William Wilberforce is best known as leading the charge to end slavery. He served in the government of England as a member to Parliament, starting in 1783. In 1797, he wrote A Practical View of Real Christianity. The following quotes and excerpts come from a recent modernization of the text, completed in 2006 by Dr. Bob Beltz. For part one, please click here.
The idea that we are broken creatures with a nature that goes normally towards the wrong things, unkind actions, selfish motives, in a word, evil acts, does not mean that individuals of us don’t, at times, do good or unselfish acts. One of the worst accusations that Christians often propose (or accept) is that somehow, only Christians are good people. The reality is that we all know the opposite to be true in people. Wilberforce knew that too: We have all heard the comparison made of the nonbelieving man or woman who reflects a naturally positive and friendly character with the man or woman of faith who is so offensive by nature that we would prefer the company of the former to that of the latter. There certainly are instances when this is true.
But why do we never hear of the contrast between people of faith who exhibit the character to Christ and unbelieving people who couldn’t care less about character? I believe we would find the overwhelming evidence would fall in favor of the positive impact authentic faith has on the character of the one possessing and practicing their faith.
We should all remember that some people seem to have sunny dispositions by nature while others struggle with life. For the latter, the outward expression of the Christian faith can be a great challenge. Without knowing the struggles they brought into a life of faith or how much their character has been changed from what it was before, we might judge such people harshly. If you feel bad about yourself—that your life does not reflect the reality of Christ in the way it should—do not lose heart. God is in the transformation business. (pp. 101-102)