“…He who began a good work in you will carry it on…” – Philippians 1:6 (NIV)
A disciple is a follower and learner of a person or group. In the biblical context, the goal is to learn, live, and be like Jesus Christ. Fortunately, the Bible has given us guidelines and characteristics of righteous people to help us understand and be role models. Here are five desirable characteristics to use as our roadmap:
Firstly, and importantly, a disciple must be humble, have a relationship with God, and follow His commandments, and even when we stumble, we must seek God’s forgiveness (John 15:1-4). The path of discipleship is a journey that includes studying God’s Word, fellowship with others, receiving ministry, and doing ministry – producing fruit.
Secondly, a disciple is patient, kind, and gentle. Psalm 86:15 tells us that God is compassionate, merciful, gracious, slow to anger, and full of love and faithfulness. As disciples, we are to emulate Him. We do this by bearing His fruit in our lives (Galatians 5:22). When we allow His fruit to grow in our lives, our actions naturally become more patient, kind, and gentle.
Thirdly, a disciple lives a life that is submitted to God (James 4:7). Submitting to God means surrendering to Him. When we do this, we vow to live life according to His direction and not make excuses for sin. God is reflected in everything we do and say since wasteful living is rejected, and daily activities are carried out to serve God.
Fourthly, the disciple lives a sacrificial life on behalf of others. Jesus Christ gave up everything to be the ultimate sacrifice for our salvation. The Bible calls us to be living sacrifices – Romans 12:1. We should encourage people to love without hypocrisy, abhor evil, and cling to good. This could mean being willing to give up our desires and comforts to be a blessing to others. There are many examples in history of disciples demonstrating this sacrificial love to violent people whose lives completely changed.
Fifthly, a disciple works diligently (James 2:18). There’s a symbiotic relationship between faith and works – faith without works is dead. James is challenging all to show their faith through their actions. We are not saved through good works, but if we are saved, we will do good works. There is a big difference between resting in the Lord and laziness. Laziness can be defined as not being willing to work. Whereas, resting in God is finding the strength in Him to be able to work and work well. A disciple will still work to earn a living and be willing to work hard as a blessing to others.
These five qualities of a disciple of God are by no means conclusive. God is the One who causes His nature to grow within us (1 Corinthians 3:7). We cannot be better people without His strength and guidance. While we all still struggle with sin and can fail many times, by His grace, we can start to show more of the attributes mentioned above. These attributes will be some of the markers that can confirm that, indeed, Christ lives within us, and we are His disciples.
Read: John 8:31-32; Acts 2:42
Bible Reading Guide: Psalm 37:1-9; Luke 4:38-44; Luke 5:1-16; Numbers 15; Numbers 16:1-35
