The Life Within: Reproducing the Character of Jesus

"And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness." - Ephesians 4:24 (NKJV)

Reproduce the character of Jesus in your life. The whole point of this extended passage in Ephesians 4 is that once you become a Christian, you will express the new life within by changing your conduct. Sometimes people push back and say, "Stop telling us the do's and don'ts of Scripture. You're just trying to tell us to be moral people." But this passage tells us that the new life within will express itself through a change in our lifestyle.

So what does that look like? Paul gives us several very practical expressions of the new life within.

Tell the Truth
Ephesians 4:25 continues, "Therefore, putting away lying, 'Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,' for we are members of one another."

You tell the truth even in small areas. You no longer lie, even what some call "little white lies." Christians will be truthful because of the new life within.  

Manage Your Anger
Verse 26 says, “Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath."

There was a husband and wife who went to a counselor, and the counselor told them, "Don't go to bed angry with one another. Figure it out, settle it, then go to bed." They came back a month later, and the counselor asked how it was going. The husband said, "Well, we've been following that command. We have not gone to bed angry." The counselor said, "How's that working out?" He said, "We haven't slept in three weeks."

Lydia and I have stayed up very late sometimes, but we will not go to bed angry with one another. The Bible tells us not to, and that's reason enough.

You may not know this, but Jesus was angry at times. He walked into the temple, turned over the tables of the money changers, and said, "My house will be a house of prayer. You have made it a den of thieves." He was angry, but he was angry at the right thing, at the right time, in the right way. One preacher said the best way to be angry and not sin is to be angry at nothing but sin. Jesus was angry at sin.

When we hold onto wrath and let it fester, we give place to the devil (verse 27). We unknowingly open the door for the devil to run havoc in our lives, our marriages, and our homes.

Live with Integrity
Ephesians 4:28 says, "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need."

Don't steal. Work hard. Do honest labor. Christians should be the most trustworthy people in the entire community. Not because everyone else is doing it, and not because the boss is watching. As Christians, we should express integrity in our work life. We are different. We should be known for it.

Watch Your Words
Ephesians 4:29 continues, "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."

A direct application of this verse for Christians is how we conduct ourselves online through social media. If you are being vicious online as a believer, you need to cut it out.

Another direct application is that Christians should not use cuss words or tell vulgar jokes. If cuss words are still coming out of your mouth, the Holy Spirit wants to deal with that. I understand if you're a new believer and that's all you knew growing up. But as you grow in the things of God, the Holy Spirit will convict you and tell you to clean up your mouth.

You've heard, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me." That is a lie. Words hurt. Our words should encourage people. It should not be cutting and hurtful and spiteful and "got you this time" and "said exactly what was on my mind."

Your words should reflect Jesus to the people around you. If you have a problem with your mouth, read Proverbs over and over again. It says a lot about the tongue.

Forgive Generously
Ephesians 4:31–32 (NKJV)
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

"Voice of the Martyrs" once published Pastor Dmitri's story. In the eighties, he was beaten with a hammer for his faith in Christ so severely that he became a quadriplegic. He was thrown into prison, unable to move, lying in his own filth, with other prisoners doing what little they could to help. Years passed. Then a change in government came, and the prisoners were released.

One day, someone came to Pastor Dmitri's room. He recognized the man immediately. It was the officer who had held the hammer. The man got on his knees and said, "Please forgive me. I shouldn't have done it. You're not the only one I did this to. I did it to countless others. I don't even know if you can forgive me, but I'm sorry."

Pastor Dmitri looked at him with tears in his eyes and said, "I wish more than anything that I could feel my arms and move them, so I could wrap them around you and tell you that I have been praying for you every single day. I forgive you, and I love you."

When you, as a Christian, hear a story like that, something should stir in you. You should say, "I want to respond like that." Why? Because you know Jesus would respond like that. So how do you become that person?

Stop living with one foot in the world and one foot in the Word. Live wholeheartedly for Jesus. Receive Him as Lord and Savior. Realize that the old "you" is gone. Renew your mind with the Word of God. Finally, begin to reproduce the character of Jesus in your life. Little by little, day by day. Pastor Dmitri did not wake up one day and decide to forgive. It was years and years of letting the life of Christ change him from the inside out. When the moment came, the natural response was to reflect the character of Jesus.

Reflection Question: Of all the areas Paul addresses in Ephesians 4, which one is hardest for you right now: telling the truth, managing your anger, living with integrity, cleaning up your words, or forgiving someone who has wronged you? What is one step you can take today to let the life that is within you begin to show on the outside?

"Dear Heavenly Father, I want to tell the truth, manage my anger in a way that honors You, keep my words full of grace, and forgive others the way You have forgiven me. I know I cannot do this on my own. I need Your Holy Spirit working in me and through me. Help my natural response to reflect the character of Jesus. In Jesus' Name, amen."

Adapted from: The Path to True Life Change (Eph. 4:17-24)