taking a look at how this has seeped into our cultural understandings of God today. Within the United States alone, 65% of people identify as ‘Christian,’ but you’d be naive to think that they all see eye to eye. Of these ‘Christians,’ 20% identify as Catholic, the largest single denomination.* Another 43% fall under the protestant denominations, which include Baptist, Non-Denominational, Methodist, Pentecostal, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, and the list goes on.* Every domination holds firm to its distinct traditions, methodology, and approach to Christ and the gospel. With so many various outworkings of Christianity, it truly begs the question, what do we even have in common? Or, more importantly, why aren’t we united?
There is a very interesting dialogue in the bible between Jesus and his disciples. Found in Matthew 16:13, Jesus asked two questions:
He asked, “What are people saying about who I am?”.
The disciples replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
This response evidences that there was confusion about Christ even as He was in their midst.
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus’ response to Simon Peter is groundbreaking stuff.
“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
This tells us that a correct understanding of who Jesus is and what his life on earth represented is an important revelation given from God himself and is the actual foundation of the hope for humanity, His church.
We can, therefore, attribute every misuse and abuse of the gospel to a misunderstanding of who Jesus is and what he represented. From the early church figuring things out in the New Testament, to the plague of slavery and colonialism, to the modern-day global stain of white supremacy; many outworkings of Christianity have repeatedly missed Jesus’ message and, at times, seemed to have entirely forgotten His character. Even Mahatma Gandhi, a non-christian known worldwide for his humanitarianism and civil rights fights, is famous for saying, “I like your Christ, but not your Christians.” A sharp rebuke from an outsider looking in on the chaos. What do we keep missing?
When Jesus was challenged by religious scholars in the bible as to what the greatest and most important commandment is <Matthew 22:34, Mark 12:28, Luke 10:25> his reply was always “Love the Lord your God and love your neighbors as you love yourself.” He doubles down on this again in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”
You have to get love right in order to be known as a disciple of Christ, a.k.a. Christian. His words, not mine. If Christianity truly is our worldview and Christ is the lens through which we see the world, we must understand how to love Him and each other. It is the ONLY way to represent Him correctly. Anything short of it plays directly into the plan of the enemy; confusion, confusion, confusion!
When we dwell on Christ’s character and genuinely understand His nature, the first thing we’re able to acknowledge is that we are all inherently flawed. We all have hearts of stone and are in desperate need of a transplant <Jeremiah 17:9>. Therefore, the most important commandment doesn’t come naturally to us, and it is impossible to adhere to it in our strength. Christianity is, therefore first, a crutch for people who can admit they have a limp, then a radical display of a supernatural love carried out by individuals entirely reliant on a supernatural God; one whose character is inseparable from LOVE.
When we get this right, everything changes. It is impossible for injustice and hatred to occupy the same space as love. Empathy and kindness become our first responses. Unity becomes our goal and our mantra. Peace in the face of absolute chaos becomes our portion. Joy is fiercely protected. Offense, disappointment, and suffering still hurt but become endurable. Truth abounds, it shames lies, it removes confusion and repositions value. But none of this precedes love. There first must be love. Transposed, an absence of empathy, kindness, patience, justice, peace, unity, and truth is a result of the absence of love.
We are living through extraordinary times. There is no shortage of confusion and disappointment to go around. There is an absence of those virtues mentioned before. Sadly, we seem more divided than ever on the role of Christians and the church in matters of the heart that will ultimately define us and our world. As Christians, we are called to ensure that Christ is visible in our thoughts, actions, and speech. With His help, His character can develop within us. In this sense, the character of Christ is not a mystery. We know what He would do. Love. <Ephesians 5:1-2> As Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "We must keep God in the forefront. Let us be Christian in all our actions."
