Comments on: What is Jesus’ Personality Type (MBTI)?

By: Glenevan

Glenevan — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Those are good points. Jesus Christ came into this life as a man. He had to overcome the natural man just like any one, I think He had to depend of Heavenly Father to overcome the weakness of the flesh and He always succeeded. Jesus the Christ discusses his need to have faith that He was really the Messiah. We all have the potential to become like Jesus. I see personality types in the prophets and apostles and they are all great men who accomplish great things in different ways. A personality is part of what makes us different than animals who don’t have the degree of agency that we have. Will we still have personalities as we perfect ourselves? Will we be perfect ESTJs or INFJs? Regardless of what Jesus became, he probably started life as a man with a personality. My guess is INFP.

By: Gillprestwood

Gillprestwood — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:13:00 +0000

Get on with life, trust in God, do what is correct, do not hurt anyone and wait until God in his wisdom, judge us when we have finished or last breath. So why should we judge anyone, in our ignorance, until we have known them for a life time or walked in their shoes for a life time.. Let God put his arm arround our shoulder and his hand over our mouth. but leave our ears and eyes open, to learn and teach others who may go astray,… in a very caring way. God bless us all.

By: Denode8

Denode8 — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 16:15:00 +0000

I see that I’m the only one that cared to solve your little riddle ENTJ.

Intresting analysis, though a bit shallow. You seem to have oversimplified the matter of Jesus’s P/J preferance.

Embrace extraordinarity: denode8@gmail:disqus .com

By: Zylesie

Zylesie — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 23:41:00 +0000

Haha nice. I am INFP and always wondered what Jesus might be..

As far as the P goes, I am slightly unsure, because I see both P and J aspects of Jesus.. He reflects perfectly his Father, who is “a God not of disorder, but of peace,” (1Co 14:33, New World Translation).

That’s not to say he was entirely organized and orderly. Maybe God’s idea of order is more like the Perceivers’ idea of order, but nonetheless..

Really, I don’t know. I can definitely see him as a Perceiver, but perhaps a very balanced P/J..?

Just my thoughts.

By: Tammy

Tammy — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 11:44:00 +0000

I totally agree with your findings and conclusions however there is a huge misunderstanding I would like to put in proper perspective.

You said, “If these are the characteristics Christ had,”

Issue = “had”. Jesus knew he was the Christ and taught people in a Way that the seed of thought concerning “Christ” is Spiritually planted in the garden of the listeners’ mind. He knew the day was coming that this seed would soon take root, break ground, bloom and be harvested. Never did Jesus speak of Christ as past tense in fact it was the opposite.

“… does that also color our perception of the suitableness of other personality types to be religious leaders? Let me further hypothesize that we are probably more critical of religious leaders who don’t fit this type, especially those who are outgoing or extraverted or boisterous, who are less theoretical and more hands-on.”

The seed of thought Jesus planted concerning His Christed Nature has taken root and has broken through ground in the consciousness of every man and every woman and every child. We are Christ…Jesus is Christ…We are One. The harvest is soon to arrive and every man is preparing regardless of his ego’s awareness. Because this awakening is happening in deep consciousness and followed by the mind…many men find low tolerance for teachings that are not weeding their garden with forgiveness and watering their garden with Spiritual Truths. This awakening has been all of our lifetimes so we do not recognize it for what it Is…..

Good work! You are Right On.

By: APCfan227

APCfan227 — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:42:00 +0000

Really? Because you apparently haven’t even done enough research then. Jesus was both imperfect as a man and perfect as a god. Gather information before you make judgements.

By: Michellerfell

Michellerfell — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 01:45:00 +0000

I’m another who thinks Jesus’ personality would have scored a perfectly balanced capacity of EISNTFJP, functioning as needed and by the Father’s leading in each situation. I’m also wondering if personality tests may simply describe the natural strengths and weaknesses of our fallen nature, hopefully helping us see our specific need for a new spiritual nature, created to be like Christ – a whole, balanced, and complete resemblance of the Father. It seems the tests may simply show us the areas that have yet to be redeemed in us, until the fullness of God’s perfection and glory fill us one day, when every last bit of hindering sin and shortcoming of the flesh is completely blown away by the fullness of His indwelling glory. Through Jesus’ constant reliance on and spiritual oneness with the Father, He is the only perfect example of one constantly bypassing the flesh in its fallen state (including natural personality strengths and weaknesses I think) in order for the fullness of God to be seen in him instead.
“He who finds his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

By: INFP

INFP — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 03:10:00 +0000

So… I hate to say it, but I don’t think we can ever truly pinpoint Jesus’ personality type. I say this because, even though Jesus was a human being that roamed the Earth, he also allowed God the father to use him and speak through him. God created all people in His image; and so God is both extremes, and I believe that while Jesus may have had a certain personality type, we’ll never really know what it was because God the father so heavily influenced Jesus’ actions, that anything is possible.
It is possible that Jesus could have been an extravert, as he was so willing to preach to 5,000 for hours on end and to eat with them even when his disciples were exhausted. But he spent a great deal of alone time too, so he could just as easily be an introvert. I think both are reflections of God’s character and what God the father was doing in His son’s life. Jesus was never really alone; he was always with his father!!!
We also may never know whether Jesus was sensing or intuitive. We don’t know 1) how much God the father revealed Himself to Jesus in concrete ways (so we don’t know how sensing or intuitive Jesus’ faith in his father is), or 2) how many of his parables were related to actual things he had seen or done. For all we know, God the father could’ve revealed parables to Jesus in very concrete ways, or Jesus used parables because he was sensing and the stories helped provide more concrete ways of explaining what it means to have a more abstract relationship with God. Maybe the parables helped Jesus in his own relationship with God, because he needed more concrete examples. We don’t know. He could have just as easily been intuitive, and simply just trusted God and let God share the parables through him.
Thinking or Feeling- absolutely both!! Jesus was very clever with his responses to people, and yet he was full of compassion and was often moved by that. You can tell from scriptures that Jesus had spent a lot of time with God in deciding answers to things, i.e. “what is the most important commandment?” Jesus knew to ask what the law said. He was very articulate, though he also showed great emotion. Again, it’s hard to tell how much of that is God speaking through Jesus.
Judging or Perceiving: To the naked eye, Jesus’ schedule… didn’t really exist. It was a very ‘go-with-the-flow’ ministry. But when you think about it: how well was Jesus aware of the plans that his father had for him? Though one could argue that Jesus didn’t make his own plans, he seemed to be very set on the plan that God had put in front of him. How soon before Jesus approached the woman at the well in Samaria (John 4) did he know he would deliberately be going through her town when, according to maps, he could have taken another route that avoided the Samaritan community altogether? Sounds like there was a plan behind that. Who knows how much of what Jesus did and where he went was planned? Only God really knows.

By: Guest

Guest — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 07:12:00 +0000

He’s not a P. He went and lived life according to his father’s plan. He organized his own ministry. Christ’s principles were based around living in heaven, ergo not in the moment. Christ is a J. Full type: INFJ (though very likely an E.)

By: Darius

Darius — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:06:00 +0000

I love that Jesus would be 1 letter type away from me (ENFP) but wasn’t Jesus also talking to god in the woods? God is pretty intresting so idk just puting out he might be Enfp lol. I would love to claim him =)

By: Mitekle

Mitekle — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:32:00 +0000

right on! u know jesus well!

By: dieserotefrosch

dieserotefrosch — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 02:53:07 +0000

I beg to disagree with the “EISNTFJP” concept. If that was the case, all people will be EISNTFJP. In MBTI, we are talking of the dominant attributes, for we had our own degree if introversion and extroversion (in few instances, you might scored 100% introverted, but not the case when you’re with a few, trusted companions whom you’re comfortable talking with, but not with the people whom you don’t know well).

As an NF, I am able to portray another character according to need. In my case, my MBTI varies according to my mood. When I’m currently having a debate, I scored INTJ. When I feel depressed and down, I scored INTP. When I feel happy together with the person I loved, I scored INFJ. But it’s wrong for me to be an INTFPJ. Especially for NFs, we had the quest of searching for self, to “be himself” and “somebody”. My complex character was just a characteristic of being an INFP, but it doesn’t mean that if I am able to portray as another character I became EISNTFJP. That’s why we should not judge someone else’ MBTI especially if we are not trained to administer this test. MBTI is not a tool to stereotype someone as one of the 16 types.

Yes, I am an INFP, but I still had many differences with Jesus, especially when I’m still in the process in searching myself and still in a constant state of doubt I myself hated.

By: -q

-q — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:24:46 +0000

A few years ago I attempted the same analysis of Jesus’ personality, and thought Him to be more of and inTp, but I see the case for either. It is written that if any man hath seen me he hath seen the father. Basically He is saying they are the same in character. So now we have a ton of additional information to analayse- the personality of The Father. This will help further reveal what Jesus’ personality is like. Thanks for the hard work in publishing your research. God bless!

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:29:32 +0000

When my wife’s Christian school wanted to use te MBTI to test all the teachers, my wife did the research. She successfully had the MBTI thrown out of use. Once she pointed out the problems, the turnaround was easy. And it turns out that many other teachers didn’t want to take it either, but were reluctant to speak up.

Christian schools need to be fundamentally different from public schools. Otherwise, why should parents pay them money? Christian schools need to be salt and light to the world. It’s not about being able to pray in school and have nativity plays for Christmas. It’s much, much more than that.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:05:58 +0000

The MBTI should have no place in the Christian realm. Jung practiced occultism and necromancy, yet rejected religion as mythology. Here are some links that support this notion. There is enough humanism in the world. We don’t need it in the church. We should stand for something different.

http://www.psychologydebunked.com/email0408_MBTI.htm

http://workhelp.org/cgi-bin/links/jump.cgi?ID=3676

By: David

David — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 03:00:29 +0000

From a fellow INFP:

Regardless of Jesus’ personality type, I believe God is out to shape our -character-, not to change our personality. God can and does love and use people in His kingdom from all the personality types (it is certain He loves diversity). To put Jesus into a box is a slippery slope…He just might surprise -you- as He did with the religious leaders and people of the first century. He caused the paradigm shift of the world in the span of a three year ministry. Was it a flashy personality or His character?

By: Jonathan Pressley

Jonathan Pressley — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 03:15:44 +0000

Actually he was an INTP. Don’t confuse his caring for others as not being a thinker. Consider what he was doing during his preaching outlining a new ideology on how to worship God. This is more thinking. INTPs are called the Architect and he outlined through his teachings a new theology. Similar to Einstein and Issac Newton’s outlining new views of the universe through their ideas. Here is a listing of INTP traits that he exhibited

Profile by Sandra Krebs Hirsch and Jean Kummerow

They are full of questions, sometimes voiced, most often not. INTP children often challenge and even stump their elders – Luke 2:41-50

Profile by Paul James

central goal of the INTP: to understand and seek truth, This is his Mission; to be the provider of clarity, Finally, the dominant Ti function means that the INTP takes his interests and beliefs very seriously, The INTP’s serious nature also makes them almost immune to mockery and being made fun of, penetrate deep into the understanding of a subject, INTPs have a very strong requirement to keep their external, social world as simple and as uncluttered as they can so that they can focus as much energy as possible on their internal world-Matt. 8:20.

He was definitely an INTP his feeling was just more developed than most if not all INTP’s

By: hawkgrrrl

hawkgrrrl — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 20:07:49 +0000

Meagen – you make some good points about JS – I think he may be on the cusp between N and S, or possibly too much information has been lost through time. On the N side, he clearly had a strategic vision, and was often lost or caught up in his deep feelings. On the S side, though, he was also very practical minded, tending quickly to people’s physical needs, very good in a crisis, etc. At times he exhibits both the hands-on of an S and the over-delegation of an N. I do have to say, though, that he does seem occasionally frivolous or directionless (Zion’s Camp comes to mind), but that may not be his defining characteristic. Good points! Thanks for commenting.

By: Meagen J

Meagen J — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:20:00 +0000

Joseph Smith: ENFP. ENFPs are the champions of causes. Heavenly Father needed to have someone to champion that cause of the Gospel.
ESFPs are so frivolous sometimes (I as an INFP say that). Joseph felt things deeply. His sorrows were deep; his care was intense. NF.
Also, he wasn’t locked in reality. He wasn’t “down-to-earth” as is often used to describe Ss.
-shrug-

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 20:03:01 +0000

I am an ENFJ. Now that I’ve gotten the introductions out of the way, I will posit my position on this debate: I believe Jesus and God are XXXX types. Maybe Jesus was not to this point when he was on the earth, but I must scratch my head. Jesus was perfect when living his earth life. Regardless, I believe that we are all born with our temperament and this has a lot to do with God given gifts that can be developed. Our personality type is our building block that one must refine/grow to build the kingdom.
I have noticed that my patriarchal blessing contains several bits of information that correspond very well with my ENFJ type profile that would not fit other MBTI types. This logic (if it can be called logic) especially follows my additional personal revelation about my patriarchal blessing. I believe that the eventual goal is to have all strengths and to pretty much immediately know in a given situation all avenues about how different outcomes will affect and impact people/history/basically everything, with the foresight of the iNtuitive type and the realism and practicality of the Sensing type, for example. I do not believe that mixed types are closer to their god form than other types as a rule: for example, an EXFP is more Christ-centered or righteous or godlike than an ESFP, or an EXTX is even more godlike. I think that Godlike is definable as it is, omnipotent, all seeing, all knowing, and I am sure that our language does not have words to accurately explain this definition thoroughly.
Carl Jung’s cognitive processes (which have been referred to already in this thread, and of which I am extremely fond) further explain the larger differences between types, such as why INFP and INFJ are so different (*see below), as well as describe dominant, auxiliary, and so forth processes. I believe that for God, all processes are his dominant processes, and he infinitely knows/ can discern which processes are more relevant or take precedent, even in an expansive view while looking at a variety of interconnected events/situations/etc. I am sure that God is not bored, though, and can find challenging things to do that are variable and fascinating. We just cannot comprehend such things.
*INFP: Introverted Feeling, Extroverted iNtuiting, Introverted Sensing, Extroverted Thinking
INFJ: Introverted iNtuiting, Extroverted Feeling, Introverted Thinking, Extroverted Sensing

By: Graham

Graham — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 16:46:04 +0000

I enjoyed reading this post and I often theorise as to the profile of various individuals with a number of the profiles that I carry out. In principle I agree with your INFP theory which is as good as any, although the MBTI is not a psychometric which would be harder to predict in any case.

As you would expect someone with this profile to share their insights, vision and intuition with the world (Extraverted Intuition)and be primarily driven by their belief and feelings (Introveted Feeling)I think it fits the bill quite accurately as much as you can with just 16 types.

Graham Price
http://www.accelerate.uk.com/myers_briggs_type_indicator.html

By: Joel

Joel — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 06:00:14 +0000

As a man, let’s say Jesus was an NF of some kind. An NF is usually the kind of person to start a new religious movement, right? An NF Leader is a religious catalyst, or at least a moral catalyst in the social order–look at Gandhi (INFJ), Martin Luther King, Jr (INFJ), Joan of Arc (INFP), Martin Luther (ENFJ), or Charles Dickens (ENFP). An NF change things in the way we see the world. He/she may be a Counselor INFJ, a Teacher ENFJ, a Healer INFP, or a champion of ideals ENFP. Because most NF personalities can devote themselves to a cause, they may appear to be different personality types at different times, so it can be hard to differentiate between an NF and another type.

But what was Jesus? He definitely wasn’t an ENFP like me, or an ENFJ, because he got his energy from inside, which makes me think he was an INTROVERT. We all agree on that, so far.

So was he an INFP like many people have discussed, or an INFJ? This is the tricky part. I am no scholar, but I have two reasons to say he was an INFJ. First, he spoke, and did not write, as far as we know. If he were an INFP, he would have written, that is for sure. Luke was a GREAT writer, and I think he was the INFP writer that Jesus needed to beautifully capture him in writing. Yet INFJs are typically more comfortable with speaking and teaching than INFPs, and the verbal style fits the Gospel Jesus a little better. Second, like a well-developed INFJ, Jesus could read peoples’ thoughts, not just occasionally. This is not necessarily a product of his Godhood, but rather it is a spiritual gift that is commonly found in a well-developed INFJ. No other type can read minds like an INFJ. I think that mind-reading was the spiritual gift most obvious in the character of Jesus. It may be laughed at or scoffed at, but I believe many an INFJ can read thoughts, much like Jesus did. Of course I have a cousin who is an INFJ, so my viewpoint is informed by that relationship.

I consider Jesus a J. If you read the Gospels, you might see yourself in Jesus, and that is good. Yet Jesus was not necessarily “all types at once.” I don’t think so.
As for those who say he was a “P” because he would commonly “go with the flow,” I respond that if you read the profile of an INFJ, you realize that they can seem like a P, because they too can seem very whimsical. They aren’t rigid in their plans and schedules like other “J” types, perhaps because they are constantly following the mystical intuition inside of them, which can be rather difficult to understand and seem random at times.

I’m not sure, but INFJ is certainly just as good a guess as any.

By: Kim

Kim — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:16:51 +0000

This was an awesome post! I can honestly say I never thought about it lol. I agree, hopefully more exceptions and less justice oriented would be great lol.

By: Aaron

Aaron — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:35:54 +0000

I couldn’t understand some parts of this article Personality Type (MBTI)? at Mormon Matters, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.

By: AdamF

AdamF — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:19:02 +0000

Dan (and Hawkgrrrl) – I went ahead and credited the image in the post.

AdamF