Why Should Anyone Want to Have the Character of Christ Anyway?

[Eyelog]

My wife might like it if I stopped acting like a two year old.

My kids might like it if I were a good role model.

My church family might like it if I made our faith look attractive to outsiders.

God might like it if He didn't have to keep disciplining me for things He clearly commanded me to do and not do, and if He didn't have to keep forgiving me for my intentional diversions from His will, breaking our fellowship.



But, what if I were to just surrender all, and submit to the moment to moment leading of the Holy Spirit, and what if I did everything He led me to do, moment to moment? If I obeyed in all, why should I want or need to change in my character? In fact, how would my wife, kids and church family know the difference, that I had not changed in my character? God would know, but why should He care, so long as i was obeying Him, moment by moment by moment?

Because simply obeying the Spirit in the moment can make me sinless, shouldn't I just obey the Spirit moment to moment? Shouldn' t I just figure out how to never stop being in the Spirit?

Isn't all this wanting me to change in my character off the path anyway? I mean, if I became like Jesus in His character, what need of God would I have then? wouldn't it just pump me up in pride, being able to obey in everything out of my own character?

Please, help me to figure out what I should do. I'm thinking about abandoning trying to become like Jesus. ....

[exegesis]

Don't worry about it. You will NEVER become like Jesus (until you die and are taken to eternal life in heaven). You will spend your whole life (hopefully) trying to become like Him, and you will fail, but that you got closer at any point on the journey is all that matters.

[Eyelog]

Don't worry about it. You will NEVER become like Jesus (until you die and are taken to eternal life in heaven). You will spend your whole life (hopefully) trying to become like Him, and you will fail, but that you got closer at any point on the journey is all that matters.

No. I'm saying i'm thinking about not in the least becoming any more like Christ's character. In fact, I am saying I don't want to become anything like Him. I'd much rather overcome the Old Self moment to moment, by walking in the Spirit, in submission to His leading and empowerment, obeying each instant He moves me to obey by doing or not doing this or that.

[exegesis]

LOL then you're already doing just that - not worrying about it, living each life in the moment, making decisions as they come due to be or not to be like Christ in your responses to life.

See ... no problem.

[Desperaux]

Philippians 1:11 (NLT)
May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

[Boo]

The more you walk "in the Spirit," the more you will be like Jesus. It is simple. Don't try to be like Jesus, just be the kind of person He wants you to be. Let the Holy Spirit lead you there.

The Bible tells us that we will be given the gifts that we need, and not all of us get the same gifts. That is probably because we are all different, and God's plan of one is not necessarily the same as for the other. We can't be Jesus, but we can be God-pleasing Christians. That is what I aspire to.

[Eyelog]

The more you walk "in the Spirit," the more you will be like Jesus. It is simple. Don't try to be like Jesus, just be the kind of person He wants you to be. Let the Holy Spirit lead you there.

The Bible tells us that we will be given the gifts that we need, and not all of us get the same gifts. That is probably because we are all different, and God's plan of one is not necessarily the same as for the other. We can't be Jesus, but we can be God-pleasing Christians. That is what I aspire to.

Sorry about the disingenuous OP. However, I think there's ample evidence elsewhere available on this site to show my tongue was firmly planted in cheek, not to mock anyone or anything, but to spawn conversation.

Either way, I appreciate the feedback.

[Michae]

I am amazed at how much dead people can do to be religious. Maybe the cross didnt work and there are things we can do to be better people.

I understand your post eyelog what I dont get is why all that has never helped anyone to become who they already are. Those things you
Mentioned is what we are but not outside of Christ in us.

We were crusified with Christ, we are dead people, Paul couldnt scream it ant louder. "Yet I live but its Christ that liveth in me", Gal 2:20, keystone to your understanding.

[david]

>To walk by the Spirit of life is to walk by His words.
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." John 6:63

>To walk by His words is to walk by the Scriptures.
"All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

>When you do good works, you simply believe that Jesus told you to do good works...
"For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people." 1 Peter 2:15

>and then do it with faith.
"Truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

>(faith includes believing that Jesus died for our sins, which clears you to do good works; otherwise no work you do is good)
"if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." 1 Corinthians 15:17

>the one telling you it isn't possible to stop doing evil is the evil one.
"He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies." John 8:44

>You cannot believe while sinning and you cannot sin while believing. if you sinned, you have stopped believing. if you believe again, you have stopped sinning. "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16)." This proves you cannot believe while sinning. Therefore, if you ceased from sinning completely, that means you will never stop believing; this is full belief. The absence of sin is belief, because there is no one who is not sinning who is unbelieving. If you coveted or did something sinful, that means you stopped believing.
"No one born of God commits sin, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot sin because he has been born of God." 1 John 3:9

>Note that the only possible way to get into the kingdom in the next age is by being pure.
"You may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ( that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." Ephesians 5:5

>This means no imperfect person can get into the kingdom in the next age. Are you impure now? You need to start believing. Believe that faith allows you to fulfill the law. If you are still sinning, you haven't fully believed yet.
"If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell." Mark 9:45

>do you still not believe that you can be perfect in this age? What about the virgins in Revelation?
"It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins. It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless." Revelation 14:4-5

Important warnings Christians should know about
-the outer darkness is real and is actually hell (compare Matthew 8:11-12 with 5:29). Christians can and will go to hell for 1000 years if they disobey Jesus in this age (Rev 20:5).
-degree of punishment in the next age varies based on your obedience in this age (see Luke 12:47-48) but cannot last an eternity because of promised life (1 John 2:25)
-these punishments are for called ones only. The uncalled ones suffer wrath for eternity in hell.
-The law was not abolished; only the ordinances were (Matthew 5:17, Ephesians 2:15), which ordinances included circumcision, burnt and sin offerings (Hebrews 10:9). Therefore, as Jesus said, "whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:19