Spotting a person of faith by their "face"

jisaiah6113 · Mar 18, 2019

Proverbs 27:19 says in the NASB, "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man."

I've been noticing lately that you can tell A LOT about a person's spiritual life, lifestyles, and general way of life just by taking a quick glance at their face, their expression, their posture, and the way they walk. I think really we are sized up within a microsecond of others seeing us, and we do the same with others. I think these "first impressions" are crucial and are very hard to undo, even with a lot of behavior that indicates we are not the people they thought us to be (whether unconfident, or anything negative that a person may think of us).

To give this a particular application, I've started to see that I can spot a person who might be walking with the Lord from a mile away, whereas the people who practice evil all seem to have the same face: angry, jaded, cynical, and obviously affected by sin. I think at the end of the day, this is what sin and love of this world and its alternate lifestyles does to people. They eat the fruit of the tree, expecting LIFE, and when nothing but rottenness in their soul results, "their heart rages against the Lord." (See Proverbs 19:3).

This is more of a comment than a question, but I'm very interested in becoming a person who glows and who people know is a calm, peaceful, assured presence of Jesus. Usually when a person will say something is when I least expect it because I'm so swept up in peace. I went to a men's group years ago after spending a few hours praying in the church basement, and one of the men commented that my face was "glowing". The Bible said that at the time of transfiguration, as Jesus prayed, "his countenance was changed." (Luke 9:29) A few months ago I was in a grocery store minding my own business, and this older man came up to me and started making conversation, and I did not even notice how friendly he was, and he touched my arm while talking. I've had other experiences like this in church where people will treat me completely differently based on my interior disposition which is CLEARLY reflected in my face (see Proverbs 27:19).

Any thoughts or similar experiences? We should all be a people who radiate the presence of the Lord. Sadly, in our political discourse, it seems everyone is being swept up in fear, anger, and resentment. BOTH PARTIES are doing nothing to help the problem. I want to stay informed, but lately I think I will have to just be accused of ignorance and turn off the news. The headlines are just turning me into a really angry person, and I think it's taking away from valuable witnessing time.

thecolorsblend · Mar 18, 2019

I do think there's something to the idea of physiognomy. Not sure how much it can tell you about somebody's faith, tbh. But I think it can say a lot about their character.

Messerve · Mar 18, 2019

Well, I once thought my friend's face was kind of glowing and I thought maybe he was a Christian because he seemed so joyful all the time. Then I found out his love for beer and I had to rethink that idea... ^_^

I think a face that glows with joy can be one sign, but I actually think someone who is very peaceful is almost a clearer sign because it's even rarer.

jisaiah6113 · Mar 18, 2019

I don't see any peaceful faces anymore. I think we're all so whipped up by antagonism and the seductions of the global melting pot that it is truly rare to find a person who radiates peace and joy.

Messerve · Mar 19, 2019

jisaiah6113 said:
I don't see any peaceful faces anymore. I think we're all so whipped up by antagonism and the seductions of the global melting pot that it is truly rare to find a person who radiates peace and joy.

Exactly. Everyone is either angry, depressed or scared. But I do know some people who are very peaceful - not overly worried or angry or scared. They're the kind of people I prefer to be around.

FutureAndAHope · Mar 19, 2019

jisaiah6113 said:
Proverbs 27:19 says in the NASB, "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man."

I've been noticing lately that you can tell A LOT about a person's spiritual life, lifestyles, and general way of life just by taking a quick glance at their face, their expression, their posture, and the way they walk. I think really we are sized up within a microsecond of others seeing us, and we do the same with others. I think these "first impressions" are crucial and are very hard to undo, even with a lot of behavior that indicates we are not the people they thought us to be (whether unconfident, or anything negative that a person may think of us).

To give this a particular application, I've started to see that I can spot a person who might be walking with the Lord from a mile away, whereas the people who practice evil all seem to have the same face: angry, jaded, cynical, and obviously affected by sin. I think at the end of the day, this is what sin and love of this world and its alternate lifestyles does to people. They eat the fruit of the tree, expecting LIFE, and when nothing but rottenness in their soul results, "their heart rages against the Lord." (See Proverbs 19:3).

This is more of a comment than a question, but I'm very interested in becoming a person who glows and who people know is a calm, peaceful, assured presence of Jesus. Usually when a person will say something is when I least expect it because I'm so swept up in peace. I went to a men's group years ago after spending a few hours praying in the church basement, and one of the men commented that my face was "glowing". The Bible said that at the time of transfiguration, as Jesus prayed, "his countenance was changed." (Luke 9:29) A few months ago I was in a grocery store minding my own business, and this older man came up to me and started making conversation, and I did not even notice how friendly he was, and he touched my arm while talking. I've had other experiences like this in church where people will treat me completely differently based on my interior disposition which is CLEARLY reflected in my face (see Proverbs 27:19).

Any thoughts or similar experiences? We should all be a people who radiate the presence of the Lord. Sadly, in our political discourse, it seems everyone is being swept up in fear, anger, and resentment. BOTH PARTIES are doing nothing to help the problem. I want to stay informed, but lately I think I will have to just be accused of ignorance and turn off the news. The headlines are just turning me into a really angry person, and I think it's taking away from valuable witnessing time.

Personally I think this is not a good pathway to take. The bible says "man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart". It is my opinion that God has given the face to show our emotions, a Christian may be angry or discouraged for many reasons, maybe they are going through a time of testing, and disgruntled with God and the world. Yet their heart may be dedicated to God. A non believer may be full of joy, yet have no connection to God. I believe we have no reason to judge others faith by their appearance, we don't need to know their state, other than to pray with them and help them grow in their faith.

Also the verse you quoted does not say the face shows the man. It says:

Pro 27:19 As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.

In the same way water shows us what our face is like when we look into it, so the heart of a man is reflected in the mans actions.

If we need to know a persons heart, I believe that the inner working of the Holy Spirit can reveal it. But I would be super careful about using expressions a limp-nus test for faith, or strength of a persons walk with God.

Gordon Wright · Mar 20, 2019

This is a dangerously unreliable approach. All of those "tells" of virtue be faked. Also, a nervous person has the exact same tells as a liar.

Here's a better way: observe closely what they do over time. That's much harder to fake.

Invalidusername · Mar 20, 2019

Jacob told Esau that seeing Esau's face was like looking at the face of God. Yet I don't think this is a good indicator of Esau's spiritual state considering the Bible is more harsh on Esau than most people.

Sketcher · Mar 21, 2019

jisaiah6113 said:
Proverbs 27:19 says in the NASB, "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man."

I've been noticing lately that you can tell A LOT about a person's spiritual life, lifestyles, and general way of life just by taking a quick glance at their face, their expression, their posture, and the way they walk. I think really we are sized up within a microsecond of others seeing us, and we do the same with others. I think these "first impressions" are crucial and are very hard to undo, even with a lot of behavior that indicates we are not the people they thought us to be (whether unconfident, or anything negative that a person may think of us).

To give this a particular application, I've started to see that I can spot a person who might be walking with the Lord from a mile away, whereas the people who practice evil all seem to have the same face: angry, jaded, cynical, and obviously affected by sin. I think at the end of the day, this is what sin and love of this world and its alternate lifestyles does to people. They eat the fruit of the tree, expecting LIFE, and when nothing but rottenness in their soul results, "their heart rages against the Lord." (See Proverbs 19:3).

This is more of a comment than a question, but I'm very interested in becoming a person who glows and who people know is a calm, peaceful, assured presence of Jesus. Usually when a person will say something is when I least expect it because I'm so swept up in peace. I went to a men's group years ago after spending a few hours praying in the church basement, and one of the men commented that my face was "glowing". The Bible said that at the time of transfiguration, as Jesus prayed, "his countenance was changed." (Luke 9:29) A few months ago I was in a grocery store minding my own business, and this older man came up to me and started making conversation, and I did not even notice how friendly he was, and he touched my arm while talking. I've had other experiences like this in church where people will treat me completely differently based on my interior disposition which is CLEARLY reflected in my face (see Proverbs 27:19).

Any thoughts or similar experiences? We should all be a people who radiate the presence of the Lord. Sadly, in our political discourse, it seems everyone is being swept up in fear, anger, and resentment. BOTH PARTIES are doing nothing to help the problem. I want to stay informed, but lately I think I will have to just be accused of ignorance and turn off the news. The headlines are just turning me into a really angry person, and I think it's taking away from valuable witnessing time.

If what you say is true, then it's pointless to focus your efforts on improving it. Rather, you would work on your heart and let the rest take care of itself.

However, what you're saying about a person's mannerisms or "glow" is not true, you cannot tell how spiritual a person is by the way they act like that. Example: Someone I knew in college and roomed with. There was a gal who told him at the beginning of the semester when they met that she could tell he was a Christian by the way he acted and carried himself. He was an outgoing and "friendly" guy. By the end of the semester, she hated his guts because of how pushy and disrespectful he was. And he wasn't even a Christian at the time, he was from a heretical sect, and not particularly religious either - he came to the area to smoke pot and party.

JCFantasy23 · Mar 22, 2019

You are correct sometimes you can see this with happy people who love the Lord, but as some other posters mentioned, you have to be cautious. There are a lot of God's children who are burdened by abuse, hardship, or mental illness. They may be angry, jaded and cynical at the moment you spot them.

DM25 · Mar 23, 2019

Fruit inspecting of any kind is wrong and uncalled for. But I definitely noticed there was something "different" about Christians before I was even a believer. Not necessarily the face but just something.... different, something good and peaceful. It was probably the holy spirit. But again that doesn't mean everyone will radiate that or feel that, it's just what I experienced.

usexpat97 · Mar 23, 2019

JCFantasy23 said:
You are correct sometimes you can see this with happy people who love the Lord, but as some other posters mentioned, you have to be cautious. There are a lot of God's children who are burdened by abuse, hardship, or mental illness. They may be angry, jaded and cynical at the moment you spot them.

Yeah, probably this. I have Jesus living in me, and Jesus is life, and I have it. But I am around so much madness. And a lot of what I deal with stems directly from that I have Jesus. I could just coast through life with family and live happy-happy-joy-joy, but I have things God has called me to do; and it doesn't exactly involve the beaches of Hawaii. They say you're supposed to rejoice in all things, but let's be honest: I really don't. Jesus also said blessed are those who weep, for they will be comforted. That's a future tense.

So you won't see me glowing all the time. But I have Jesus in my life, and my time will come.

Joined2krist · Mar 26, 2019

Devil can disguise as a child of light, remember that Lucifer was an angel before the fall. There are many wolfs in sheep clothing, many people look like Christians but they aren't

DM25 · Mar 27, 2019

Joined2krist said:
Devil can disguise as a child of light, remember that Lucifer was an angel before the fall. There are many wolfs in sheep clothing, many people look like Christians but they aren't

People with good discernment can tell the difference.

Spotting a person of faith by their "face"

Active Member

If God is your Father, who is your Mother?

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Just me

Newbie

Well-Known Member

Born Imperishable

In a Kingdom by the Sea.

Well-Known Member

kewlness

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads