Morality and Character
UNDERSTANDING MORALITY AND CHARACTER.
A lot of Christians focus on morality and less attention to their character. Jealousy, envy, bitterness, selfishness, arrogance, ingratitude, backbiting, unforgiveness, hypocrisy, vindictiveness, hatred and sabotage are all character related deeds that currupts the spirit.
Eschewing fornication, adultery, stealing, disco, drunkenness and smoking are good morals.
Character is deeper than morality. Bad morals kill faster while bad character kills slowly but painfully.
Morality is bigger and shallow but character is sharper and deeper.
King Saul had better morals but David had a far better character.
Good morals may earn you admiration from men who judge from afar or look at the outside. But God examines our heart. Matthew 21:31-32
Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.”
Sometimes people who believe they have good morals have some sense of pride and self-righteousness. Morality is more connected to legalistic righteousness. Righteousness from the law and from our own mind but not through faith and the Spirit. It was easier for the task collectors and prostitutes to receive the Word and be saved because their sins were open. Everyone knew them and their lifestyle. So these people come to the Lord with a humble heart just as they are. They open up their hearts to the message of the Lord and are then saved. Contrary, the Pharisees and other teachers of the law were proud and felt they had some image or reputation to protect. They stuck to their morals and legalistic righteousness. They did not open their hearts to the message of the Lord to receive the righteousness which is by faith. Though the Pharisees may have good morals, their hearts were full of evil and hypocrisy. In other words, they had a filthy character.
Morality affects the outside man while character affects the inside man and then go ahead to slowly corrupt and destroy the outside man as they project outwardly.
Matthew 23:23-27
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee! First, clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”
Understanding morality and character is an article I wrote to get people to circumcise their heart as they become aware of the state of their heart with regard to righteousness and holiness.
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