For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.—2 Peter 1:8

Character development is a major theme of the New Testament. Christianity is not merely an intellectual concept; it is a way of life. The Christian religion must be lived to be meaningful. This requires serious studies of what God expects of his people and then diligent application of these principles in daily living.

Jesus, in opening the Christian dispensation, gave his keynote in the Sermon on the Mount. There he enumerates a number of characteristics which would make his listeners "blessed" or happy. These beatitudes include admonitions to poverty of spirit, mourning for sin, meekness, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, mercifulness, purity of heart, peacemaking, and the endurance of persecution (Matthew 5:3–12).

Peter catalogs a number of these principles in the verses preceding the theme text above. He describes them as building blocks to be added one to the other. His list includes faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love (2 Peter 1:5–7).

Paul, in his pastoral letters to both Timothy and Titus, lists a number of character requirements for those who would serve the church as either elder or deacon (1 Timothy 3:1–13; Titus 1:6–8; 2:1–10).

Again, in Colossians 3:8–13, Paul describes this development of Christian character as a change of garments. He urges the Colossians to "put off" or remove such bad habits as anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, and corrupt communication and to replace them or "put on" mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering.

In this issue of THE HERALD another list of these Christian attributes is treated. These are the ones listed as "fruits of the spirit" by the apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22,23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Individual articles treat each of these spiritual "fruits." These are given as replacements for a long list of "works of the flesh" which include such negative characteristics as adultery, idolatry, hatred, wrath, envyings, and drunkenness.

Changing Habits

A speaker built a section of his remarks on the phrase, "Nothing changes unless something changes." Each individual’s life is composed of a number of habits developed over the years. These become deep-grained and a part of character. Many of these habits are, at best, unproductive of righteousness and, at worst, wrong and evil. These habits will remain a part of the person’s character unless there is a determined decision to change them for new habits based upon the principles of righteousness.

Jesus gave a short parable in Luke 11:24–26 that is pertinent to this point. "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first."

It is not enough to remove old habits. They must be replaced by correct patterns of thought and action. If not, they will be replaced by other habits that may be worse than those that have been removed. It is this process of substituting new fruits and graces of the spirit for the old habits of the fallen flesh that constitutes true character development.

It is the hope of the editors that the brief treatments of the "fruits of the spirit" may be helpful to each of our readers as they seek to grow into the likeness of Christ and to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect."—Matthew 5:48