A CHRISTIAN'S ATTRIBUTES
by Derwood Stewart
Attributes: a characteristic or quality of a person |
What would it take for another person to be you? In other-words, what would it take for another person to look like you, act like you, and talk like you, to generally be a mirror image of you in every aspect of who you are?
For this to happen, one would have to spend a lot of time around the person they wanted to be like. They would want to talk with family, friends and others that have knowledge of that persons' life. So that they could implement those traits into their life in order to be like the other person. We can even take this to a more extreme level by having operations to change our physical traits in order to look like and sound like the other person.
In I John 2:6, it is written, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."
When you were a child did you ever play a game called, "Follow the Leader"? If you did, you know that to stay in the game a person had to do exactly as the leader did or you were out of the game. In some ways serving God is similar. However, serving God is not a game. I have heard many preachers make the following statement, "Get your act together." I, on the other hand say, "We need to stop acting, and get serious with learning about and serving God." In St. Matthew 20:28 it is written about Jesus that, "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many." A child of God should be like Jesus in every way, therefore, a child of God should always be willing to serve others.
The Apostle Paul in Romans 15:2-7 said, "Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me. For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God."
We must put on and have the mind of Christ in order to serve mankind, and to glorify our heavenly Father. In Galatians 3:27 the apostle Paul said, "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." We see a lot of impersonators these days impersonating all kinds of famous people. In order for the impersonator to fool anyone into believing they are that person, they need to look and act the part. A true child of God has changed or is at least in the process of changing their character, the nature of the way they do things; like the apostle Paul said in the following scripture:
"Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him, (Jesus): Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor un-circumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all. Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye" (Colossians 3:9-13).
Let me ask this question; does a person that has been out working in the yard all day and is dirty and sweaty put on clean clothes to go out for an important meeting without cleaning up first? As a general rule—they do not. Perfumes and deodorants can only cover up just so much stench.
All righteousness is, is living right according to the written word of God. The way to know the word of God is to read, study and meditate on His word—the Holy Bible; read from cover to cover, Genesis 1:1 all the way through Revelation 22:21, and to do whatever it says to do.
(JESUS SAID WE ARE TO LIVE BY EVERY WORD OF GOD - MAT.4:4. BUT SOME WILL ASK, "HOW DO I DO THAT? WE HAVE AN OLD TESTAMENT AND A NEW TESTAMENT, AND SOME THINGS THE APOSTLES DID AND TAUGHT, ARE NOT EXACTLY LIKE THE OLD TESTAMENT." IT IS A VERY VALID QUESTION. I HAVE ANSWERED IT IN A STUDY CALLED "LIVING BY EVERY WORD OF GOD - HOW?" Keith Hunt)
The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:4 wrote, "The God of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."
Satan does not want people to know the truth about God's holy word! Satan would rather tell you a lie than the truth, then, if he can get you to believe a lie—he has you hooked. How does he do this, he will tell you enough of the truth needed to get you to believe his lie. Take Eve in the Garden of Eden for an example. In Genesis 2:17 God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He also told them ". . . in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Satan on the other-hand told Eve, ". . . Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:4-5). That particular lie of Satan cost mankind more than they could ever afford to pay! Thank God for Jesus who was willing and able to pay the price for our sins!
In Philippians 2:5-8 the apostle Paul said, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
Obedience is the key to becoming like Jesus. The prophet Samuel told King Saul that "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." The prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 11:5 wrote, "And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins."
Did you know that Jesus has a law all of his own? His law is to "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" Galatians 6:2. One thing a person needs to remember, that the law of Christ does not in any way alter, or do away with, the Commandments and Laws of God. The apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:7-16 wrote, "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."
There are those that say a Christian (saint) can't be perfect. However, the above scripture seems to indicate that not only can a person be perfect but that Jesus expects the saints to be perfect. Jesus said that He was coming back for a perfect people. In 2 Peter 3:14b the Apostle Peter said, ". . . be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless." The apostle Paul in I Timothy 6:14 also said it like this, "That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ" Also, In I Peter 2:21-24 the Apostle Peter wrote; "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
(WE ARE TO EVER SET OUR MIND ON MATURING, BEING LIKE GOD/CHRIST - SET OUR MIND ON WALKING IN THEIR HOLY RIGHTEOUSNESS. AND SO BEING UNDER GRACE, HAVING A REPENTANT MIND-SET, JESUS INTERCEDING FOR US; HAVING OUR SINS FORGIVEN; WE ARE THEN TO GOD CLEAN AND PERFECT. I HAVE EXPOUNDED THIS "PERFECT" TEACHING IN OTHER STUDIES UNDER THE SALVATION TOPIC. HAVING THE RIGHT MIND-SET IS GIVEN TO US IN 1 JHON CHAPTER ONE AND INTO CHAPTER TWO. THE RIGHT HUMBLE MIND-SET WE ARE UNDER GOD'S GRACE, SINS FORGIVEN, SO THEN WITHIN THAT WE ARE PERFECT - Keith Hunt)
The Apostle Peter seems to expect that all the saints should live a righteous life even as Jesus lived a righteous life. And the Apostle Peter also wrote in I Peter 1:15, "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation [conduct]" Does this leave any doubt in your mind that we are expected to live a holy and righteous life unto God in Christ Jesus?
In I John 4:17 the Apostle John wrote, "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world." How is He, Jesus now? The Scriptures state that He is at the right hand of the Father in heaven, ever interceding for you and me. Praise His holy and righteous name forevermore! Let therefore, this mind that was in Christ Jesus, be in you and me that we will walk in His footsteps to the glory of the Father in heaven; until all the saints come into the fullness of His glory. Praise His holy and righteous name!
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September/October 2014 ACTS - a publication of the Church of God, Seventh Day, Maridian, ID. USA
Derwood A. Stewart, minister House of prayer Sabbath ministries.
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