What Is the Character of Christ

2 Peter 1:5-10

Every believer understands that salvation is the beginning of the Christian life, not the end of it.

When God saved us, He did not merely rescue us from sin’s penalty.

He began a lifelong work of reshaping us into the image of His Son.

Romans 8:29 tells us that God predestined us to be conformed to Him…

Romans 8:29 KJV

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

This is a reminder that becoming like Christ is God’s highest goal for every Christian.

But if we are honest, many Christians admire the character of Christ without actively pursuing it.

We love His compassion, but we do not always show it.

We admire His patience, but ours runs thin.

We celebrate His love, but we often respond with indifference.

And deep down we know that the gap between what we are and what He is can feel discouraging.

Peter writes to believers who were facing pressures, temptations, false teaching, and spiritual weariness.

They needed stability.

They needed direction.

They needed a reminder that Christian growth is not accidental but intentional.

And so Peter gives a powerful framework for spiritual transformation.

He tells us that Christlike character grows when we “give all diligence.”

He reminds us that God has already given us “all things that pertain unto life and godliness,” but it is our responsibility to build on that foundation.

That is what this new Wednesday evening series is all about.

For the next ninety weeks, we will study the character traits of Christ that Scripture calls us to pursue.

We will look at how He lived them, how the Bible commands them, and how the Spirit produces them in us.

We will examine traits such as compassion, integrity, humility, courage, steadfastness, generosity, purity, patience, and many more.

This will not be a series of academic lectures.

This is a journey of spiritual formation.

A journey of heart transformation.

A journey into Christlikeness.

Imagine if, week by week, God shapes one trait, then another, then another.

Imagine families strengthened because the character of Christ begins to rule the home.

Imagine marriages renewed because Christlike love takes root again.

Imagine our church becoming known in Mayville not simply for our preaching, or singing, but for our Christlike spirit.

Imagine believers whose hearts grow soft instead of bitter, bold instead of fearful, gracious instead of harsh.

That is what happens when God’s people intentionally pursue the character of Christ.

Peter’s words tonight lay the foundation for this entire series.

He shows us why character matters.

He shows us why it must be pursued.

And he shows us why Christlikeness is not optional for the believer who desires to grow.

So as we begin this long and life-shaping journey together, we start by asking the essential question:

What is the character of Christ, and why must we diligently pursue it?

I. The Priority of Christlike Character

5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

Before Peter ever describes the traits we are to develop, he first shows us the importance of pursuing them with intentionality.

He wants us to understand that growth does not happen casually or accidentally.

That leads us to the first truth he emphasizes.

A. It Requires Diligent Pursuit

Peter begins by commanding believers to “give all diligence,” which means to exert earnest effort, wholehearted commitment, and intentional pursuit.

Spiritual growth is never passive.

No one drifts into Christlikeness.

Every believer who grows does so because they choose to cooperate with God’s sanctifying work.

The phrase “give all diligence” pictures a believer leaning forward with eagerness, engaging every spiritual muscle to grow.

God has already supplied the power, but we supply the participation.

2 Corinthians 7:1 KJV

1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Perfecting Holiness - Holiness is pursued step by step, not absorbed by accident.

Biblical counseling often emphasizes this principle: change requires putting off old habits and putting on Christlike ones.

A lazy Christian life never produces a Christlike character.

Diligence is the starting point of transformation.

Now that Peter establishes the attitude required for growth, he next outlines the pathway that growth typically follows.

B. It Reflects Divine Progression

Peter does not give a random list of virtues.

He gives a Spirit-inspired staircase of spiritual formation.

We begin with virtue, a word meaning moral excellence or the courage to do right.

Then we add knowledge, the wisdom to recognize what is right.

Then temperance, the self-control to deny what is wrong.

Then patience, the endurance to stay faithful under pressure.

Then godliness, the devotion that reflects God’s heart.

Then brotherly kindness, the tenderness that treats others with grace.

And finally charity, the sacrificial love that marks every true follower of Christ.

Each step leads naturally to the next.

Each virtue supports the one that follows.

This is not a list to admire.

It is the divine progression of a heart being shaped by the Spirit of God.

Galatians 5:22–23 gives a similar portrait in the fruit of the Spirit, reminding us that growth happens layer upon layer as the Spirit forms Christ within us.

Galatians 5:22–23 KJV

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Spiritual maturity never happens all at once.

It grows as one Christlike trait strengthens another.

And as Peter shows us this progression, he reminds us that these traits are more than moral goals.

They are windows into the very heart of our Savior.

C. It Reveals the Person of Christ

These virtues are not abstract ideas.

They are snapshots of the Savior.

Every trait Peter lists is a reflection of Jesus Himself.

Christ’s virtue reveals His moral perfection.

Christ’s knowledge reveals His perfect wisdom and discernment.

Christ’s temperance reveals His complete self-control even under extreme temptation.

Christ’s patience reveals His long-suffering nature in dealing with sinners and disciples.

Christ’s godliness reveals His total devotion to His Father’s will.

Christ’s brotherly kindness reveals His tender heart toward those who were hurting and broken.

Christ’s charity reveals His sacrificial love that took Him all the way to the cross.

So when Peter tells us to add these traits, he is telling us to add Christ.

We are not merely improving our personality.

We are embracing His.

2 Corinthians 3:18 KJV

18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

As we behold Christ’s glory we are changed piece by piece into Christ likeness

Spiritual growth is the Spirit’s work of stamping Christ’s likeness onto our lives.

The more these traits abound in us, the more clearly the world sees Christ through us.

Christlike character is not optional for the Christian.

It is the very essence of discipleship and the visible evidence that Christ is shaping our hearts.

II. The Purpose of Christlike Character

8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

After explaining the priority of pursuing Christlike character, Peter now turns our attention to why these qualities matter so deeply.

He wants believers to understand the consequences of growing in Christlikeness and the dangers of neglecting it.

Before he ever warns, he begins with a promise.

A. It Produces Spiritual Fruitfulness

Peter says that when these traits are “in you and abound,” they make you spiritually fruitful.

Fruitfulness is the outward evidence of inward transformation.

Christlike character always bears visible results in a believer’s life.

It strengthens relationships.

It deepens our witness.

It enriches our fellowship with God.

John 15:8 reminds us that fruitfulness glorifies the Father, showing the world that we truly belong to Christ.

John 15:8 KJV

8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

A fruit-bearing Christian becomes a living testimony of Christ’s grace.

And when character grows, influence grows.

Fruitfulness is not a talent issue.

It is a character issue.

Character creates capacity for ministry, stability, and spiritual usefulness.

Now Peter transitions from the blessings of growth to the dangers of neglect.

B. It Prevents Spiritual Blindness

Peter warns that those who lack these traits become spiritually “blind” and “cannot see afar off.”

This blindness is not physical.

It is spiritual short-sightedness.

It is the inability to see life clearly through the lens of God’s truth.

When a believer stops pursuing Christlikeness, their discernment dims.

Their priorities drift.

Their decisions become clouded.

Hebrews 5:12–14 KJV

12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. 13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. 14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

The author of Hebrews is teaching that spiritual maturity sharpens discernment, reminding us that character and clarity rise together.

Without spiritual growth, believers lose the ability to distinguish between what is temporary and what is eternal.

They focus on the pressures of today while ignoring the purposes of God.

Peter’s imagery is strong: the Christian who neglects character development becomes like someone squinting in the dark, stumbling through life with no spiritual direction.

But Peter is not finished.

He presses even deeper into the root problem behind this spiritual blindness.

C. It Protects Gospel Mindfulness

Peter says the believer who lacks these traits has “forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.”

He is not teaching that they lose salvation.

He is warning that they lose sensitivity to the wonder of salvation.

They forget where Christ brought them from.

They forget the cost of the cross.

They forget the grace that cleansed their hearts.

And when the gospel is forgotten, spiritual passion dies.

Character development guards us from this drift.

It keeps our hearts soft.

It keeps grace fresh.

It keeps Christ central.

It keeps us amazed that sinners like us were redeemed by a Savior like Him.

Lasting change flows from remembering our identity in Christ.

That is exactly what Peter affirms here: Christlike character keeps the gospel alive in our memory and active in our hearts.

It protects us from spiritual amnesia and anchors us in the truth that we belong to Christ.

III. The Promise of Christlike Character

10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

After showing us the priority of pursuing Christlike character and the purpose behind it, Peter now turns to the promise that comes to believers who take this pursuit seriously.

He wants us to see that developing Christ’s character is not only commanded.

It is rewarded.

There are spiritual blessings attached to a life shaped by the qualities he has listed.

Peter moves from exhortation to encouragement.

He wants us to know what Christlike character leads to.

A. It Confirms Our Salvation

Peter calls believers to “give diligence to make your calling and election sure.”

He is not suggesting that we earn salvation or prove ourselves worthy of it.

He is saying that spiritual growth gives assurance.

It strengthens our confidence that God has truly worked in our hearts.

As Christlike character increases, doubts decrease.

Fruit becomes the evidence of the root.

Jesus said in Matthew 7:20,

Matthew 7:20 KJV

20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

He was telling us that genuine salvation always produces genuine transformation.

A believer growing in Christ’s character walks with the settled confidence that God is at work within them.

This is not pride.

It is peace.

It is the settled assurance that God keeps every promise He makes.

And Peter now shows that this assurance produces stability.

B. It Cultivates Spiritual Stability

Peter gives a remarkable promise: “If ye do these things, ye shall never fall.”

He does not mean believers will reach perfection or never experience struggle.

He means they will not fall into devastating spiritual collapse.

They will not be easily shaken.

They will not be easily deceived.

They will not be swept away by temptation or led astray by false teaching.

Christlike character strengthens the soul the way deep roots strengthen a tree.

Psalm 1 describes the righteous as a tree planted by rivers of water, reminding us that spiritual stability grows out of spiritual character.

The more Christ is formed in us, the stronger we stand when trials come.

And Peter’s promise does not end with stability.

He lifts our eyes to the confidence and joy that accompany a Christlike life.

C. It Creates Lasting Confidence

Peter’s encouragement is that spiritual growth leads to a life marked by confidence, joy, and forward momentum.

When we pursue Christ’s character, we live with clarity about who we are and where we are headed.

We do not wander aimlessly.

We do not live in fear.

We do not question God’s hand in our lives.

1 John 2:28 KJV

28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Those who walk closely with Jesus do not shrink back in shame.

Instead, they live with the settled confidence that comes from walking in obedience and living in the strength of the Spirit.

Christlike character gives us boldness in prayer, courage in trials, and hope in difficulty.

It creates a steady, durable confidence that carries us through every season of life.

This is why Peter ties character development to assurance.

It transforms how we think.

It transforms how we walk.

It transforms how we face the future.

Conclusion

As we begin this new series on the character of Christ, Peter’s words remind us that spiritual growth is not a side project in the Christian life.

It is the very heart of what God intends to do in us.

He saved us to shape us.

He redeemed us to remake us.

He rescued us to reflect His Son.

The virtues Peter lists are not merely admirable qualities.

They are invitations from God to become more like Jesus.

Every week of this series will highlight a different trait of Christ’s character and challenge us to take another step toward spiritual maturity.

Some traits will confront us.

Some will comfort us.

All of them will change us if we submit ourselves to the Spirit of God.

Imagine what God could do in our homes if these traits began to take root.

Imagine the unity in our church if compassion, patience, kindness, and love marked our relationships.

Imagine the testimony we would carry into our community if we bore the unmistakable likeness of Christ.

God is calling us into a season of deliberate, diligent, Spirit-enabled growth.

And He promises that if we pursue these things, we will be fruitful, stable, confident, and secure in Him.

This is not a call to perfection.

It is a call to direction.

A call to progress.

A call to Christlikeness.

And that journey begins tonight.

Years ago a well-known sculptor was working on a marble bust of a famous subject.

A visitor watched as the sculptor chipped away piece after piece, slowly shaping the rough block into the likeness of the man he intended to portray.

The stone looked unremarkable at first, but gradually the features of the subject began to emerge.

After several hours, the visitor finally asked, “How do you know what to cut away?”

The sculptor paused, smiled softly, and said, “I simply remove everything that doesn’t look like the man.”

That is exactly what the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives.

Day by day.

Moment by moment.

Through Scripture, through trials, through worship, through obedience.

He chips away everything that doesn’t look like Christ.

He removes attitudes, habits, fears, and sins that distort the image of Jesus in us.

He patiently shapes us into the likeness of the One who saved us.

And Peter’s message is this: give Him something to work with.

Pursue these traits.

Cooperate with His chiseling.

Submit to His shaping.

Let Him form Christ in you.

As we launch this ninety-week journey into the character of Christ, may our prayer be simple:

“Lord, make me look more like Jesus.”