Profile of a Faithful Christian:
Some Basic Character Traits
by Bryan Gibson
He loves the Lord, because the Lord first loved him (1 John 4:19). “The Lord loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20) is more than just a memory verse to him. He deeply appreciates what Jesus did for him as his Savior, and what he continues to do as his High Priest (Hebrews 2:16-18; 4:14-16; 1 John 1:8-2:2). He is not like the nine clean lepers who went on about their business; he is the one who returned to say thank you (Luke 17:11-19). His new purpose in life can be summed up by the words of a familiar hymn, “Thou hast bled and died for me; I will henceforth live for Thee” (Jesus Loves Me; see also 2 Corinthians 5:14-15). He is prepared to do whatever the Lord may ask, and to do it cheerfully. Others may find the commandments of the Lord burdensome, but not this man (1 John 5:3).
He fears the Lord, because he knows Him well. He knows that He is perfectly holy, and therefore despises sin (Revelation 15:4; Habakkuk 1:13). He knows Him as the Almighty (Revelation 4:8), as the One who created all things by the “breath of His mouth” (Psalms 33:6). He understands both the goodness and severity of the Lord (Romans 11:22). He is still motivated by love, but his service is also marked by reverence, by trembling and godly fear (Hebrews 12:28; Philippians 2:12-13; 1 Peter 1:17). Because He is in awe of God (Psalms 33:8-9), he is also in awe of God’s word (Psalms 119:61), and so he treats every commandment with the greatest respect (Matthew 5:19). Every warning—every “take heed” or “beware”—issued by the Lord is taken very seriously (Hebrews 11:7). He knows for a fact that the Lord does not make idle threats.
He is humble—for many reasons. When he compares his life to that of his Savior (Ephesians 4:13), he knows he’s got a long way to go. He is further humbled by the knowledge that everything good in His life comes from God (James 1:17; 1 Timothy 6:17), that it is only by the grace of God that he can even draw his next breath (Acts 17:25, 28). Too, he understands that his soul’s salvation was purchased by the blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19; Acts 20:28). He knows that Jesus paid the debt he was unable to pay, and he knows he didn’t do a thing to deserve it. This man refuses to glory, except in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14).
He has faith in God, which is what you would expect from a man of true humility. He realizes how dependent he is on the grace of God, having already being cleansed from his sins when he was buried with Christ in baptism (Colossians 2:11-13). He knows that the grace of God is manifold (1 Peter 4:10), that everything he needs to make his calling and election sure (2 Peter 1:10-11) has been provided. He knows he cannot live without the “word of His grace” (Acts 20:32; Matthew 4:4), that he must go daily before the “throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16), that every time he sins he must go to the “fountain” of grace (Zechariah 13:1; 1 John 1:8-2:2), that he must look forward to the “grace that will be brought to him at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). He is sincere when he sings, “I need Thee every hour”, and, “twas grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.”
He is unselfish. How can he be anything else with what he knows? He has learned from the Lord to deny himself, to put the Father’s will before His own (Matthew 16:24; 26:39). He bears his cross daily, willing to endure whatever hardships may be necessary to follow Jesus and be of service to others (Luke 9:23; 2 Timothy 2:3, 10). He does not indulge in self-pity (2 Corinthians 12:7-10), or in self-glorification (James 3:14; Matthew 23:12), because he has crucified himself. While he may not have it perfected, his aim is to say with Paul, “it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20).
He loves others and is deeply concerned about them. Because he is not preoccupied with himself, he is able to give some attention to the needs and interests of others (Philippians 2:3-4). His “heart’s desire and prayer” (Romans 10:1) is that all men be saved. He has compassion on the lost, because he sees them as Jesus does—sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).
He is also concerned about his brethren, his family in the Lord. Knowing that Jesus laid down His life for him, he is willing to do the same for his brethren (1 John 3:16-18). He wants to help them in any way he can (Galatians 6:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:14), but he understands that he needs them as much as they need him (Hebrews 3:12-13; 10:24-25).