Does Personality Control Us

Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:17–24

INTRODUCTION — The Excuse of “That’s Just Who I Am”

At a conference this past week, I overheard a teacher say:
“He’s a good student… he’s just disruptive. That’s just his personality. He has no control over it.”
That statement bothered me — it got me thinking that the idea is dangerous and unbiblical.
People say this all the time:
- “That’s just who I am.”
- “I can’t help it.”
- “It’s just my personality.”
- It’s interesting when it comes to behavior and not wanting to try to be a better person, people want to blame genetics, “I can’t help it, I was born that way.” But when they have Gender Dysphoria (that is an official mental disorder diagnosis), then they say that God made a mistake and made them the wrong sex.
But Scripture teaches something very different.
Ephesians 4:22–24 — “Put off the old man… be renewed in the spirit of your mind… put on the new man…”
Tonight we answer two questions using the life of Saul/Paul:
- - Do we have control over our personality?
  - Does personality dictate our actions so strongly that we can never change?

DEFINITION — What Is Personality?

APA Definition:
Personality is the unique and relatively stable set of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that define an individual. It encompasses a person's habits, attitudes, and emotional patterns, dictating how they interact with the world and relate to others.

Biblical Clarification

Personality is not something we are born with fully formed.
Personality is something we acquire as we grow — shaped by:
- Upbringing
- Culture
- Environment
- Experiences
- Choices
Key truth:
- If personality is learned, then personality can be unlearned.
- If personality is shaped, then personality can be reshaped by God.

And no one proves this more clearly than Saul of Tarsus.

Saul Shows Us That Personality Is Real, But It Is Not Righteous

Scripture: Acts 7:58; Acts 8:1–3; Acts 26:9–11

(Act 8:3) But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison. [ASV of 1901]

Saul’s Personality Before Christ

Intense
Driven
Zealous
Bold
Confrontational
Absolutely convinced he was right
These traits were not sinful by themselves — but they were misdirected.

Saul’s Personality in Action

He persecuted Christians.
He dragged believers out of their homes.
He breathed out “threatenings and slaughter.”
He sincerely believed he was serving God.
(Act 23:1) “And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”

Key truth:

Personality explains behavior.
It does not excuse behavior.

Application:

What behaviors have we excused as “It’s just who I am”?

Saul Shows Us That Personality Is Formed, But the Flesh Corrupts It

Scripture: Acts 22:3; Philippians 3:4–6

(Act 22:3) “I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.”

Saul Was Shaped by His World

Raised a Pharisee.
Trained under Gamaliel.
Immersed in tradition.
Surrounded by zeal, law, and rigid thinking.
His personality was shaped by culture, training, and environment.

But the Flesh Twisted It

Zeal → violence
Boldness → cruelty
Conviction → stubbornness
Passion → persecution

Key truth:

The flesh takes natural tendencies and pushes them into sin.
The flesh says:
- “I can’t help it.”
- “This is just who I am.”
But Scripture never gives the flesh a free pass.

Application:

Ask: “Is this really my personality… or is this my flesh?”

Paul Shows Us That Personality Can Be Redirected by Christ

Scripture: Acts 9:1–6; Acts 9:20–22

The Damascus Road Did Not Erase Saul’s Personality

He didn’t become quiet.
He didn’t become timid.
He didn’t become passive.
He didn’t become a different temperament.

What Changed?

His direction changed.
His purpose changed.
His master changed.

Paul’s Same Personality, Redeemed

The same boldness that once dragged Christians to prison…
→ became boldness that preached Christ before kings.
The same intensity that once fueled persecution…
→ became intensity that planted churches.
The same drive that once defended tradition…
→ became drive that defended the gospel.

Key truth:

God does not erase personality — He redeems it and makes it better.
Paul didn’t lose who he was — he finally became who he was meant to be.

Application:

Let’s, like Paul, strive to be who we were meant to be.

Paul Shows Us That Change Is Not Only Possible — It Is Commanded

Scripture: Ephesians 4:22–24; 2 Corinthians 5:17

(2Co 5:17) “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

God doesn’t ask us to change who we are, but He does ask us to change what we DO with who we are.

Paul’s Teaching Matches His Life

“Put off the old man…”
“Be renewed…”
“Put on the new man…”

Paul’s Life Proves Change is Possible

He said he lived in “all good conscience” — meaning he wasn’t malicious, just misdirected.
But once he learned the truth, he changed direction.
He chose to redirect his personality toward God’s will.

Key truth:

Personality may explain your starting point…
but it does not determine your finish line.

Application:

Is there one “old man” habit tied to your personality.
If there is, then try to replace it with one “new man” action.

CONCLUSION — You Are Not Stuck With Who You Were

Saul proves personality is not destiny.
Paul proves personality can be redeemed.
Scripture proves personality must submit.
Paul’s life proves personality can be transformed.

Final truths to take home:

Personality is formed — not fixed.
The flesh corrupts — but Christ redirects.
The Spirit empowers — not excuses.
You are not stuck with who you were.
You can become who God wants you to be.

Call to action:

Is there a part of your personality that you have been excusing?
Is there a behavior that you have labeled “It’s just who I am”?