Distinctives of the Christian Life

The world needs to see lives that have been transformed by Jesus Christ. This does not mean that true Christians are popular with the world. The Apostle Paul makes it plain that the opposite is true: “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12).

Paul also describes the kind of life the Christian should live in the environment the world provides: “that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life” (Phil. 2:15, 16a).

How can we live such a life? How can the distinctives of Christian character be nurtured?

A Christian is one who has accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour and who should have made him Lord of life. But we all know from experience and from observation that there are vast differences among those who profess the name of Christ, even though the goal of all Christians should be to honor and glorify Christ in everything they do.

What explains these differences? What can we do to reflect in our outward life the fullness of the indwelling Saviour?

A true believer in Christ is indwelt and empowered by his Spirit. The Bible is explicit in telling us of the fruit of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Let’s be honest and objective. As we search our own lives, can we say that we have the internal and external evidence of this fruit of the Holy Spirit? If not, let us see what the Bible teaches about the Holy Spirit and then seek his fullness and blessings in our hearts and lives.

Strong convictions are a part of Christian character. We must realize the difference, however, between legitimate convictions and personal prejudices. We must be sure that our convictions are based on an understanding of the Word of God rather than on our own or others’ opinions.

A Christian must have a very clear understanding of the nature and reality of sin. He must realize that basically sin is disobedience to the revealed will of God. In all of us there is the pull of the world, the flesh, and the Devil, encouraging us to think and do wrong things.

At all times Satan stands ready to entice us to evil, tempt us to do wrong, accuse us to God, and lead us astray. Paul speaks of him as “the unseen power that controls this dark world” and mentions also “spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil” (Eph. 6:12, Phillips). To deny the reality of Satan is to court disaster. We are in the grimmest of warfares, with much at stake.

But the Christian has no right to be a pessimist. The One who has forgiven and cleansed us has made complete provision, not only for the sins of the past, but also for the living of each day in victory in him. He remembers that we are weak and sinful, and he always offers forgiveness with the promise of life in a new dimension. All we need do is claim these things he is so willing to give us.

In the heart of each Christian there should be a spiritual compass, an understanding of the difference between right and wrong. There should be a recognition of the validity of God’s moral law. Just as there are natural and physical laws that continue to be valid from one generation to another, so too there are unchanging moral and spiritual laws.

The Ten Commandments continue to be God’s revelation of these principles. No man has ever kept them perfectly, nor can any; and our salvation does not depend on their being kept. But through these messages given on Sinai we gain an understanding of man’s duty to God and to his fellow man. Christ summarized the Commandments in these words: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:37–40).

If we recognize God’s right to set spiritual and moral standards and his gift of his Son through whom we can live by these standards, it follows that we should surrender our hearts, minds, and wills to him. It is a matter not only of faith but also of obedience, for faith without obedience is not true faith.

One element in the Christian character that stands out clearly to others is the unwillingness to compromise on a principle. The Prophet Isaiah lived in discouraging times when there was compromise with evil on every hand. In the midst of it all he remained true to God: “For the Lord GOD helps me; … therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame; he who vindicates me is near” (Isa. 50:7, 8a).

Every Christian should, like Isaiah, live in close communion with and obedience to God. This is achieved by trusting God and using the means of grace he has given. Without prayer and faithful Bible study, no Christian can live as he should. Failure to be informed and instructed in the things revealed in God’s word leads to certain defeat.

Every Christian should live with confidence, hope, and assurance, not in himself but in the faithfulness and goodness of God. God does not expect anything of us for which he has not made provision. He knows we are weak, and so he has provided the strength. He knows we will be tempted, and he has provided the way of escape. He knows we are ignorant, and he has provided the necessary wisdom. He knows we are easily confused, and he has provided light to show the way in which we should walk.

To live as Christians should, we must live humbly, always remembering that but for the love, grace, and mercy of God we would be lost. There is no place for pride or self-satisfaction. Everything we have now and for eternity we have through the One who died in our place and for our sins, who took our punishment, and who makes us righteous in God’s sight.

The more clearly we realize that we, as Christians, have been freed from the sentence of death and are free to give praise to God, the more surely we will live as Christians should.

We have been redeemed because of his amazing grace; nothing less than undying love should be our response.

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