Christians all desire to be more like Jesus. We strive to live according to the wisdom and commands of God that are given in the Bible. And obedience requires a good understanding of what we should obey.
What are Christian qualities? Christians should be God-fearing and humble. They should display the fruit of the Spirit given in Galatians 6: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. While no Christians possess these qualities perfectly, we must and will continually grow in them as a result of the Spirit’s work in us.
I’ve been doing research into these qualities, and I’ve outlined everything I’ve found below.
I’ll also include what the Bible says about how you can start to have these qualities yourself.
God-Fearing
God calls us to not fear anything, but God.
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Matthew 10:28
God is all-powerful and has authority overall. If one is a child of God, one can rest in the knowledge that He is in control. When we realize and see God as the highest in command over this entire universe, one can know there is no need to fear anything else.
Something I have always prayed for, but have had difficulty understanding before is the Fear of the Lord. It is not about being scared of God but embracing and respecting His authority by putting Him first.
How do we put God first? By not having idols. Anything that comes before God is an idol. An idol doesn’t have to be physical or material, it can be a specific denomination even, a person, a mentor, even a ministry. One may have something good going in one’s life, but if it comes before God something needs to change.
Jesus should be the #1 priority in a Christian’s life and we should be running to Him before anything else.
Humble
Jesus mentions pride many times in the Bible. Pride is the opposite of humility and has been seen in scripture to be the root cause of many problems.
A definition I found on pride is an inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable feeling of superiority to another. But it doesn’t just have to be towards one specific person, it can be an actual quality trait.
One can continuously be walking in pride feeling superior over many. As a Christian, one should hate this character trait and flee from it. Actually in order to be God-fearing like the previous quality, one has to hate evil, and pride is included in this.
The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, And the perverse mouth, do I hate.
Proverbs 8:13
We are called to hate what God hates and love what He loves. We should come to the Lord in humility. His plan for us is far greater than anything we could come up with on our own.
Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
James 4:10
We are on this journey of following God together. We should never be too good to receive critical feedback or instruction from other believers who are godly men or women.
Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence. The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.
Proverbs 15:32-33
I think the fear of the Lord, and humility go hand in hand for a Christian. We must humble ourselves to know that we do not know it all. We cannot do things out of our own strength. Instead, we must humble ourselves and allow God to take over.
God rewards those who diligently seek His strength. This verse in Proverbs ties humility and the fear of the Lord together promising a reward of riches, honor, and life.
The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.
Proverbs 22:4
I believe this reward is talking about a heavenly reward of being apart of the Kingdom of God. Jesus says, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” Matthews 6:20.
We are not to focus on earthly things that do not last but to focus on eternal things. In order to lay up treasures in heaven, one must be walking in the Spirit.
Fruit of the Spirit
Walking in the Spirit means abiding in Jesus.
Once Jesus is Lord over your life, one gets to bear the fruit that comes from walking humbly with God. This is literally what God asks of us; to walk humbly with Him.
And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Micah 6:7
How do we walk humbly with God?
Love
We are to be imitators of our Lord and walk in love.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Ephesians 5:1
God’s greatest commandment is to love God with all our hearts and and to love others like ourselves.
How do we love God? By keeping His commandments.
If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
John 14:15
After loving Jesus, loving others like yourself is the second greatest commandment in the Bible. We should treat others the way you would want to be treated.
So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthews 7:21
Still having a hard time loving people? Check yourself for a moment. Remember you are made in the image of God.
One has to first love and respect oneself before they can truly love others the same way. Dealing with hurt, depression, or anxiety? Seek wise counsel and let God bring you through a time of growth to better understand who you really are in Christ. God wants you to be confident in His love first, and then can help you love others well.
Joy
Joy is not something that only comes when things are feeling good. Paul says count it all joy when you are in the middle of hard things going on in your life. I see joy as contentment and confidence in knowing that we already have everything we need.
For the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
The original Hebrew for joy in this Old Testament verse is “chedvah” meaning to make joy or be glad.
Strength in the same verse is a Hebrew word meaning a place or means of safety or protection. The root meaning of strength means, “to be strong, prevail; to make firm.”
Jesus says that bearing fruit is a sign that we are His disciples. We are to abide in His love and keep His commandments. Then we will experience joy.
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
John 15:11
Jesus continues and mentions that we will have tribulation in this world, but to not fret because He has already over come the world and leaves us with everything we need.
Peace
After Jesus ascended back into heaven to be with God the Father, He left us with the Holy Spirit and peace.
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
We are not called to worry about anything. God promises us peace because He has already won the battle.
God’s Son, Jesus defeated death on the cross. Jesus was slain as a lamb, and coming back as a lion to take all those who have believed on Him.
Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life… look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
Matthews 6:25-27
Jesus takes care of the birds and Jesus will take care of His children.
Patience
It’s all about God’s timing. God is very patient with us. We are also called to be patient with others.
With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love
Ephesians 4:2
Loving people comes with patience. It is not a one-time thing, but a continuous effort to show the love of Christ.
God calls us to bear love with all people, over and over again. This is patience; showing the love of Christ without expecting something in return, or to see results right away. Maybe one is showing the love of Christ to someone in hopes they will experience Christ’s love for themselves.
We need to be patient and know these things take time, and it’s up to Jesus to save. We should ask God for endurance to do good- to keep praying and caring for people, expecting God to be the one working in the hearts of people.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9
During seasons of difficulty, or times of uncertainty, one must continue to stay strong. As Christians, we must be confident in the work God calls us to do. We are to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer (Romans 12:12).
Kindness
Love is patient and kind. In Ephesians 4:32 when talking about kindness, it includes forgiveness.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
Jesus says to put on kindness.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
Colossians 3:12
We are not to only love the ones easy to love, we are to love the most difficult people.
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.
Luke 6:35
We are to love our enemies, do good to them, and even be kind to them when they might seem ungrateful just as Jesus did.
Gentleness
God calls us to “show perfect courtesy” towards all people.
To speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people.
Titus 3:2
When witnessing or answering questions about our faith, Christians should be ready and willing to have open discussions.
One must always do this with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15).
If someone is uptight or sensitive about a certain topic, be gentle and considerate.
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Proverbs 15:1
Wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere (James 3:17).
Ask God for a spirit of gentleness. It may not come particularly natural for some people. Pray for wisdom and that God would help you think before you speak and respond in love.
Self-Control
As a Christian, one should be seeking a renewal of one’s mind. Self-control starts in the mind. If you think about it, before acting out in sin, one first plays it out in one’s mind consciously or subconsciously beforehand. It all starts in the mind.
If one has control over one’s mind, one can more easily act out in self-control. In order to have control over one’s thought life, one needs to go to Jesus as the main source.
In our day, we are required to make thousands of decisions big and small. How we react to events and circumstances in our mind has an enormous impact on our mental and physical health. Our mind is in control of our body, and stronger than it. God calls us to have a sound mind.
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7
We are not bound by the physical; we are in control of the physical. Free will is not an illusion. God created us with free will to make choices on how to focus our attention and we get to choose what to think about.
What does God call us to think on?
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
We can choose to think the way God wants us to think. What we say and do is based on what we have built in our minds.
As he thinks in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 23:7
God calls us to be disciplined, practice self-control, and act out in it.
How You Can Be Like Christ
In order to be like Christ, we have to listen and be obedient to God’s Word. We are to stop practicing sin, and practice righteousness. Read the book of 1 John. We are to walk in the light, bring sin into the light – to God. One needs to confess their sins, and God will forgive us of all unrighteousness.
Abiding in Jesus is practicing righteousness. We are to lay our lives down for others like Jesus did for us. Loving God is keeping His commandments. We are not to love worldly things- the desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, and pride of life, which is not from God.
We are called to do the will of the Father.
Loving others is a sign that we are children of God.
God has given us all the resources we need to walk in Him. Our joy can be full.
And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete”
1 John 1:4
Walk in Jesus today. Start by making simple everyday decisions to choose the things of God over the things of this world. Flee from evil, pray for the people who do you wrong, and rejoice in the Lord always knowing our purpose is found in Him.
As Christians, we are called to be witnesses for the Gospel of Christ.