Let’s talk about character, because it’s something that a lot of people tend to struggle with. Honestly, I think “Christians” struggle with good character more than any other group of people. Not because Christians are bad or because there are a lot of “Christians” out there whom I worry are not actually followers of Christ, but because even those who are truly devoted to Christ have a tendency to hide their character.

Integrity was one of the core values pushed on me by my school as I grew up. I say pushed as if it’s a bad thing, but I’m actually glad for it, even if the lesson didn’t seem to stick for a lot of us kids. Integrity involves this idea that one must act the same alone as they do/would around others. And the idea of good character works in, generally, the same way.

A lot of Christians struggle with good character because they don’t actually have integrity; they act one way with a church group and act totally different alone. They’re pious around other believers, but raunchy around non-church friends. And, I know that’s a generalization, but honestly, if you take offense to this assertion, you’re likely one of the ones acting this way, and I want you to know that I love you, but this post is meant to rebuke you. Because I wish someone had done it for me many years ago.

In the Bible, Paul twice calls for leaders in the church to have “character above reproach.” In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. But, newsflash for all of y’all: this applies to every Christian, not just those who want to be pastors and deacons. Why? It has to do with what “character above reproach” means.

To have character above reproach means that no one can look at your character and find hypocrisy within it. A person whose character is above reproach has actions that match with their words. They have nothing to hide because they have done no wrong. It’s the characterized antonym of the phrase “Do as I say, not as I do.” What they say and do are the same, and they are good.

To take a few things from today’s world, if you tried to “cancel” them, you would find absolutely no dirt on them. Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram users could search for months and never find something out of line online or in person that has not seen the light of day and been atoned for. A person whose character is above reproach is not above reproach because they’ve never done wrong, but because they owned up to faults and mistakes, expressed repentance, and received forgiveness.

Does that sound similar to anything else? It should, because that’s an integral part of the process of giving your life to Christ and choosing to follow Him. You have to own up to being a sinful being, express your repentance, and receive Christ’s forgiveness. And from there, you’ve set up the process to become a person whose character is above reproach.

As you become sanctified by the Spirit, your goal is to become blameless, not in the eyes of God, who already sees you as one without fault thanks to the cover of Jesus placed over you by your salvation, but to the people around you. Not because you don’t still make mistakes here and there, but because your idea of quality character is new, and you adhere to it. You’re looking to be set apart from others by who you are, how you act, and what you say.

Now, I know Paul was specifically referring to leaders here, so I’m sure there are a number of people still arguing, “Well, this clearly doesn’t apply to me; I don’t want to be a pastor or deacon!” Well, think again! We are all called to be leaders, showing the blind to Christ so that they may see. And whether or not you believe it, all of what Paul says about the character of church leaders applies to every believer.

So, what are some characteristics of a person who is above reproach? Paul kindly lists them off for us in Titus 1:7-9, “For an overseer, as God’s administrator, must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to rebuke those who contradict it.”

These are the qualities that you must aspire to. It’s these things that serve to make you above reproach. It’s these qualities that let leaders like Billy Graham speak life into millions of people and have no one question his character: there were no scandals that could pick up fuel against him, no insults that could stick, no evil labels that could ruin his ministry. Why? Not because he didn’t sin, because he assuredly did at some points, but because his character, despite his mistakes, was so full of God that no one could even begin to find something evil within him.

And it’s important to be that clean when it comes to your character because of what Paul says in Titus 1:10-11, “For there are also many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from Judaism. It is necessary to silence them; they overthrow whole households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly.”

And this is why the message of blameless character is even more important, because not only do you have to have character that is markedly different from the average nonbeliever, but you must also have character that is above that of even those who profess “Jesus is Lord,” know the tenets, and speak half truths about the Word. You have to distinguish yourself from false preachers and fake Christians so that nonbelievers may see the real truth.

Just as a short example, the difference we’re looking for is the difference between one who teaches the prosperity gospel and one who preaches the Gospel. The prosperity gospel, when taught well, sounds just close enough to be true Christianity. With the right words, you can convince people it’s true and right. But if you look at the pastors at prosperity gospel churches, you see a disconnect between what they say and what they do: their lives are so unclean. They talk the talk but can’t walk the walk, whereas a Gospel pastor follows the same tenets he teaches to his congregation.

And there are too many people who are fooled by false Christianity because it’s so difficult to distinguish between true Christians, near misses to Christianity, and even nonbelievers. That’s why you aim to have character above reproach; not only is it protection for you in a world that hates you, but it serves as another way for us to be a city on the hill, shining light for all to see.

And here’s a final reminder about your character to think about until I cover the full topic next week: You can’t control what happens to you, but you can control how you react to it. And that’s what really matters for character.