Theo 104 Reflection Paper

Joshua Helms (L26498275)

THEO 104

Dr. Norm Mathers

8/12/2014

Reflection Paper 2

Introduction

Over the course of the semester, my knowledge of theology has grown from very little into something much larger. My curiosity for this class sparked a yearn for further education about theology. People do not seem interested about the topic but they should be because it makes you think about religion differently and to a Christian it can give perspective as well as further your walk with God. The two topics that have stuck out the most to me was Doubt and Character Development. Doubt and Character Development is a vital part of Christian’s faith as well as it is in their growth with God.

Doubt

Doubt is a creeping feeling that can overcome us when

We do not simply become awesome men and women of God instantly but through the buildup of character, we do. The theological definition of character development is as Elmer Towns states in Habits of the Heart “Character is result of your discipline. Where a spirituality results in inner power to do good, character results in your habits that make you do good.’ (Towns). Towns basically says that in order for our character to develop is due to our spiritual discipline and the habits that derive from it. Discipline is an important factor in life, specifically for Christians because we need to push ourselves positively towards God. If do not do this correctly, we would not have a very good character and it may not be God’s purpose for a negative character development. Galatians 5:22-23 says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (NIV) the fruits of the spirit do give us the basic needs of good character development. If we do accept the fruits of the spirit as part of our character development as Christians, we will be living the way of God. Character development through God also shows non-believers positivity about Christianity. As a child, I had severe attitude problems with my family because I was not building up my character the way that God wanted. I can relate to many stories of the Bible with character development but the one that strikes the most importance is in the Old Testament about Samson. God had given Samson the incredible power of strength and he could only have this strength if he did not disobey the three commands of drinking wine, women, and cutting his hair. Samson spiraled away from God’s path and eventually broke the three commands he was given about his strength. In the end, Samson was going to be killed but acknowledged what he had done