Living the Christian Life

The moment a person is saved, he is sanctified positionally — set apart unto God, declared holy in Christ. First Corinthians 6:11 speaks of believers as those who "are sanctified" and "are justified" — both in the aorist tense, indicating a completed action. But there is also a progressive sanctification — the ongoing process by which the believer is conformed to the image of Christ in his daily life. This is not how we get saved; it is how we grow after being saved. Romans 12:1-2 describes the believer's responsibility in this process: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Notice that Paul addresses "brethren" — people who are already saved. He does not say, "Do this to stay saved." He says, "Do this because you are saved." Sanctification is motivated by gratitude, not fear. Progressive sanctification is a cooperative work. God provides the power through the Holy Spirit, and the believer cooperates through obedience and yielding. Philippians 2:12-13 captures both sides: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." We work it out because God is working it in. The believer is not passive in sanctification — he is actively engaged in spiritual disciplines, putting off the old man and putting on the new (Ephesians 4:22-24). But neither is he working in his own strength — it is God's power at work within him that enables genuine transformation.

No Christian can grow without the Word of God. First Peter 2:2 commands, "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby." Just as a newborn baby needs milk to grow physically, the newborn believer needs Scripture to grow spiritually. A believer who neglects Bible reading is a believer who will remain stunted, confused, and vulnerable to false teaching. Second Timothy 2:15 instructs, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Bible study is not passive reading — it is diligent labour. The phrase "rightly dividing" (orthotomeo) means to cut straight, to handle accurately. The Bible must be studied in context, comparing Scripture with Scripture, distinguishing between what God said to Israel and what He says to the church, between law and grace, between prophecy fulfilled and prophecy yet future. Careless handling of Scripture leads to doctrinal error; careful study leads to spiritual maturity. Prayer is the other indispensable discipline. First Thessalonians 5:17 says simply, "Pray without ceasing." This does not mean the believer must be on his knees twenty-four hours a day; it means that prayer should be the continuous posture of the soul — an ongoing conversation with the Father, bringing every concern, every decision, and every burden before Him. Philippians 4:6-7 promises, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Prayer is not a ritual; it is the lifeline that connects the believer to his Source of strength, wisdom, and peace.

Christianity is not a solitary faith. God never intended for believers to grow in isolation. Hebrews 10:24-25 commands, "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Church attendance is not optional for the believer — it is a direct command of Scripture. The local church serves multiple vital functions in the believer's life. It provides teaching and exposition of Scripture (2 Timothy 4:2). It provides accountability — other believers who can encourage, correct, and sharpen (Proverbs 27:17). It provides opportunities for service, using the spiritual gifts God has given to each member for the edification of the whole body (1 Corinthians 12:7). And it provides corporate worship — the gathering of saints to praise God together, which has a power and beauty that solitary worship cannot replicate. The New Testament metaphor for the church is a body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Just as a hand cannot function severed from the body, a believer cannot function properly disconnected from the fellowship of other believers. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of thee." Every member is necessary, and every member needs the others. The believer who says, "I don't need church — I have my own relationship with God," is like an organ that has removed itself from the body. It may survive for a time, but it cannot thrive, and it will eventually wither. This does not mean that any church will do. The believer must find a church that faithfully teaches the Word of God, holds to sound doctrine, and practises Biblical principles. A church that has abandoned the authority of Scripture, that teaches salvation by works, or that substitutes entertainment for exposition is not fulfilling its God-given purpose. The Bereans were commended because "they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). Every believer should do the same.

Galatians 5:16-17 reveals the central dynamic of the Christian life: "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Every believer has two natures — the old nature (the flesh) and the new nature (the Spirit). These two are in perpetual conflict, and the quality of the Christian life is determined by which one the believer yields to. The works of the flesh are catalogued in Galatians 5:19-21: "Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like." These are the natural products of the old nature when it is given free rein. They do not require effort to produce — they emerge naturally from a life lived according to the flesh. The fruit of the Spirit, by contrast, is described in Galatians 5:22-23: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Notice that it is "fruit" — singular. These are not nine separate fruits to be cultivated independently; they are one cluster of fruit, the unified character of Christ, produced in the believer by the Holy Spirit. You cannot manufacture this fruit by willpower or moral effort. It grows naturally in the life that is yielded to the Spirit, just as grapes grow naturally on a vine that is healthy and connected to its root. The key is found in the word "walk" — peripateo — which means to conduct one's daily life. Walking in the Spirit is not a mystical experience; it is a daily, moment-by-moment decision to yield to the Spirit's leading, to obey the Word of God, to confess sin promptly, and to depend on God's strength rather than one's own. Jesus said, "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).

The Christian life is not only a walk; it is a war. Ephesians 6:10-12 declares, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." The believer faces a real enemy with a real strategy. Satan is not a metaphor — he is a fallen angel of immense intelligence and power, commanding a hierarchy of demonic beings who actively oppose the work of God and the progress of believers. His methods are described as "wiles" (methodeia, from which we get "methods") — cunning schemes, strategic deceptions, not crude frontal assaults. He uses temptation, accusation, discouragement, false doctrine, worldly distraction, and division among believers. God has provided armour for this warfare, and every piece is essential. The belt of truth — doctrinal integrity that holds everything together. The breastplate of righteousness — the practical righteousness that protects the heart. The shoes of the gospel of peace — readiness to stand firm and advance the gospel. The shield of faith — active trust in God's promises that extinguishes the fiery darts of doubt and temptation. The helmet of salvation — the assurance of salvation that protects the mind. And the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God — the only offensive weapon in the arsenal, used by Jesus Himself to defeat Satan's temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Notice that the armour is not designed for retreat. There is no protection for the back. The believer is to stand — to hold his ground, to resist, to endure. The posture of the Christian warrior is one of immovable confidence in the finished work of Christ. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). The battle is real, but the victory is assured.

Jesus said, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (John 15:8). The purpose of the Christian life is not merely to be saved and wait for heaven. It is to bear fruit — to produce visible, tangible evidence that Christ is alive in us. This fruit takes many forms: the fruit of the Spirit in our character (Galatians 5:22-23), the fruit of good works in our service (Colossians 1:10), the fruit of praise from our lips (Hebrews 13:15), and the fruit of new converts through our witness (Romans 1:13). The parable of the vine and the branches in John 15:1-8 reveals the secret of fruitfulness: abiding. "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me" (John 15:4). Abiding is not a mystical concept — it means remaining in daily communion with Christ through His Word, prayer, obedience, and dependence. The branch does not struggle to produce fruit; it simply stays connected to the vine, and the life of the vine flows through it. Effort apart from abiding produces nothing of eternal value. Abiding without effort produces fruit naturally. The Father's goal for every believer is progressive fruitfulness. In John 15, Jesus describes three stages: "fruit" (v. 2), "more fruit" (v. 2), and "much fruit" (v. 5, 8). God is not satisfied with a bare minimum Christian existence. He prunes the fruitful branch — removes the things that hinder growth — so that it may produce even more. Pruning is painful. It often comes through trials, suffering, loss, and discipline. But its purpose is always the same: greater fruitfulness, greater Christlikeness, greater glory to the Father. The Christian life is the most demanding and the most rewarding life there is. It begins with the free gift of salvation and unfolds into a lifetime of growth, service, warfare, and fellowship with the living God. It is not a life of sinless perfection — the flesh guarantees that. But it is a life of increasing victory, deepening joy, and abiding fruitfulness for every believer who walks in the Spirit and abides in the vine. "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).