The Character & Fitness Requirement

"When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:21-23

I'll never forget the deer-in-the-headlights look that many of my classmates had during our first semester of law school when the Dean of Students came and discussed the character and fitness requirement for the State Bar.  During our first year of law school, we were all required to get fingerprinted and to fill out extensive personal background information that would be used by the State Bar of Texas to investigate each of us.  Typically, within 6 months the State Bar would send each of us a letter indicating that we had been deemed "fit" to practice law.

The problem with this character and fitness study was the personal declaration section.  If you've ever been arrested or done something really stupid that could reflect poorly on your character, you MUST declare it to the Bar.  Failure to do so can haunt you, because they do their own background check and even contact all former employers for comments about your behavior.  Plus, if anyone knows any reason why you shouldn't be a lawyer, they can contact the Bar committee too.  The list of offenses that could eliminate you from joining the Bar are pretty extensive (drugs, prior arrests, mental health problems, bankruptcy, cheating, plagiarism, dishonesty, etc.)  And there were plenty of law students that had pasts to be declared.

I'm so glad that God doesn't ask for a declaration of our character and fitness to be Christians before extending His grace to us.  Paul reminds us in Romans that once we have accepted God's grace, we are no longer slaves to our shameful past.  Yes, there are things we've done that are embarrassing and wrong.  But God wants us to let those acts die with our old self so that we can move forward as slaves to righteousness.

Isn't this the best news you could ever give someone?  So many individuals are hurting and living lives that are truly scarred and defined by their pasts.  But they don't have to live like this anymore.  God is a God of resilience and love.  He came to save sinners because He can use anyone to accomplish His purpose--even people who see themselves as damaged goods.  God wants us to live our lives focused on our future in Him, not our past.  God wants us to pursue lives of righteousness so that we can attain spiritual character and fitness--holiness. 

The next time I'm haunted by a past mistake, I have to let it go.  I have to confess it and give it to God.  I'm no longer a slave to my past because now I'm called to live in Christ.  Let's praise God because He wants our present and our future. He doesn't need our personal history to determine our potential fitness as a Christian.  He can use damaged individuals in amazing ways.  What hope we have in Christ!