Young Christian Leaders' Alliance

Character Qualities and Principles Relating to Young Christian Leaders

Wisdom

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” - Ephesians 5:15-17

Wisdom is seeing life through God’s perspective, learning and applying His principles in our every-day lives. Wisdom is gained from a fear of the Lord and an understanding of His holy Words (Proverbs 9:10). Instead of following our faulty natural inclinations, we can, through faith, understand, meditate, and apply God’s absolute principles as they are revealed in his Words. God puts an important emphasis on gaining Wisdom in Proverbs 4:7 – “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.”

Related Character Qualities: Faith, Reverence, Obedience, and Discretion

Maturity

“Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” – Colossians 4:12

Maturity is instantly obeying the promptings of the Holy Spirit and resisting temptation. It is applying God’s principles and demonstrating character qualities we have learned. The Bible describes maturity as being “complete and perfect in the will of God.” Some important character qualities relating to maturity include: Responsibility – Fulfilling what is required of me by God and others, Punctuality – Valuing others by showing high esteem for their time, and Initiative – Recognizing and fulfilling needs of others before I am asked.

Sanctification

“For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;” – I Thessalonians 4:3-4

Sanctification is the process of growing in character, grace, and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ by studying His Words, obeying the Holy Spirit, and learning from the people and experiences God puts in our lives. The Bible says that sanctification is the will of God, so that we can abstain from the deceptive snares of the world. While sanctification encompasses our learning all of the character qualities of Christ, some highlights include: Meekness – Giving our personal rights to God. Reverence – Respecting and listing to the working of God in our lives. Sincerity – Doing right with godly motives. Virtue – The moral excellence that radiates from our life as we obey God’s Word.

Thankfulness

“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” I Thessalonians 5:18

Thankfulness is realizing that everything we have is because of someone else and is ultimately a gift entrusted to us by God. When we are thankful, we recognize the worth of others and praise God through our thoughts and actions. Thankfulness comes when we yield our lives, rights, relationships, and possessions to God, their rightful owner, and obey his commands. I Corinthians 4:7 explains that everything we have, indeed, our very own lives, is a gift from God: “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?”

Related Character Qualities: Gratefulness, Attentiveness, Sensitivity, and Joyfulness

Confidence

“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” – Hebrews 10:35-36

Confidence is knowing that our actions and communications are right in the sight of God’s standards.  Confidence is based on knowing that God’s truths are absolute and pure and having a clear conscience. God’s absolute, preserved, pure, and un-changing Words are our foundation and confidence. A Clear conscience is the basis for our being able to expound the truth with boldness. Perfect love, the love of Christ, casteth out fear: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” – I John 4:18

Related Character Qualities: Boldness, Flexibility, Enthusiasm, Love, and Justice

Freedom

“Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.” – Peter 2:13-14

Freedom is the power, or grace, that God gives us to do what we ought, not what we want. We are free when we fulfill our responsibilities to God and man. Freedom is based on responsibility. A free society requires responsible citizens and officials. Likewise, if we are to be free, we must yield our rights to God and accept responsibility for our actions. Some character qualities relating to the principle of freedom: Forgiveness – When we forgive those who offend us, we are free from the destructive consequences of bitterness.  Virtue – When we humble ourselves and follow God’s standards, we are free from the consequences of impurity. Faith – Trusting God allows us to be free to have Him work through us. Creativity – Submitting to authority gives us the freedom to approach problems and find solutions from new perspectives.   

Endurance

“For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.” I Peter 3:17

Endurance is overcoming obstacles and temptations to fulfill our responsibilities. It is purposing in our heart to accomplish God’s goals despite opposition. The Bible describes the Christian Life as a race: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” – Hebrews 12:1-2. We can do nothing without Christ; it is only through his strength that we can run our race.

Related Character Qualities: Patience, Loyalty, Determination, and Cautiousness

Separation

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” I John 2:16-17

Separation is the wisdom, boldness, and discernment to stand alone for God’s principles without compromising. Separation requires that we understand that all that is in the world, its system, allurements, and lusts, are of the world and will pass away.  However, the work that we do for the Lord will endure forever. The Bible commands us to “Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” – Colossians 3:2. When we stand alone for the truth we must have humility and a Christ-like spirit to communicate effectively. Following God’s standards will keep us safe from the snares and dangers of the world.

Related Character Qualities: Alertness, Persuasiveness, Security, and Discernment

More Information:

A superb resource on the Character Qualities of Christ, upon which this article draws, is “Operation Definitions of Character Qualities” by Bill Gothard.