Category Archives: Christ-like Traits

Think about the picture of your life. What does it portray to the people who see it? Do people see a reflection of Christ — a picture of Christlikeness? Or, do they see someone conformed to the world, living in accordance with their old sin nature? God’s intent is that we be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom. 8:29). — “Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.” (1 Jn. 2:6)

Areas in Which We Reflect a Picture of Christlikeness

People will base their conclusions on not only whether we do what Jesus would do but also if we display Christ-like character and attitudes. We need to portray a consistent representation of Christ. — “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Heb. 10:23) If we don’t, we might confuse people about life in Christ. Our lives might turn people away from Christ rather than toward Him. They might conclude, “If that’s what Jesus is like, I don’t need Him.”

Let’s be a picture of Christlikeness in how we …

communicate

• Christ-like Communication
• Christ-like Communication Guide for Church Leaders

treat others

• Consideration & Compassion Pave the Way
• Compassion: More than a Feeling?
• Jesus’ Example of Being a Servant

respond in suffering

• Jesus’ Example in Suffering for Doing Good

react when mistreated or in conflict

• Attitude Toward Those Who Do Us Wrong

serve / do ministry

• 5 Signs Ministry Leadership Has Turned Christ-like
• Christ-like Ministry
• Ministry Methodology: Do All in the Name of Jesus
• Serving is …

The above links go to posts to help us be more Christ-like in those areas. To speak, act, and react like Jesus, we need His character developed within us. It is then that the picture of our lives will showcase Him (Eph. 3:10-11). Also see: God’s Heart for the Church: Christlikeness

Self-Exaltation is about our need to make ourselves look good. It may stem from comparing ourselves to others. Perhaps we do excel in some areas but feel the need to make sure others know it. Maybe, however, we think we’re not as good as others and so we try to make ourselves appear better by talking and acting like we’re better. Whatever the cause, we’re bragging about ourselves.

The Bible Warns Against Self-Exaltation

God’s Word clearly informs us of His opposition to pride and arrogance. Even if it’s true that we are as good as we say, we’re moving into the dangerous territory of pride which God hates. And, if we aren’t as good as we make ourselves out to be, we’re moving into the manipulative territory of deceit.

To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. (Prov. 8:13)

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. (Prov. 16:18)

Jesus warned His disciples about pride and wanting to be in a place of honor. He said it’s better to let others recognize and honor you, rather than exalt yourself (Lk. 14:8-11).

For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Lk. 14:11)

Jesus taught that we shouldn’t worry about being first or best or always right because that’s when we lose.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” (Matt. 16:24-25)

But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. (Matt. 19:30)

Scripture Encourages Us to be Humble Instead

We need to get the focus off of ourselves and put it on God. Who we are and what we have in Him is enough. We can trust Him.

Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor. (Prov. 15:33)

We don’t need to be anxious about what others think. When life is all about Him, making ourselves look good becomes less and less important. God will take care of us.

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:6-7)

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. (1 Pet. 5:6-7)

Rather Than Exalt Yourself, Do This

Follow the example of Christ who came to serve others rather than be served. Humility, rather than self-exaltation, exemplifies Christlikeness. With the focus off ourselves, and onto God, we’re freed to serve.

… whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mk. 10:43-45)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. … (Phil. 2:3-11)

Sometimes as believers we let fears and insecurities hold us back in our walk with the Lord. That’s usually a sign we’re resting on our own abilities rather than on the Lord. When we understand the basis for security then we’ll know what it takes to be secure in the Lord.

Basis for Being Secure in the Lord

We can be secure because God stays true to who He is. Even when we’re “faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13).

Becoming secure in the Lord is a process of learning to rely more and more on the love and grace of God in our lives. Knowing in our heads that God loves us is one thing but relying on that love is another. According to 1 John 4:16 we must do both. — “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.” Reflect on how God’s grace and love applies to us:

My grace is sufficient for you … (2 Cor. 12:9)

God is love. … There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 Jn. 4:16-18)

We’re secure in Him because God is able to do that which His love and grace compels Him to do on our behalf. Consequently we can go forward with confidence, reminding ourselves that “I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Phil. 4:13). Now reflect on God’s power and strength that He extends to us:

… my power is made perfect in weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9)

His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. (2 Pet. 1:3)

The Bottom Line For Replacing Insecurities with Confidence

We must move the focus off of ourselves and onto the Lord. It doesn’t matter who we are or how long we’ve been believers. In ourselves, we don’t have what it takes. We all fall short. When it becomes more about who God is and what He does for us, we worry less and less about if “we” have enough faith, if “we” are strong enough, if “we” can live this Christian life, etc. We humbly admit that we can’t but God can because of who He is. We can therefore be confident and secure because we’re resting on Him, not ourselves.

Here are two resources to help expand your view of God:

• Our Great God from A to Z Discipleship Tool by Ministry Tools Resource Center
• Your God Is Too Small: A Guide for Believers and Skeptics Alike by J.B. Phillips (link goes to merchant with whom we have an affiliate relationship)

God wants us to obey Him and apply His Word to our lives. Yet, if that’s our primary focus, we’ll tend to be left with external conformity and mere religious activity. God, however, wants to change us from the inside out that enables us to be in a relationship with Him. So, it becomes clear we need to be grace-based, not merely performance-based.

Grace Comes Before Performance

Start with salvation: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.” Then comes performance: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph. 2:8-10)

But even after we’re saved by grace, we do those good works by His grace as well. — “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, while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ …” (Titus 2:11-13)

Grace Changes Character Which Leads to Effectiveness and Productivity

Because of God’s grace, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Pet. 1:3). We then find a list of qualities in verses 5-6 that are to build within us — faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love.

Then we read, “For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:8). If we don’t have the needed qualities, it’s because “whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins” (2 Pet. 1:9). — We have forgotten about grace wherein God does for us what we can’t do for ourselves.

Grace Needed for Character Development

God’s grace enables us to be who we should be which leads to us doing what we should do. Click on the links below for how character development is then …

all to God’s glory,
with Him as our Standard,
and His power and grace as the means to change.

If we don’t depend on God’s grace, character development will be performance based which can become …

• mere external conformity which can change with a different set of circumstance
• mere religious activity which can lead to simply going through the motions
• mere self-improvement which is reliant on enough will-power and stamina to keep at it

— This basis often leads to pride or endless guilt. And, it can confuse the issue of salvation by grace.

Grace-based character development, on the other hand, that grows out of a relationship with God wherein one is divinely empowered leads to . . .

• change from the inside out that leads to a desire to be more like the Lord
• transformation, not merely building on our strengths and fixing what is wrong

— This basis leads to humility and hope.

Why do we do what we do as Christians? Certainly it shouldn’t be to earn favor with God since we began our relationship with God on the basis of grace (Eph. 2:8-9) and we continue our walk with Him by grace (Col. 2:6; Titus 2:11-12). Rather, Christ’s love should be that which compels us. He loves us so much that He took the punishment our sin deserves.

The more we “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ” (Eph. 3:18), the more we’ll want to do that which aligns with Him. The more we’ll want to serve Him and others because of love, not out of duty.

For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that … he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them, and was raised again. (2 Cor. 5:14-15)

What happens when we’re compelled by His love?

The love of Christ compels us to love in return. I remember my very first public testimony as a 13 year old after giving my life to Jesus. I said, “I love Him because He first loved me.” I don’t think I was familiar with 1 John 4:19 then but I was able to make the connection. When love compels us, we are never too young to worship, expressing adoration to Him because He first loved us.

When we truly grasp the love of Christ, we no longer want to live for ourselves, taking advantage of the freedom we have in Him. Rather, we “serve one another humbly in love” (Gal. 5:13-14). No matter what position we might hold in ministry, serving is all because of what He did for us so there’s no room for pride and self-ambition.

We want others to experience His love as well. And so, we’re compelled to witness to those not yet in a relationship with Him because of His love. We’re also moved to build up fellow believers, praying that their “love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (Phil. 1:9). As Jesus told Peter, if we love Him, we’ll feed His sheep (Jn. 21:15-17).

In addition, when compelled by His love, we’ll not only give willingly and cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7) of our financial resources and time, but also sacrificially. — “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn. 15:13)

All that we do should be affected by and driven by His love.