What does God’s authority over me have to do with the Gospel
and personalities? I am reminded of this only because Jesus doesn’t choose
people based on personalities to enter the Kingdom. And if we are to be about
the Kingdom, then we work with anyone, anywhere, anytime. My wonderful wife was
told a couple of months ago that she had “the right personality to believe.”
The atheist who was telling her this was assuming, among many other things,
that belief and truth is dependent upon personality. Truth has nothing to do
with whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, whether you’re an ottter or
a lion, INFJ or ISFJ. Truth, Justice, Mercy, Prudence, Love, Joy and Peace are
not dependent upon whether you are organized or a night owl. They are dependent
on our reception and desire for God to transform our lives through the living
work of Christ’s redemption on the cross. That’s all. Christ is King and Lord.
He is our authority and our Truth. The Spirit leads us into that Truth. The
Father welcomes us and stands sovereign over all.
In short, it seems the answer the title question is no. In
long, no. Bottom line, bad question. For one thing, “personalities” have only
been around for the history of psychology, which is really not that long. This
makes it tenuous to argue the importance of personalities in the context of
discipleship and daily life in the Kingdom. Another thing is the Gospel speaks
to the holistic human condition, not just to personalities. Have personalities
been transformed by the Gospel? Yes. Is the Gospel dependent upon a “mercy”
speaking to a “mercy?” No. If someone is raising this issue, then the issue is
probably that one or both sides are not depending on the Gospel.
Scripture argues the Gospel is brought to fruition through
the Word of God and the Spirit, not through matching the right personality.
Those who follow our King are those who desire to worship in spirit and in
truth. How is the Gospel preached? It is preached through those who are willing
to confess Jesus as Lord.
Recently, I’ve been challenged that sin is actual rebellion
against my Lord. Before recently, I generally thought of sin as another path,
obviously against God, but simply another path. This did not mean I
misunderstood sin to be without consequences or anti-God. This simply means
that Calvin showed me that sin is directly disobeying God’s authority over me.
Please do not misunderstand me. Personalities are Good and
reflective of the image of God. They are reflective of gifts and endowments for
specific functions, surprises and paths. Personalities, however, are not an
excuse to get out of discipleship or the Kingdom. All personalities rest under
the Gospel. Rest. They find peace only in discipleship and in serving the King
of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
