The Christian Life
“Having been saved by God’s grace, many new believer begins their Christian life without any real clue as to “how” it is to be lived. Apart from an accurate and balanced learning of the Scriptures, three extremes are usually developed or embraced. Either the believer’s walk becomes mechanical, mystical or they embrace licentiousness.
Regarding the former, the mechanical Christian life involves rigid obedience to certain rules and heartless compliance to “what is right.” It may involve much “busyness” for the Lord, but it is usually spiritually barren of genuine fruitfulness. The believer sometimes may think he is spiritual by his works, entirely missing the grace of God. This mechanical approach leads to self-righteousness or despair, depending on how one thinks they are doing. It reeks of legalism.
On the other hand, some believers have embraced a mystical kind of Christian life. To them, the walk of the believer is “mysterious” or “deep.” They sometimes search for “new blessings”, failing to see that they’ve already been “graced-out” in Christ. Others fear a demon around every corner, or are seeking a certain spiritual gift to prove their spirituality. New “revelations” are frequently sought. Though the inerrancy of the Scriptures is embraced, the sufficiency of the Scriptures is denied in a practical way.
Some have gone so far as to misuse the grace of God as if it was a license to sin. License involves the careless mental attitude that misuses the grace of God by using your liberty in Christ as an excuse to indulge the sinful desires of the flesh. This is a ditch to be avoided at all costs.
The “How” of the Christian Life
So our question still remains: “How is the Christian life to be lived?” As simple and surprising as it may seem, the believer is to live from day to day in the very same manner they were saved – ”by grace through faith” in Jesus Christ.
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” (Colossians 2:6)
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7)
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:17)
“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7)
“He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.” (Proverbs 28:26)
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.’” (Jeremiah 17:5-8)
The biblically-based Christian life is neither mechanical nor mystical. The authentic Christian life is designed to be a daily (2 Corinthians 4:16), personal (Romans 7:4; Colossians 1:27), vertical (James 4:8) relationship/fellowship with God (1 John 1:3) based on the believer’s identification with Jesus Christ (Romans 6; Colossians 3:1-4; Galatians 2:20), motivated primarily by His love (2 Corinthians 5:14; 1 John 4:19), and provided totally by His grace (2 Corinthians 9:8; 12:9; 1 Corinthians 15:10) and power (Hebrews 13:20-21; Phil. 2:13; 4:13), which is enjoyed through repeated responses of faith (2 Corinthians 5:7; Colossians 2:6; Galatians 2:20) as one diligently seeks the Lord (Hebrews 4:11, 11:6, 12:2), resulting in spiritual growth (2 Peter 3:18) in Christ-likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 4:13), faithful obedience to God’s will (Ephesians 5:1; 1 Peter 1:14), and fruitful service (John 15:1-7) to others in love (Galatians 5:6, 22; Philippians 1:24-25), all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).
“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 11:3)
“For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Philippians 3:3)
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)
God in His matchless grace has provided His Word and Holy Spirit to enable us to live wisely by faith in His strength. He has further provided His “exceeding great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4) and the fellowship of other believers (Acts 2:42) to encourage us on our way. But all of this is only enjoyed and appropriated when we respond to the Lord by faith. And since “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,” we must consistently read and study the Scriptures.”