Sometimes character and reputation are thought to be one and the same. If someone is referred to as a good character it means they have a good reputation. But the two are different. The opinion people have of us is reputation. Our true quality is character. The world values reputation. The Lord’s disciples value character. Some messengers with virtuous character are not appreciated because they bear God’s word, which is not popular. Some bad men disguise their work and the world holds them in high esteem. A good family name is valuable, but a true character cannot be estimated. A good character will stand in God’s judgment and only Christ can build it on the rock.
Good morals or bad morals determine character. A student brings to school a small electronic device for cheating on a test. The student has a dishonest character. A patron stashes an article of clothing from a store rack into her bag and hurries out the door without paying for it. She has a dishonest character. A bully seeks to get his way through tactics of intimidation. He is a proud, dictatorial character.
“Morals is character, and science is knowledge; therefore, moral science is character-knowledge. The study of moral science is the study of the knowledge of character.”[1] When studying moral science, where should we go? Should we study man or God? If we study man’s knowledge we will drink from the sewers. Jesus said: “Out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:21-23; cf. Rom. 3:9-18). How long can one study immoral science before he can become moral?
The study of the knowledge of God will produce a divine character. “We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory [character] of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory [from character to character], even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18; cf. Ex. 33:19; 34:6, 7; Jer. 31:3). The study of divine moral science yields the certainty of Christian character perfection.
The Apostle Peter presents the “ladder of Christian progress” [2] as the evidence of those who are “partakers of the divine nature.” “Add goodness to your faith; to your goodness add knowledge; to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add endurance; to your endurance add godliness; to your godliness add brotherly affection; and to your brotherly affection add love” (2 Peter 1:5-7, TEV).
In climbing a ladder the eye should be focused on the top. Looking down from the heights causes fear and panic. In every advance step of Christian growth we are ever to keep the eye fixed upon Jesus our great example. Self is a corrupting influence. [3]
Faith is the first rung of the ladder. It is the widest and strongest foundation for motivating all the rest of the fruits culminating in agape. It is interesting to note the fact that the ladder begins and ends with the most enduring fruit of them all, which is agape. Agape is the test of Christian character.