Character & Sin

Summary

Character is the good attributes of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), while sin is allowing healthy passions to take control (James 1:15; I John 2:15-16).

Endorsements

All Christians agree that character is good and sin is bad.

Concepts

Character

There are 9 virtuous character traits that are called the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Each has an opposite corrupted state.

Love & Hate

Unhealthy disgust becomes resentment and hate. All commandments can be simplified by loving God and others, the 2 greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36-40). Read more…

Joy & Depression

Unhealthy sadness becomes depression, but only through sadness can we be healed (Matthew 5:4; Ecclesiastes 7:3) and find a deep source of joy (Philippians 4:4). Read more…

Peace & Anxiety

Unhealthy fear leads to anxiously worrying, but peace leads to courage that erases all shame and guilt (Philippians 4:6-7).

Patience & Wrath

Unhealthy anger turns into wrath, but patience is bearing with the sins of others (Ephesians 4:2,31).

Kindness & Covetousness

Not having our needs met can make us grow selfish, but kindness is thinking more of and about others (Philippians 2:3-4).

Goodness & Shame

Everyone thinks they are good (Proverbs 21:2), but that’s because we often hypocritically blind ourselves to our own sin (Matthew 7:5). A “good” person honestly seeks pure righteousness through judgment (John 7:24).

Faithfulness & Abandonment

The first commandment ever is to not follow idols (Exodus 20:3), including non-material sources of worth such as the approval of others (Galatians 1:10). Faithfulness is always trusting in God alone (Hebrews 11:6).

Gentleness & Powerlessness

Manipulation is punishing others that don’t do what you want (Matthew 5:41), but gentleness is holding people accountable to their own standards (II Timothy 2:25). Read more…

Self-control & Addiction

The weak can’t do what they want (Romans 15:1), but the self-controlled can do anything God wants them to (I Corinthians 9:25).

Spiritual Fruit Comparison

God gave us emotions to be warnings of various evils (John 11:34-35). By misunderstanding or ignoring them due to our passions, we feel more of that emotion, and it becomes corrupted, leading to sin (James 1:15). Each sin is solved by a specific Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24), a healthy manifestation of our emotions. Through understanding of these fruits, we are freed from sin (John 8:32). The primary way to understand these fruits is with their respective foundational discipline or sacrament.