Proven Character

        Therefore, having been justified [dikaioo – declared righteous] by faith, we have peace [eirene –             peace of mind] with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our          introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.             And not only this, but we also exult [kauchaomai – glory] in our tribulations, knowing that                     tribulation [thlipsis – pressure from evils, afflictions, distress] brings about perseverance [                    hupomone – remain under]; and perseverance, proven character [dokime – proof of genuineness,          trustworthiness]; and proven character, hope [elpis -desire of some good with expectation of                 obtaining it]; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within             our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.             Romans 5:1-5 

In Romans 4, Paul identifies Abraham's faith as being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able to perform (Romans 4:21). In verse 24, Paul connects Abraham’s faith as the father of our faith to the new covenant believer, as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Belief in God's promises is the central theme in the justification of every believer. The above passage connects that justification to peace with God. That peace with God is measured internally, as peace of mind, and not externally. Jesus declared to His disciples: Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on, five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law (Luke 12:51-53). Jesus later encouraged them: in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

As Paul illuminates above, proven character is the result of tribulation, the result of pressure from evil, affliction, distress, etc. It is not the natural consequence of keeping the Law of Moses. One definition of character is moral strength or integrity. It is not inherent in man, but is developed in the believer through perseverance, enduring, remaining in a difficult situation because it is right. In fact, perseverance is something to be cultivated, since it will be rewarded, as James 1:12 says: "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him." Perseverance is the outward evidence of the one who loves Him; The Lord preserves all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy (Psalm 145:20).

Pearl of Great Value

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.        Matthew 13:45-46 

One of the eight parables Jesus told in Matthew 13 describes the kingdom of heaven as a merchant seeking fine pearls. When he finds one pearl of great value, he sells everything he has and buys it. A pearl forms when an irritant, such as a parasite or food particle, enters the shell of an oyster or mussel. The mollusk secretes layers of a substance called nacre to coat the irritant, gradually creating a pearl. The merchant represents Jesus Christ, and the pearl is the believer in Christ; the irritant is tribulation. The Lord is seeking those who are His. In 2 Chronicles 16:9, “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro, throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” The one who consistently weathers the storm of life's challenges becomes the pearl of great value and manifests proven character. He walks in the love of God that has been poured out within his heart by the Holy Spirit. 

so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.                           1 Peter 1:7-9

Peter understood from his own experiences with the Lord that faith must always be tested to be proven true. Not only did he deny knowing Jesus, but he was there observing Jesus at Gethsemane when He told Peter, "My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me” (Matthew 26:38)/. In his suffering, the believer identifies with Jesus’s sufferings. Trials do to faith what fire does to gold. They purify it and reveal what it really is. Peter anticipated that believers would respond appropriately to their trials. God purifies faith through trials by helping the believer realize the inadequacy of anything but trust in Him in these situations. He shows that one’s faith is genuine by demonstrating that his joy in trials rests solely on confidence in Him and His promises. Both results bring praise, glory, and honor to God.

Things Not Seen

For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.                2 Corinthians 4:17-18

The proper context for accepting the trials of faith is the eternal perspective promoted by the Apostle Paul in the above passage. Spirituality is not based on the material realm and things seen, but on eternal things, perceived by faith, not by sight. When the believer envisions his life beyond the material realm, he recognizes that God is at work within the details of his life to produce a spirituality characterized by proven character, doing what’s right when no one is looking. It envisions eternity and is accomplished in another realm, where God’s righteousness is its goal:

“But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. “He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness. “Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.                         Malachi 3:2-4 

A Man for the Ages 

I recently read a great book dealing with the life of Abraham Lincoln, written by Jon Meacham, entitled “And There Was Light.”  It dealt with his mindset and attitudes related to issues of life during the first half of the 19^th century. Of course, that period was dominated by slavery and all of its implications. Since the black slaves were imported from another continent and indigenous whites inhabited America, there were serious questions about the Declaration's foundational statement: all men are created equal. From the beginning of America’s existence as a nation, our leaders wrestled with implementing this principle in American society. So much of the southern economy depended on slavery to thrive, and slavery was accepted even within evangelical churches as tolerable to God. As a child growing up in Kentucky and Indiana, the young Lincoln was distressed by the way slaves were treated, but it was difficult for him to accept that whites and blacks could peacefully cohabitate; the prevailing mindset of the day was segregation – separate societies to accommodate any consideration of abolition. 

Lincoln was brought up in an environment influenced by the church, but he did not consider himself religious. His position was that slavery was morally wrong, but implementing any form of abolition would be monumental. Even black suffrage would create all kinds of difficulties and obstacles in a society where blacks were seen as inferior. This issue dominated the politics of Lincoln’s entire lifetime and would even be the cause of his death. The Missouri Compromise would be necessary so that a new western state could be admitted as a slave state only if there was an offsetting abolitionist state, ensuring an equal number on both sides. The issues that were central to Lincoln’s entire political career were dominated by these controversies, with no clear solution. Although in Lincoln’s mind, slavery was clearly immoral, he could only consider finding another home for the black community. It was not until he was so burdened by the overwhelming issues of Americans killing Americans for an unclear solution.

Lincoln was an irregular church-goer, and religion did not rule his thinking; instead, his convictions were morally based – doing what is right. It became clear in the fall of 1862 that the Emancipation Proclamation was necessary to keep the slave states in the Union; there was no other solution. He would not be around to implement its completion after the Civil War was over; he would be assassinated the same week Lee surrendered to Grant. He would be remembered by most as one of great character who had proven that character in the most difficult of situations. Walt Whitman would refer to Abraham Lincoln as a “man for the ages.”

Wandering in the Wilderness

“All the commandments that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess [yarak – take possession of] the land which the Lord swore to give to your forefathers. “You shall remember [zakar – recall, think about] all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing [nasah – test to prove] you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. “He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna [mana – “what is it?”] which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand [yada – perceive, discern] that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. “Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. “Thus, you are to know in your heart that the Lord your God was disciplining you just as a man disciplines his son. “Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God, to walk in His ways and to fear Him. “For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you will eat food without scarcity, in which you will not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. “When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.                       Deuteronomy 8:1-10 

Although the above passage addresses the Jews wandering in the wilderness for those forty years, it also speaks to us today. In the wilderness, God led His people by a cloud in the daytime and a pillar of fire by night; today, He leads the believer by His Word and His Spirit. He disciplines the believer as a father loves his son, as Hebrews 12: 10-11 says:  For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.

God is My Strength

I heard, and my inward parts trembled at the sound; my lips quivered. Decay enters my bones, and in my place I tremble. Because I must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation [yesa – deliverance, salvation, welfare]. The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.                        Habakkuk 3:16-19 

Habakkuk prophesied about the coming exile that the Jews would suffer in Babylon. In the above passage, he reminds the people that God would never leave them or forsake them (Deuteronomy 31:6), even in exile. The prophet is given this prophecy and must wait quietly for the day of distress, for the people to arise who will invade us. He then paints a picture of the condition of Jerusalem while the Jews are in captivity in Babylon. Although the conditions appear dire, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation (deliverance). The ultimate conclusion is that the Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places. Proven character allows the believer to live in God’s strength since he has allowed God to be sovereign and recognizes His presence in every situation.