The Measure of a Person’s Character

What is your character like?

I’m sure you’ve heard people talk about others and say, “They have good character,” or, “Their character is terrible”. But what really is character? And what does good character look like?

What is character?

Recently at church, my youth pastor went over this very topic, and talked about how as Christians we should strive to reflect Christ in our character. He defined the term character as this:

“The measure of a person’s character is what they would do if they knew they would never be found out.”

I absolutely love (and am scared by) this way of putting it. You can do whatever you want on the outside, but that doesn’t define your character. Character comes from what you think and do on the inside.

Character defines us.

I’ve frequently wondered what it is that separates good people who don’t believe in God from good people who do believe in God. Character is one of those things. As Christians, the reason behind why we do what we do is rooted in our character. We do it for God’s glory, not our own.

As 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “Man looks at the outside appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Character is internal.

What we do, what we own, and our status in life has nothing to do with our character. This is why you can find poor people who are the most caring and considerate people you’ll meet, and also rich people who are absolute jerks.

Your character comes from the inside. While external circumstances can influence your character, they do not define your character. Because it’s character that impacts what kind of life you’re going to live.

What makes good character?

When someone has “good character” it can mean a lot of things. It can mean they’re honest, trustworthy, compassionate, loving, caring, etc. All of these things are amazing virtues to have – especially when they’re rooted in Christ. However, there’s one thing that’s more important than all of these.

Everyone has seen those movies or read those books with the super kind and “sincere” characters who end up backstabbing the protagonist. This is not true character. Because…

True character is genuine.

Real character is, well, real. Like the quote I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Character is what you would do if you knew you would never be found out. Character isn’t just what you do when others are around, it’s what you do when no one is around.

Character isn’t just about telling your friends they shouldn’t cheat on a test because it’s wrong, it’s also about not going and cheating yourself when no one’s looking. Character is about being genuine both when others are around, and when you’re alone. It’s about both what you do and what you think, but also about what you don’t do and don’t think.

This is what makes good character.

Will we reflect Jesus’ character?

Of anyone in history, Jesus truly reflected good character. He genuinely, unselfishly loved others, cared for them, met their needs, and taught them about the way to salvation. While many only look at the physical things Jesus did, such as miracles, what we have to realize is that none of those things could have been possible if it hadn’t been for who He was on the inside.

Do you want to grow in your character and love for others? Then the greatest advice I can give you is to remember to work on the inside stuff as much as you work on the outside stuff.

You can do all kinds of amazing things at church, in the community, and beyond – that’s great. But imagine how much bigger of a difference you could make if you remembered your character first – since all things flow from it.

What steps can you take to make your character more like His?