A Precious Gem Diminished by a Terrible Setting by Guy Duininck

God doesn't want you to lose your personality when you are saved. He doesn't want you to be assimilated into a church culture. When He saved you, He both gave you a fantastic new setting for your unique personality by quickening you together with Christ and giving you a new heart and gave you His Word and His Spirit to show you how to grow strong in faith and how to develop strong and godly character!

Just as the radiance of a precious gem is diminished by a terrible setting, so your unique personality was severely diminished when it was set in your old sinful nature and terrible character. But just as the radiance of a precious gem is enhanced and put on display by a strong and beautifully crafted setting, so your unique personality will be expressed most beautifully in the setting of your new life in Christ and your growing faith and Godly character!

Christianity is NOT about personality subjugation or the reforming of one's unique self and unique gifting. Christianity is about being born of God, having a new nature, growing in faith and Godly character, and having this new nature, strong faith, and godly character as a beautiful setting for unique personalities and giftings. Too many churches, whether willfully or ignorantly, operate in personality subjugation and church culturing rather than the promoting the development of the faith and the character of God's people. By so doing, these churches tend to help develop clones rather than aiding in the development of strong, godly, and beautifully unique sons and daughters of God.

Christianity is not about personality subjugation; it's about the transformation of people's nature and the development of their character so that God will have a fantastic, diverse, and skilled body of believers ready to do His works and able to meet people's needs in the way only they can!