Character vs. Reputation: The Choice is Yours!

From the desk of Dr. R. L. Taylor, Th.D., Bible Teacher & Expositor. In the Bible, character, or inner moral qualities, is seen as more important than reputation, or how others perceive you, as God judges the heart, not outward appearances. God looks at the heart. The heart in Scripture is a person’s inner moral and spiritual life. Proverbs 4:23 explains that everything we do flows from our hearts. The heart is the core, the inner essence of who we are: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). To everyone who saw him, Judas Iscariot looked like a faithful disciple, but his appearance was deceiving. The other disciples had no idea of what was going on inside Judas. Jesus was the only one who knew Judas’s heart: “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (John 6:70). God’s perspective is higher, deeper, and wiser than ours. While a good reputation is desirable, true character is built through a genuine relationship with God. Character is about what you truly are, while reputation is about what others think you are. I’m referring to authenticity vs. perception. A good reputation built on a poor character is not sustainable in the long run, as people will eventually see through the facade. Be encouraged!