All this week we've been thinking together about a letter written by the famous English

hymn writer John Newton.

In his collected works it's actually got a title, on some blemishes in Christian character.

If I remember rightly, Newton talks about seven different characters, and we've thought only about a few of them.

But if you've been listening, perhaps you've recognised yourself, or at least parts of yourself, in one or other of these characters.

And I want us now as we come towards the end of the week to ask the question,

if I recognize a blemish in my Christian character, something that seems to obscure the grace

and graciousness of Jesus Christ, is there a remedy?

Is there a pathway I can follow to spiritual transformation?

Now, you know that being a Christian isn't a matter of following a checklist, but the scriptures

are full of very helpful and very wise directives

for us to follow.

And I want to suggest a few principles.

The first is this.

Whatever you come to realize is distorting the image of the Lord Jesus in you.

Be sure to give it a name.

I think it's part of the wisdom of John Newton that when he described these people, he specified

their name.

And in fact, that's what Scripture does. Scripture encourages us to confess our faults,

but Scripture actually encourages us also not to be vague about them to confess our faults in general,

but to specify them, to give them names.

It's always intrigued me that in Ephesians 5, the Apostle Paul says there are things that

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