Question 1

What does God think about my reputation?

Accepted Answer

Galatians 1:10I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.Colossians 3:23-24Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.1 Thessalonians 2:4We speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.1 Timothy 3:7People outside the church must speak well of him [a leader] so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.1 Timothy 4:12Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.God cares about our reputation. Having a positive reputation has many benefits for us and for God. For example, we should work hard, not focusing on pleasing others but on pleasing the Lord. By doing this we also honor his reputation. What matters most is not what others think of us, but what God thinks of us.

Question 2

Why should I care about my reputation?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 22:1Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.Proverbs 24:8A person who plans evil will get a reputation as a troublemaker.Proverbs 25:7-10It’s better to wait for an invitation to the head table than to be sent away in public disgrace. Just because you’ve seen something, don’t be in a hurry to go to court. For what will you do in the end if your neighbor deals you a shameful defeat? When arguing with your neighbor, don’t betray another person’s secret. Others may accuse you of gossip, and you will never regain your good reputation.2 Corinthians 8:20-21We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.We should care about having a reputation of integrity so that the credibility of our witness for Christ cannot be questioned.Matthew 6:1“Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.”We should care about our reputation but it is essential that our reputation reflect who we are inside. Jesus warns against pursuing external spirituality just to impress others.Acts 24:14-16“But I admit that I follow the Way, which they call a cult. I worship the God of our ancestors, and I firmly believe the Jewish law and everything written in the prophets. I have the same hope in God that these men have, that he will raise both the righteous and the unrighteous. Because of this, I always try to maintain a clear conscience before God and all people.”1 Peter 2:12Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. We should care about our reputations because they relfect on God and influence how people think of him.

Question 3

What is the basis of my reputation?

Accepted Answer

1 Corinthians 1:30-31God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”Ephesians 4:1I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.Colossians 1:10Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.We should be known for what the Lord has done for us and is doing through us. Every follower of Jesus should demonstrate God’s grace, greatness, and goodness.

Question 4

How can I cultivate and maintain a godly reputation?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 3:1-2My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.We can develop a godly reputation by following God’s instructions in Scripture.Proverbs 3:3-4Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. Then you will find favor with both God and people, and you will earn a good reputation.We can develop a godly reputation by showing kindness, loyalty, and love to the people around us.Proverbs 22:1Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.We can develop a godly reputation by resisting the temptation to focus on wealth.Romans 14:17-18The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too.Philippians 4:4-5Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.We can develop a godly reputation by focusing less on insignificant external behaviors and more on internal character.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!We can develop a godly reputation by displaying the same godly integrity in private as we do in public.

Question 5

How can a bad reputation be changed?

Accepted Answer

1 Peter 2:11-12I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.The surest way to influence the way others think of us is by consistent godly behavior.Deuteronomy 4:5-8“Look, I now teach you these decrees and regulations just as the Lord my God commanded me, so that you may obey them in the land you are about to enter and occupy. Obey them completely, and you will display your wisdom and intelligence among the surrounding nations. When they hear all these decrees, they will exclaim, ‘How wise and prudent are the people of this great nation!’ For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him? And what great nation has decrees and regulations as righteous and fair as this body of instructions that I am giving you today?”Obedience to God brings a reputation for wisdom and intelligence. People want advice from people who are living the right way.3 John 1:3-6Some of the traveling teachers recently returned and made me very happy by telling me about your faithfulness and that you are living according to the truth. I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children are following the truth. Dear friend, you are being faithful to God when you care for the traveling teachers who pass through, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church here of your loving friendship. Please continue providing for such teachers in a manner that pleases God.If we live according to the standards of God’s Word, we will have a good reputation.Mark 2:16When the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him [Jesus] eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”Romans 12:2Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.2 Corinthians 5:17Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!Philippians 2:13God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.As we submit to Christ, God will give us the power to change our lives and live his way, giving us a new, positive reputation. Jesus doesn’t accept anyone on the basis of their past reputation and can transform us, no matter what we may have done. We should not think we have to change our reputation before Jesus will love us.

Question 6

How can I keep from damaging someone’s reputation?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 20:19A gossip goes around telling secrets, so don’t hang around with chatterers.Proverbs 25:10Others may accuse you of gossip, and you will never regain your good reputation.We can keep from damaging someone else’s reputation by refusing to gossip. Gossip is passing along information that may or may not be true about a person without his or her approval. Gossip can destroy a person’s reputation by undermining the perceptions of other people about them.

Reputation