Can You See Me?

In Luke 6:46, Jesus said – Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? He is talking about hypocrisy. He is talking about character. 

Character can be described as someone’s personality, the way you act, think, and feel. When we speak of a person of character, we mean to say that they have a good character. This is a person of quality. This is someone who can be described with words such as mature, noble, wise, true, trustworthy, dependable, discerning, prudent, and other such qualities.

When we speak of godly character, we are talking of someone whose character reflects the person of Jesus. This person has a good moral character, according to biblical standards. Of course, no one does this perfectly. But we should do this purposefully. And someone who is growing in their character can be said to be growing in practical, lived out righteousness.

Bruce Waltke said – the righteous are those who are willing to disadvantage themselves for the advantage of others, the wicked are those who are willing to advantage themselves at the disadvantage of others. I think that is also a great way to describe a person of godly character.

It takes character to see character. Lots of people can see obvious things. But some things are not so obvious to some people. You need to learn to discern. And you can grow in this godly discernment, not in order to judge others, but so that you will know real, godly character when you experience it. And, so you can know the charlatans, and the false teachers, and such. Because sometimes, these false prophets can seem like good people. They don’t get into any public trouble. They support good causes. But their goals are not as godly as some might think. Their mouth says godly things. But their heart is aimed at worldly things. They are deceived and deceiving others. 

How can you know who they are? How can you discern for yourself? How can you protect yourself? How might you help them see the truth?

It takes character to see character. When you are developing your godly character, you start to recognize more readily those that really know God. You begin to realize more easily those that are quoting scripture but not living scripture. You can learn to see the people who are just putting on a front, or those who are just fooling themselves, or trying to fool others.

You can tell when someone’s direction is toward God, and when someone’s desires are godly or ungodly. It may not happen with one event. But it does become obvious over time. 1 John 3:10 says – By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. 

This is about what someone’s values are. And this would include, not just what they say, but what they live, what they live by, and what they live for. And a lot of people are fooling themselves with this. There are many people who are still bound up in their sin. There are many with selfish aims, justifying them in the name of helping people. There are many who are immersed in the Christian culture, and advancing in Christian ministry, but who are dead or declining spiritually. There are many who seem to be fruitful, but they aren’t truly faithful. They are still the center of their own world. For them God is at best a means to an end. But for the person of godly character, God is the means and the end himself.  

Now, you don’t have to wait until you’re fully following God’s word before you can legitimately quote God’s word and benefit from God’s word. Learning to live according to God’s word is a process. You learn to discern. When you are in the process, you will grow closer in your direction towards God, deeper in your desires for God, and maturing in your discernment of God. And the more you grow, the more you know.

Again, it takes character to see character. In other words, it takes godly character to recognize others with godly character. Lots of people admire the obviously admirable qualities of others. But godly character isn’t always so obvious. It takes character to discern the character of others, both good and bad. A maturing character matures your spiritual vision. 

One of the marks of a maturing character is knowing how to be patient with pretense. Sometimes people put on a front, even when they are striving to get real with God and his word and his people. Patience is required, even with those you know are just playing the game. 2 Timothy 2:24-26 says – And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 says – And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. Being patient is part of being discerning, which is part of godly character.

The deeper your godly character, the more you will see the truth. As 1 Timothy 5:24-25 says – The sins of some people are conspicuous, going before them to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. So also good works are conspicuous, and even those that are not cannot remain hidden. Sometimes it takes a while to see if people are intent on growing in God’s grace, or if they have even been saved by grace at all. But it becomes obvious. Character can’t hide. 

There are people who you might not realize that are very much of godly character. They quietly live out a quality life, and give all the glory to God. They aren’t perfect, but they know the one who is. And they don’t need to parade their character. God sees them, and so can you. It becomes obvious. Those who are of a godly character can see people for what they are, even when others may not. People with godly character don’t need to prove anything. You don’t need to be insecure if your security is in Jesus Christ. And you don’t have anything to prove if Jesus has proven himself to you.

Maybe no one else can see you. But God sees you. And so do I. I can see you. Can you see me? 

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©