Chapter 16
Introduction to the Temperaments
The temperament is the basic template with which you are created. You are created by God
with certain tendencies, natural strengths and weaknesses.^1 There is a difference between
temperament and character. In this chapter, you must understand this basic difference.
The temperament is God’s method of creating variety. Some people are born with natural
tendencies for leadership or joviality. Others are born with a natural tendency to flow along and
to be easy-going. This is the basic structure of your emotional make-up.
So what is the character of a person? The character is the personality which is affected by the
influences of this life. The character of a person is therefore the product of his personality plus
all external influences.^2
Character = Personality + External Influence
External Influence = Parental Training + School and Education +
Influence of friendships + The Church + The Pastor +
The Bible + The Environment + The Community + Life’s
Experiences + Maleness or Femaleness + Christian Commitment
- Background
This means that everyone can have a good character because the character is a product of many
controllable variables. When a person is influenced by the Word of God, the natural weaknesses
of his personality will be stemmed. Also, the strengths of his or her personality will be augmented
by the Word of God.^3 The Word of God will encourage you, for instance, to improve your
leadership skills to help the people of God even though you may not be a natural-born leader.
The Word of God will teach the sanguine personality for example, not to be unfaithful, which
may be his natural tendency. As we study this topic, you will see how everyone is born with
natural tendencies. Perhaps you will discover that you have a sanguine personality or a
melancholic one. These are realities.
Some people don’t like to accept the truth about temperaments and the teachings on them.
However, the reality of varied personalities cannot be avoided. It stares us in the face all the time.
What we must do is to allow the Word of God to lift us higher in the strengths of our diagnosed
personalities. We must also fear the reality that we have a tendency to walk in the weaknesses of