THE ORIGIN OF OUR MORAL CONSCIENCE

Matthew chapter 7






Today we are walking in: The Origin of Our Moral Conscience








Today we look to the word-LEADER- H5057 nagiyd-- leader, ruler, captain, prince; excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.







The Torah Testifies.............................

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The prophets proclaim...............







Isaiah 55:4 - Behold, I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader H5057 and commander to the people.


















The writings bear witness.............







2Chronicles 32:21 - And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders H5057 and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword








Chapter 7
The Origin of Our Moral Conscience


“If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover these precious values—that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control.”1
—Martin Luther King Jr.


Suppose you put your house on the market, after having just remodeled several rooms—creating a master-bedroom suite with a walk-in closet and a spa-like bathroom; installing custom-made cabinets, marble countertops, and new appliances in the kitchen; and converting the basement into an enormous family room. These improvements enabled you to raise your asking price considerably.


However, also suppose that the foundation of your home hadn’t been properly supported, so that it suddenly became severely cracked, causing the house to tilt; or, imagine that a sinkhole developed, so that your house slipped into a deep pit. Under those conditions, no one would want to buy it! You couldn’t even live in it yourself. If the house couldn’t be salvaged, your improvements to the interior would have been for nothing. In reality, a house is only as valuable as the strength of its foundation. And its foundation is only as strong as what it is built upon.


The Bedrock Beneath Character


A foundation anchors a house to the ground. Yet, that foundation will not be secure if it hasn’t been built upon solid rock, giving the house stability. Similarly, the anchor of a boat won’t keep the vessel from drifting out to sea if it is not embedded in rock. Yahusha of Nazareth told the following parable, unfolding a scenario similar to the one we looked at above:


I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.2


I wrote earlier that one of our greatest weaknesses as leaders is that our philosophical training about who we are as human beings—including our inherent purpose—has been severely deficient. We have accepted flawed philosophies perpetuated by our culture. These flawed philosophies were built on foundations that were not supported by “solid rock.”


Since character is the foundation of leadership, ask yourself, “On what have I constructed the current foundation of my beliefs, convictions, values, morals, and ethical code?” While you may embrace positive beliefs and values, have you built them on bedrock that is durable enough to keep the foundation of your character from cracking, sinking, or being swept away? In this teaching, we will consider the bedrock that our moral foundation must be anchored to in order to give our character lasting stability.


A Permanent Internal Guide


As we discuss the bedrock underneath character, let us begin with an inborn resource we all have: the conscience. To me, the conscience is like “default mode” in a computer. When people are unsure of what to do in a given situation, they may consult their conscience for direction. Or, when they are about to engage in a certain action, their conscience may suddenly rise up within them, giving them the conviction that the action is morally wrong, and they should not do it.


The word conscience is defined as “the sense or consciousness of the moral goodness or blameworthiness of one’s own conduct, intentions, or character together with a feeling of obligation to do right or be good.” The conscience is a permanent internal guide for a leader. Our thoughts and decisions will be either confirmed or challenged by the requirements of our conscience. In our heart, or subconscious mind, we recognize where our motivations and behavior are aligned with our conscience and where they have veered from it.


The Conscience Manifests in Beliefs and Convictions


A principled leader will be led by his conscience. That is why great leaders have always made statements such as “I have to do this,” or “Even if you kill me, I cannot do that.” (Remember that leadership passion is a desire that is stronger than death.) These statements are declarations of conscience. The leaders’ consciences were speaking, and they were listening to them and following them. We need to ask ourselves, “Have I been listening to my conscience, or have I been ignoring it?”


Only when our beliefs align with our conscience can they manifest in strong convictions. And, as we know, convictions are what create our values, which become our moral standards, our ethics, and our character. In the end, our outward behavior is the product of our inner conscience. Remember that character is who we are when no one else is watching.


The Conscience Is Not the Same as the Emotions
Other people may not be able to observe our actions at all times, but our conscience is always aware of what we are doing. Since it is that part of us that counsels us concerning moral issues, I often refer to it as our moral conscience.


The moral conscience doesn’t have to do with “feelings,” as believed by some people who confuse the conscience with various emotions they experience. They will often rely on their feelings when making decisions, although emotions can be undependable when weighing options. Rather, the conscience is about conviction. The definition above referred to the conscience as a “sense or consciousness.” It is moral certainty about the rightness or wrongness of our thoughts or actions. Thus, the conscience is distinct from the emotions, although a sense of conviction can lead to various emotions. We must learn to distinguish between the two through a process of careful evaluation and personal experience.


In addition, a principled leader does not allow himself to be advised by the opinions of the “crowd” over the convictions of his own conscience. For example, a politician who follows his conscience would be willing to stick with his principles, even though it might mean losing an election. Many leaders today would rather follow the crowd. As a result, their character is compromised. They may have developed certain convictions, but their convictions are not based on ethical concerns. They are based on self- centered considerations such as those we looked at earlier—attaining a certain position, controlling others, gaining wealth, and so forth.

In such cases, these leaders have made a decision—consciously or subconsciously—that something else is more important than what their conscience is telling them. They make choices based on what feels good to them, or an aspiration to obtain something, or a desire for excitement. They make such choices because they don’t stop to think, check with their conscience, and reflect on the probable consequences of their actions.


The conscience is that part of us that counsels us concerning moral issues.


Ignoring the Conscience


Just as most leadership training today does not instruct people about character, it does not train people to follow their conscience. That crucial part of the human makeup is all but ignored. So, we produce leaders today who are not taught to value their conscience and to listen to it. Because of society’s confusion about values and the nature of the conscience, many people have a conscience that has become underactive. We must all train ourselves to listen to our conscience. Those who do so will safeguard themselves from making wrong choices that would hurt them and/or others.


A leader who actively ignores his conscience will reap serious consequences for himself and his followers. We can ignore our conscience to the point that it becomes dull. It is even possible to develop a “seared” conscience—one that has been disregarded and denied for so long that it has essentially been silenced. For example, this may be what occurs in the lives of those who run financial scams for decades, even though they know the devastation they are wreaking on their clients’ retirement funds.


Sometimes, we may wonder how people can commit acts that are outright evil. I believe the reason Adolf Hitler could have authorized the deaths of more than 10 million people in the Holocaust is that he ignored his conscience and chose to follow a contaminated philosophy. I don’t believe anyone could order the extermination of multitudes of people and not have his conscience rise up at some point. To do such things, you have to ignore your conscience, not allow it to speak, and eventually “sear” it, so that you no longer hear it.


What Is Our “True North”?


Our moral conscience is like a compass. But it has a “true north” that evaluates and confirms its accuracy so that we can be sure we are steering the right course. It is also the measure by which our thoughts and feelings should be assessed to see if they line up with moral convictions. This author identifies “true north” as Yah. And in this context, I am referring to the Yah of the Bible. It was He who gave us the conscience as an element of the divine part of our human makeup.


Consequently, a properly functioning conscience is in sync with correct moral code. Even when a person has little knowledge of Yah, he has the conscience as a built-in regulator, telling him, “This is wrong,” or “This is right,” or “This is beneficial,” or “This is not acceptable.” I’ve talked with some people who claimed that the immoral actions they were involved in were perfectly acceptable. Yet if their conscience was still awake, they were not being honest with themselves or with me. They had a specific motivation for wanting to engage in that immoral conduct, but it was not based on their conscience. I would prefer to have someone admit to me that he’s acting contrary to his conscience than to have him claim that his behavior is moral and try to convince me of that viewpoint, too. When he’s honest with me about his actions, I can acknowledge where he’s coming from, and we can be open with one another.


A Lost Understanding of True North


Many people no longer have an understanding about Yah, or they have purposely set aside that understanding. In the same speech from which the quote at the beginning of this teaching is taken, Martin Luther King Jr. suggested that Americans had “unconsciously left Yah behind.” They had become involved in enjoying new technologies and an abundance of material goods, and, without meaning to, they had let their knowledge of the Creator, and their interest in Him, slip from their conscious thoughts.


I believe the same is true for many people in the world today. Yet a knowledge of Yah and His nature is the only “rock” on which we can secure the foundation of character. This knowledge must be restored to individuals and to nations. To help us to live according to His nature, Yah created us with a moral compass—the conscience. Yet He also gave us additional safeguards and guides for living: His precepts, or principles.


The word principle may be defined as “a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption,” “a rule or code of conduct,” and “a primary source.” The Creator gave us specific principles to follow that would establish our character in keeping with His, help us to better understand His nature and align with His purposes, guide our relationship with Him and other people, and enable us to be successful in fulfilling our inherent purpose.


Previously, we talked about how principles are crucial to our leadership success—how we all need to establish moral standards by which we will live our lives. Just as our character requires a bedrock that will hold it secure, our personal standards and principles—through which our character develops— must be built on the bedrock of the standards and principles our Creator has given us.


The principles contained in the biblical record are time-tested, stable, and civically sound. They can secure true human development. They can enable us to rebuild our societies and nations on a foundation of sound values and ethics. We need spiritual bedrock as the anchor for our character so that, when the storms of life shake us, and the quakes of current events wrench against our convictions, we will remain strong and steadfast.


What are some basic truths about Yah that many people have forgotten? How can these truths become the bedrock for the development of our character? Let’s explore some answers to these questions.


We need spiritual bedrock as the anchor for our character.


We Are the Image and Likeness of Our Creator


We read in the first book of Moses,


Then Yah said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So Yah created man in his own image, in the image of Yah he created him; male and female he created them.3


The above passage was the Creator’s first public statement about human beings. He essentially said, referring to Himself, “Let Us create a being called ‘man’ and give him Our character—Our nature and characteristics.” In this case, the word “man” is a plural noun; it refers to the species called man— both men and women.


In the Hebrew—the original language in which this passage was written— the word for “image” is selem, or tselem. This term indicates “‘statue; image; copy.’...The word...means ‘image’ in the sense of essential nature....Human nature in its internal and external characteristics....”4 The word also signifies “a representative figure.”5 Humanity’s nature was designed to be an image of the Creator’s own nature, or character. Yah breathed His own life into man: “The Lord Yah...breathed into [the man’s] nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”6 Thus, the Creator gave human beings something of His own Spirit. All human beings are meant to be representatives of Yah.


The word “likeness” in the passage is translated from the Hebrew word demut. It has the sense of “the original after which a thing is patterned.”7 We were patterned after our Creator to manifest His character as we live and work on this earth.


Character Is the Creator’s Intrinsic Nature


What “pattern” are we cut from? How are we to represent the nature of the Creator through our character? Let’s look at several of Yah’s character qualities as illustrations.


Always Consistent


The Creator stated, “I the Lord do not change.”8 He is consistent; He is always the same. Yah changes things and circumstances. He also works in people so they can be transformed and become more like Him. But He Himself never changes. Accordingly, once a leader has established his life on solid, time-tested principles, he should continue to grow in knowledge, in experience, and in maturity, but he should never alter his good character. This means that even though you are progressing in life and growing in the exercise of your gifts, your fundamental nature should remain the same.


For example, it shouldn’t matter whether you have only ten dollars to your name or a net worth of ten million dollars—your values and moral standards shouldn’t deteriorate just because you have wealth (or power, or status, and so forth). You should be able to say something like the following in regard to your own experience: “I didn’t steal so-and-so’s twenty dollars when he dropped his wallet next to my car, and I’m not going to embezzle twenty million dollars now that I have access to my company’s pension funds. I won’t compromise my integrity.”


There are people who have known me in public life for more than thirty years, and the greatest compliment some of them have given me goes something like this: “What I like about you is that you’re still the same person. You have the same foundational beliefs, and you’re saying the same things.” I’d rather hear that said about me than anything else. Of course, I have grown personally, and I have developed professionally. But what these people are really telling me is that I have character. They are saying that I have been consistent; that, over the years, I haven’t changed the essence of who I am. That means a lot to me.


Change is, of course, an inevitable part of our lives. In fact, I wrote a series on the topic of change several years ago because I believe we must learn how to respond positively to it and use it to our benefit as we fulfill our purpose in life. Yet, I emphasized that, amid all the changes in our lives, the Creator is our one constant. There are certain things that cannot be changed—the character of Yah and the principles He established for us to live by. Therefore, we can—and we must—grow. But we should not change our character.
Amid all the changes in our lives, the Creator is our one constant.


Always Predictable


Because the Creator’s nature does not change, He is not one thing one day and another thing the next. He is predictable—in the best sense of the word. You know you can rely on Him. James, a first-century biblical writer, provided a fitting analogy for Yah’s constancy when he wrote, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”9


In contrast, someone who is unpredictable about fulfilling his responsibilities is like “shifting shadows.” He will confuse and inconvenience people—and he will often let them down in significant ways. To illustrate, suppose you had arranged with a family member to pick up your seven-year- old daughter from the school bus stop each day at 3:30 p.m. and stay with her at your house until you arrived home from work at 5:45 p.m. If your relative were unpredictable, she might decide on a whim one afternoon that she would skip picking up your daughter so she could go shopping, instead— without making alternate arrangements. She would cause your daughter to panic when no one came for her. You would become frantic about your child’s safety when you arrived home and discovered that your daughter wasn’t there, and that your family member—whom you reached on her cell phone at the mall—had no idea where she was. Your daughter might have wandered off and become lost or hurt—or worse. There also might be legal ramifications of child endangerment. Consistency—on many levels—is an essential character quality for meeting our responsibilities and maintaining good relationships with others, and it is an attribute that we are to model after our Creator.


Always Trustworthy


Yah’s consistency and predictability make Him trustworthy. If you’re not sure what someone is going to do, especially in regard to his conduct toward you, it’s difficult to trust him. But when someone has consistently demonstrated his good character in the past, it is easy to trust him.


In the Bible, when Yah interacted with a person, He would often bring up His faithful relationships with those who had lived in previous generations, or His past acts of power on behalf of His people, in order to assure the individual of His present power and trustworthiness. For example, He made statements such as these: “I am the Yah of your father, the Yah of Abraham, the Yah of Isaac and the Yah of Jacob”10; “I am the Lord, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself”11; “I am the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt to be your Yah....”12 With this evidence, He would attest to His absolute dependability.


We are to pattern our own behavior after the Creator’s trustworthiness. When an employer asks a prospective employee for references, what he is really asking for are the names of reputable individuals who can provide a record of the applicant’s competence and trustworthiness. He wants specific examples of how the applicant has demonstrated those qualities in his previous jobs or other life experiences.


Therefore, from time to time, we should ask ourselves, “How good are my ‘references’ regarding my trustworthiness? Would I receive good recommendations from my family, my friends, my neighbors, my coworkers, the members of my local community, the financial institution that holds the mortgage on my home, and so forth? In what areas of my life do I need to work on trustworthiness?”


Always Just


The Scriptures say, “The Lord is known by his justice.”13 Are you known for the same? Do you treat other people with impartiality, regardless of how they may treat you? Do you seek justice for those in your community? Let’s look at a few of the instructions the Creator has given us in regard to justice— instructions that apply to both everyday interactions and legal matters:


Do not spread false reports. Do not help a wicked man by being a malicious witness. Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you give testimony in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd, and do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit. If you come across your enemy’s ox or donkey wandering off, be sure to take it back to him. If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen down under its load, do not leave it there; be sure you help him with it. Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.14
To be “just” means to regard everyone in an impartial way, not showing favoritism—whether you are dealing with friend or foe. May we be known for our justice, just as the Creator is.


Always Loving and Compassionate


“Yah is love.”15 The qualities of love and compassion are also foundational to the Creator’s character: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is [His] faithfulness.”16


Many people like to alleviate the suffering of people in their own nation or other nations who have experienced a great tragedy. For example, if a charitable organization makes an appeal for finances to help the victims of an earthquake or another natural disaster, the response rate is often very high. Yet it is sometimes easier for us to help people we don’t know than to show continual kindness and compassion to those we do know personally, especially after they have disappointed or failed us.


Consistency in overlooking the faults and forgiving the wrongs of our family members, friends, and associates is a challenge. We should be grateful that the Creator has an endless supply of compassion for us every day, and we should seek to emulate His qualities in our relationships with others.


Of course, this doesn’t mean that we should assist someone else to hurt himself or others by enabling his destructive behavior or addiction. Nor does it mean we should pretend everything is fine when serious issues exist in a relationship. However, whatever circumstances we are in, and whatever issues need to be resolved, we can approach others with the same principle of love with which the Creator approaches us—a love that values their creation in His image and seeks what is best for them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.


The nature of Yah is the epitome of character. He manifests all of the positive qualities associated with virtue, all of the time. He is therefore our ultimate model of character. And because He is perfect in character, we can count on Him to always be consistent, predictable, trustworthy, just, loving, and compassionate toward us.


Character Preceded the Gift of Leadership


Let’s return to the passage in the first book written by Moses that describes the creation of human beings, as we continue to explore the principles the Creator has established for us to live by. “Then Yah said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness....’” Note that the first thing on the Creator’s mind regarding humanity was to give men and women character, or the essence of His nature. Clearly, character is His priority. And, as we have seen, it must be our priority, too, if we are to become the leaders we were meant to be.


The Creator’s next statement was, “And let them rule....” Another way of translating “rule” is “have dominion.”17 In other words, He was saying, “Let them have leadership—authority and power—over the earth.” Since character was Yah’s priority, He gave the gift of His image and likeness before He gave the ability to rule. Significantly, He didn’t consider it wise to entrust human beings with power until He had given them character.


We often do the opposite with our leaders—give people power and then hope they have character. If they don’t, the way they use their power will expose that fact. But, from the start, character has always been imperative for human beings. And it should be the prerequisite for leaders today.


The Creator didn’t entrust us with power until He gave us character.


Leadership Is Natural


The word “rule,” or “have dominion,” means to govern, to control, to manage, and to master. Because human beings received the gift of leadership in creation, it was natural to them. We were designed to rule and influence the earth according to Yah’s character. That is why I wrote earlier that we were all born to lead in an area of gifting. We must grow into the leaders we were meant to be, by acknowledging and refining our leadership gifts and by developing character.


Many people are frustrated because they don’t have a sense of purpose about why they are on this earth. Man’s greatest ignorance is of himself. We have often disregarded or forgotten the reality of Yah and His purposes, as well as our having been created in His image and what it signifies. And, as we’ve seen, what we believe about ourselves creates our world. No human being can live beyond the limits of his beliefs. Having a knowledge of the Creator and what He designed us to be will give us a renewed sense of purpose.


Leadership Is a Cooperative Endeavor


Note that the Creator specifically stated, “Let them rule....” He didn’t say, “Let some of them rule,” or “Let the elite rule.” Instead, He said, in effect, “Let all human beings rule.” Dominion, or leadership, was established by Yah as a cooperative endeavor—and having character is essential for cooperating effectively with others.


The unique gifts we possess relate to the general human mandate to rule and to our individual fulfillment of that mandate alike. A community of leaders, each contributing his gifts and skills, is necessary to accomplish the overall leadership commission. Yah did not create the human race as a community that would have a leader or some leaders—He created a community of leaders. The idea that some people are superior and others are inferior doesn’t exist in His plan.


Leadership Does Not Mean Dominating Other People


Yah said, “And let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”18 This list of areas over which human beings are to rule is especially instructive with respect to what’s not included on it—other human beings. You and I were not meant to dominate other people, nor were we designed to be dominated by them. We were intended to exercise leadership over the earth’s environment, animals, resources, physical properties, and so forth—but never other human beings. Again, dominating other people is illegitimate under the Creator’s established purposes. That is why the human spirit naturally resists being controlled.


We Must Develop an Environment of Character


One of Yah’s first instructions to human beings was, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”19 The whole world was to be filled with men, women, and children who manifested the nature of Yah. Accordingly, we should develop an environment conducive to demonstrating Yah’s character. Internally, we should develop the mind-set and qualities of character. Externally, we should create a community environment that promotes and upholds ethical standards, such as integrity and justice.


While there is no such thing as an “ethical community,” there is such a thing as a community of ethical people. Corporately, the people agree on the values by which they are going to live. That agreement is what creates a culture of morality. And that moral culture becomes the source of ethics for the community. As we have seen, an ethical culture always begins with individuals’ personal commitment to live according to strong values.


A Human Priority


The order the Creator set for leadership is character before power. That is why an emphasis on character must become a human priority again. When we return to character, we return to the natural state in which we were meant to function.


You may be a manager, a supervisor, an entrepreneur, a politician, a clergyperson, an educational director, the chairperson of a community group, or the president of a nation. Whatever form of leadership you exercise, I urge you to make the following lifelong commitment: to help bring back character as the priority among leaders. Otherwise, our world will continue to spiral apart, morally and ethically. Across the globe, societies are deteriorating, and they will crumble if we don’t make character our first concern.


The whole world was to be filled with men, women, and children who manifested the nature of Yah.


How Human Beings Lost Character


As we have discussed, a basic quality of the Creator’s nature is that it doesn’t change. The questions we must therefore ask are: “How did human beings as a race—made in Yah’s image and likeness—lose the continual manifestation of His character?” “When did we stop being always consistent, always predictable, always trustworthy, always just, always merciful and compassionate, and so forth, as the Creator is?” “Why did we start to demonstrate unethical characteristics, so that our world has veered so far away from being an expression of His nature?”


Ironically, human beings lost their ability to consistently manifest the Creator’s nature because the first man and woman heeded the false accusation that Yah wasn’t treating them with true character—that He was not being just. When His trustworthiness was called into question, the first humans made a decision to doubt His authenticity. Then, for the sake of gaining power for themselves, they broke a key principle He had established for them. You can read about these incidents in the first book of Moses.20


The principle that the first human beings violated had been designed to protect them, so that they would not suffer the consequences of living outside of Yah’s nature. In breaking this principle, they went against the very means that would have safeguarded them. Because they chose to live outside of Yah’s nature, their character became warped. This indicates that, in some way, their character did not depend on nature alone—it also required an ongoing decision to remain in that nature. Today, we face the same type of decision: Will we live by our established principles, beliefs, values, moral standards, and ethical code? This is a choice we make on a daily basis.


The first humans’ tragic decision caused humanity to suffer the consequences of a loss of Yah’s true nature—including the onset of strife, sickness, and physical death. The fundamental source of all of humanity’s deficiencies and problems was—and is—its rejection of the Creator’s principles. This rejection is what the Scriptures call “sin.” It is why human nature is described by spiritual leaders as being “fallen.” It once existed on a high ethical plane, but it descended into a place where it often manifests only a fraction of its former state.


Results of the Loss of True Character


Let’s explore several results of humanity’s rejection of the principles and character of Yah.


1. Distortion of the Creator’s Image


Because humanity lost Yah’s true nature, it now has only a distorted image of that nature. The principal traits of fallen human beings are the opposite of genuine character: inconsistency, unpredictability, unfaithfulness, compromise, unjustness, prejudice, untrustworthiness, domination, vindictiveness, unforgiveness, cruelty, and so forth. All societies of the world suffer the symptoms of humanity’s loss of character.


For example, there are people who connive to discredit their colleagues and other people in the workplace in order to get the promotions that these other individuals deserve. There are university students who cheat on tests in order to “achieve” a higher academic standing, with the result that they sometimes receive unfair advantages over others, such as higher-paying jobs. We wonder how these things can happen. (Some people aren’t sure themselves why they commit some of these acts.) Moreover, humanity’s warped character can cause the consciences of some people to be off-balance—they may lack a natural sense of guilt when doing wrong; or, they may have an overactive conscience, in which they continually feel guilty about things for which they are not responsible.


So, all human corruption stems from our loss of Yah’s character as an intrinsic element of our own nature. Human beings are still capable of exercising moral conduct, but it involves making the continual decision to embrace strong convictions and values. And we are all inconsistent in this endeavor, because sound character is no longer natural to us.


2. Confusion About Self-image and Self-worth


Another result of human beings’ rejection of Yah’s image is that they lost their own essence. They became confused about who they were, what they were born to be, and how they were to live. They no longer had a clear sense of purpose and meaning in the world. And they forfeited the feeling of acceptance and worth that comes from being in unbroken relationship with their Creator.


3. Instability


Without character, human beings also became unstable. This is why it is often hard for us to depend on others. Many people neglect to keep their promises. For example, on their wedding day, a couple gets dressed up, stands in front of a clergyperson or a justice of the peace, and makes promises such as, “I will love and cherish you until I die!” Then, at some point after the honeymoon, the husband or wife may lose interest and leave— sometimes to run off with someone else. If your spouse has left you, you understand what I mean. You had a beautiful wedding in which everything was picture-perfect: the preacher, the gorgeous bridal gown and tailored tuxedo, the flowers, the rings, and more. It was an ideal day. And now you are wondering what happened to the marriage. Such heartbreak occurs because many people are unstable and inconsistent. They haven’t made the conscious decision to establish strong values and truly commit to them.


If someone is unstable, it doesn’t matter what he promises; you can’t trust it. As the biblical writer James said, “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.”21 If the source hasn’t changed, the result will be the same. James also wrote, “He who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind....He is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”22 An unstable person is like the waves of the sea—unpredictable, changeable.


That is why, when we meet people who have strong character, we admire and love them. It is because they are a picture of our original self. A person of character gives us a glimpse of what all human beings used to be like and what most of us, deep down, desire to be like. It is my hope that this series will reintroduce us to ourselves, will reconnect us to the image in which we were created. We were made for character, but we’ve been living outside of it. Let us become inspired to return to our true self—the image of Yah.


A person of character gives us a glimpse of what all human beings used to be like and what most of us, deep down, desire to be like.


The Restoration of Character


Because the Creator has genuine character, His plans for human beings did not include allowing them to languish in a state in which they lacked His nature—and experienced all the resulting consequences. In His faithfulness and trustworthiness, He initiated a plan to restore humanity to Himself. This plan involved giving us a renewed nature, one by which we would again be able to share His character and consistently follow His life-giving principles.


He accomplished this plan through Yahusha of Nazareth, also called Yahusha the Hamachiach. Yah testified about Him, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”23 Yahusha said, “I and the Father are one.”24 Yahusha was Yah’s Son because He came from Yah, He was one with Yah, and He fully manifested Yah’s character on earth. One of Yahusha’ disciples wrote about Him:


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Yah, and the Word was Yah. He was with Yah in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men....The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.25


And Paul of Tarsus wrote, “For in Hamachiach all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”26 Yahusha had the same nature and Spirit as Yah. And His purpose for coming to the earth was to restore the image of Yah in us. The Scriptures are very clear that we need a new nature. “No one can enter the kingdom of Yah unless he is born of water and the Spirit.”27


Therefore, Yahusha came to give us back our character. No one can be restored to the Creator’s nature except through Him.28 Yahusha the Hamachiach, as the Son of Yah, was the only One who could represent both the Creator and His created beings in order to fix the breach between the two and bring about full reconciliation and restoration.


When Yahusha Hamachiach died on the cross, He paid the price for our fallen human nature. He also paid the price for all the times when we ourselves have acted contrary to the character and principles of our Creator. When we acknowledge and accept what He did for us, we are restored to Yah and receive His nature within us once again. This enables us to experience a lasting transformation by which we can manifest His image and develop genuine character according to His principles. In this life, we can expect to experience a process of ongoing growth and maturation in the way we manifest the Creator’s nature.


Restoring a Culture of Character on Earth Yah’s “Kingdom”


When Yahusha Hamachiach was on earth, He emphasized the topic of the “kingdom of Yah” as He taught His disciples and the crowds who gathered to hear Him. I wrote earlier that the kingdom of Yah—the influence of heaven on earth— was Yahusha’ greatest value and priority. Let’s look briefly at what the kingdom of Yah signifies.


Yah exists in a heavenly “country.” He created earth to be like a colony of heaven, an extension of His kingdom. Such a culture could be produced only through beings who were like Him. As we have seen, He gave men and women the gift of leadership, or dominion, on the basis of their manifestation of His character. Yet when humanity rejected Yah’s nature and principles, the full manifestation of His character on earth was lost.


Yahusha made declarations such as, “The kingdom of Yah is near. Repent and believe the good news!”29 He was referring to the return of Yah’s culture to earth, which was inaugurated with His arrival and would be accomplished when He made provision for people to be restored to their Creator and receive the fullness of His nature once again.


The manifestation of Yah’s nature on earth is called a “kingdom” because it is the realm over which He governs. It includes the community of all who have been infused with His nature as a result of their restoration to Him, so they can reflect His attributes. The renewal of Yah’s culture on earth is the continuation of His original plan in creation—that the whole world would be filled with His character.


A Clash of Cultures


The word “repent,” which Yahusha used in announcing that the kingdom of Yah was near, has become a religious term, but it essentially means to change one’s manner of thinking. For what reason did Yahusha say people needed to alter their thinking? Because He was bringing back a different culture to the earth, and to be a part of that different culture required a different mind-set and different values.


This re-arrival of the kingdom of Yah on earth immediately brought about a clash of ideas and cultures. One reason is that the concepts of life that were advanced by the Roman Empire, including the idea that some races were superior to other races, dominated the world in which Yahusha lived. And what Yahusha taught was the opposite of the Roman outlook.


A Different Type of Leader


One of Yahusha’ most powerful statements about leadership is one in which He gave a commentary about Caesar and the Roman Empire:


You know that the rulers of the Gentiles [the Roman leaders] lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.30


The standard behavior for leaders at that time was to control and manipulate other people, to throw around power and authority, and to tell others what to do. (Not much has changed, has it?) But Yahusha told His disciples, in effect, “That’s not the way it will be among you in Yah’s kingdom. Your leadership will be different.” What a distinction between the leadership perspectives of each culture! The first says, “To be great, you have to order other people around and show them who’s the boss.” The second says, “If you want to be great, if you want to be first, then you must serve other people.” Yahusha told His disciples, in effect, “Look at Me—I didn’t come to be served. I came to give Myself.” This point is crucial. What did Yahusha give? Himself. True leadership means finding something within yourself to give.


The culture of the kingdom of Yah changes our conception of what it means to be a leader. Sometimes, we think that leadership is measured by how many people serve us, how many followers we have, or how many people are in our “entourage.” I’m usually suspicious of people who have big entourages, because it suggests that they have an ego problem or a self-image issue. Leadership is not measured by how many people serve you. It’s measured by whether you are serving other people.


And when you’re serving other people, you’re thinking about their value— that is what motivates and governs your relationship with them. When the Creator made us in His image, He established the value of all human beings. Sadly, wherever there is an absence of character, people find it easy to devalue others. But those who don’t want to honor and serve people cannot be true leaders.


Leadership is not measured by how many people serve you. It’s measured by whether you are serving other people.


Higher Standards


Wherever the kingdom of Yah manifests on earth, therefore, it inevitably comes into ethical conflict with the prevailing culture. “Colonization” will lead to such dissonance, because one culture is entering another culture to replace it, not coexist with it. The culture of Yah’s nature does not correspond with the destructive ideas that have developed from fallen human nature, and such ideas are dominating our nations today. It will take principled leaders to bring about transformation—and not merely become absorbed into the existing system.


We can no longer function according to the false patterns of leadership we see exhibited in our culture. I know that many of us were trained according to traditional concepts of leadership, such as the Roman Empire promoted; many of us received our degrees from schools that taught these ideas. Yet our standards must be higher.


Although you may experience “cultural clashes” as you begin to live by the Creator’s principles, don’t let those encounters cause you to respond in anger toward other people. True leaders serve; they don’t push other people around.


For example, in the last teaching, we talked about how unspoken negative values can dominate a corporate entity. People may tell a new employee such things as, “Look, if you’re going to be a part of this company, you have to do what everyone else is doing. Otherwise, you have to leave.” What they’re insinuating is, “We’ve got a certain culture in this organization, and everybody’s on the take. So, if you don’t try to get your piece of the pie, then you are going to be a problem for us because you will expose us. Either you become part of the group, or you won’t survive.”


In such a situation, a leader must remain steady—dedicated to the values, principles, and ethics by which he has committed to live. Cultures will be transformed as we follow our moral conscience, consistently manifest the qualities of Yah’s nature, and seek to serve others.