V : THE CHRISTIAN LIFE
Ephesians 4:23-32
Jesus explained the entry point into the Christian life by telling Nicodemus, “You must be born again.”[1] This is “justification,” being made right with God. If you want to follow Jesus Christ you must begin as a child, depending entirely upon God as your Heavenly Father, on Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, and upon the Holy Spirit as your Helper and Guide.
The Christian life is one of continual growth, which is called “sanctification” or growth in holiness. Just as growth is natural in a child, so a Christian must strive to grow in the knowledge and likeness of Christ. The Bible tells us that Jesus, when a boy, “grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men,”[2] and in the same way, you should strive to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”[3]
The path of Christian discipleship is not an easy one. It is not passive. “Do this and you will live,”[4] said Jesus to a man who was knowledgeable in the Jewish law. The trouble was not that the man didn’t know what to do, it was that he didn’t do what he knew to do.
What, then, is Christian living? There are certain things that you, as a Christian, will put at the top of your priorities.
1. You will endeavor to grow in knowledge and favor with both God and others. Realizing your own weakness, you will seek help through daily prayer and the study of the Scriptures, and through fellowship with other Christians.
2. You will be faithful in attendance at worship, participating with joy.
3. You will do everything you can to make sure that you are present for the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.
4. You will be faithful in your everyday life, remembering that you are only a steward of the gifts God has given, and so you will be ready to share your time, talents and resources in His service.
5. You will be faithful to the church as your spiritual family, accepting responsibility for service on the basis of your gifts, as opportunity offers.
6. You will share your Christian experience with others, seeking always to relieve suffering, to help those in need, and to win others to Christ.
7. You will take an active interest in the extension of the Kingdom of God throughout the world.
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,”[5] wrote the psalmist long ago. You never really know what a house is like until you live in it. And you never really know what Christ is like until you live in Him. The best way to test the Christian life is to try it. It’s not really a set of rules at all; it’s a relationship. And your profession of faith will be demonstrated, best of all, by the manner of your daily walk with Jesus Christ.
The Life to Come
No statement regarding the Christian life would be complete without a word regarding the life to come. Jesus spoke regularly about “eternal life,” meaning life after death. He seldom spoke about physical death, presumably because He regarded death not as an ending but as an incident on the Christian journey. We cannot see beyond death, but we can put our trust in One who has been there. “In my Father’s house are many rooms,” He said, “if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.”[6] So, although we cannot know everything about life beyond the grave, we can know enough to have confidence in the promises of God. There are some things about which a Christian can be sure:
· Heaven is where Christ is.
· Death is a release from the bonds of pain and age.
· Broken relationships will be restored in heaven, when we meet those who have also trusted in Christ for salvation.
· There shall be no more tears in heaven except, perhaps, tears of joy, for we shall see our Savior face to face.
We shall follow Christ there, as here, and surely, as in His days on earth, He will go about “doing good.”[7]
Christians should not pretend to know the last details of what heaven will be like; but we should be confident in our hope in eternal life, which is the gift of God.
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”[8]
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