Having discovered Mr. Wickham's true character, Lizzie laments, "How is such a man to be worked on?" The centerpiece of sliminess in Pride and Prejudice, Wickham eventually furnishes ample evidence his character is both corrupt and confirmed. The unassailable answer to Lizzie's rhetorical question hangs in the air with frank finality, "Impossible!"
Is this true for all? Is inner change beyond reach? The Bible is quite clear that redemption unlocks the power of genuine transformation. Paul names a den of disreputable characters in 1 Cor. 6:9-10, and then reminds the Corinthians, "Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God" (1 Cor. 6:11). Notice the first occurrence of the word, "were." It indicates not just an occasional lapse but a steady state of moral failure. In their former condition, the Corinthians were a consistently sordid lot. But this was the black velvet against which the Gospel gleamed so brightly. Being washed, sanctified, and justified through Christ so altered them that, where once they were aptly described as thieves, or womanizers, or drunkards, NOW those labels no longer fit. With truth and over time, they had been made new from the inside out.
This kind of change is not merely external. But it will be evident in externals. Try to take a sample of the human soul and put it under a microscope. Find a device to which a man or woman can be wired up with probes to produce a print-out of his character. Like the wind which can only be observed by the things it affects, so is a man's character discerned through words and deeds. They are not the essence of but windows into a man's character.
Jesus was addressing the religious bigwigs of Israel who were confused on this distinction. He explained, “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:45). In the name of character transformation, we can fiddle with how someone expresses himself. We might succeed by maintaining, for a season, a favorable impression. But sooner or later, the true state of a man's character will be made evident in what he says.
Deeds also tell us about a man's character, sometimes providing an even clearer account of a man's heart than his words. In Paul's ministry on the island of Crete, he encountered a group whose declarations of allegiance were soundly contradicted by their actions. He observed, "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed" (Titus 1:16).
As a man is transformed from the inside out, those internal changes will be reflected by new speech and behavior patterns. So any attempt to form character must give attention to all three domains. It will address the ways that a heart must be renewed. It will teach how such a heart will speak. And, it will show the kinds of deeds that will flow from such a heart.
If you are going to teach children how to become men and woman of character, you must give attention to all three domains, heart, word, and deed. Focus purely on heart, and you will reap arrogant do-nothings. Focus merely on words and deeds and you will raise up hypocrites. Focus on heart as the source and noble speech and deeds as the outflow, and you serve them well.
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