But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
1Cor 15:10 ESV
Often we neglect the entirety of this verse, where Paul emphasized, as the Amplified bible highlights, “his grace toward me was not found to be for nothing (fruitless and without effect).”
Today, we find a cultural norm saying, “That’s just who I am; deal with it.” A common catch phrase is, “Don’t judge me.” Does personality excuse negative behaviour, or more perfectly, how do we righteously bring personality into the Kingdom of God?
The following information on personality has been taken from www.verywellmind.com by Kendra Cherry, MSED:
‘“Personality describes the unique patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that distinguish a person from others. A product of both biology and environment, it remains fairly consistent throughout life.
Examples of personality can be found in how we describe other people's traits. For instance, "She is generous, caring, and a bit of a perfectionist," or "They are loyal and protective of their friends.”
The word "personality" stems from the Latin word persona, which refers to a theatrical mask worn by performers to play roles or disguise their identities.
Although there are many definitions of personality, most focus on the pattern of behaviours and characteristics that can help predict and explain a person's behaviour.
Explanations for personality can focus on a variety of influences, ranging from genetic effects to the role of the environment and experience in shaping an individual's personality.
Some theories describe how personalities are expressed, and others focus more on how personality develops.”’
Does the existence of personality remove me from a personal need to conform to His image? If, and I am, created by the grace of God, ‘fearfully and wonderfully made,’ Psalm 139:14-16; shouldn’t His workmanship (Eph. 2:10) then reflect His personality? Paul went on to say that this grace was not to Him in vain. The place where we believe and receive the grace of God is the place of growth and transformation into the image of His son. Growth is a process, and we never, ever diminish it, but growth requires a personal willingness to engage in change.
“This is just who I am, deal with it,” can be a dangerous belief to hold. There can, and should, be a recognition of who you are naturally, ‘try me o God. Search my heart and if ……lead me into right’, Ps 139:23-24 but our destiny is to be conformed into the image of His son, Romans 8:29.
Change is never possible without the recognition of a need to change, which requires our willing cooperation. He works, I yield. Knowing the Holy Spirit is given as a comfort and help to produce His fruit not only within but through us. Gal 5:22
This is the work of God. This is the working of grace, and like Paul, we work hard and cooperate with God, knowing it’s not me (self-effort) but the grace of God in me. He is able. He is willing. I must believe and receive to bring forth a character and nature pleasing to Him.
It is a daily desire, and one that aligns us to him to be able to say, like Jesus, He who has seen me, has seen the Father.
Grace and peace to us all.