What is it to live the Christian life?
After I have received the gift of salvation by trusting in Jesus as my Savior and only way to God, what’s next?
It’s important for Christ-followers to KNOW what FOLLOWING Jesus looks like.
It’s important to know the dangers we will fight against as we journey with Him through this sin-cursed world.
And God doesn’t keep us in the dark. His Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. (Psalm 119:105)
Not only did God give us the Bible but, at salvation, God’s Spirit is born in our hearts so that we can live a life pleasing to Him.
Here’s something to consider. There is a way of living that pleases God and a way that grieves Him. I’m glad He unpacks that in His Word – the Bible – so that I don’t have to try to figure it out on my own.
There is a way of living that pleases God and a way that grieves Him.
Let’s look at a passage that relates to Christian living.
Galatians 6:7-8 says, Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
From this passage we see that one thing is true…the way we live our lives before the Lord is in no way neutral. We are either making provisions for the flesh or we are making provisions for His Spirit.
I guess the point I’m trying to make is that today the way we live our lives will either grieve God or please Him. How often do we think about this? It’s a danger that plagues us daily.
David was considered a man after God’s own heart. (Acts 13:22). Yet, David, succumbing to his fleshly desires sinned greatly against God.
In Psalm 51 we see David’s confession.
1Have mercy on me, O God,
because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion,
blot out the stain of my sins.
2Wash me clean from my guilt.
Purify me from my sin.
3For I recognize my rebellion;
it haunts me day and night.
4Against you, and you alone, have I sinned;
I have done what is evil in your sight.
You will be proved right in what you say,
and your judgment against me is just.
5For I was born a sinner—
yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.
6But you desire honesty from the womb,
teaching me wisdom even there.
The first part of verse three stood out to me, “I recognize my rebellion.” I want to consider the rebellion that lurks in my flesh daily. But honestly, I tend to not think about it.
It’s a huge problem when it comes to Christian living. We are bent on rebellion. We, in our flesh, are prone to wander.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the LORD laid on him the sins of us all. Isaiah 53:6
But God knew it. And so He gave us His Spirit to dwell within us and to set us free from our rebellion to live in obedience to Him.
Jesus told His disciples before He returned to His Father,
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. John 14:16-17
This work takes place in our hearts at salvation, but what about today? How do we live for God in the day-to-day while we are here in this world? His Spirit is in us but action is required.
Today I want to look at Paul’s letter to the church in Galatia. Paul, aware of the ongoing battle against our flesh and sin, warns believers in Galatians 5 against this rebellion. He says,
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility (opposition), quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension (discord), division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-24
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.
Notice Paul says that people who live this sort of life, controlled by sin and the flesh, will not inherit the Kingdom of God. What he means is, if there is no change of desire, if there is no awakening to the fact that we are rebels, if there is no desire to turn from these things, we have not, in fact, been transformed by the Gospel. These traits are evidences of our sinful nature. When God’s Spirit comes to dwell within our hearts, He convicts, teaches, and guides us in the things of God.
Philippians 2:13 says, For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
BUT Paul wouldn’t warn the believers in the church to avoid these sins if they didn’t still lurk in their hearts, if these sins didn’t still pose a danger to them. Even after the Spirit in born in our hearts, we must contend with the flesh daily. We must choose to live holy, Spirit-controlled lives.
Have you ever taken a long look at the sins of the flesh listed in the passage in Galatians 5?
When we read a list like this, we tend to only see the extreme expression of that sin and we pat ourselves on the back, feeling as though we are above such sin. But these sins, in varying degree control the flesh and “war against the Spirit of God in us.” They are wicked and they steal the joy and freedom of our salvation.
What, then, does Paul tell believers to do with our flesh and it’s desires? Look at verse 24. I love that He reminds us where the sin is beaten. He takes us to the cross of Jesus and says, “You can nail it there and it will not have power over you.”
If I was so inclined, I would do a little victory dance right about here.
We can nail our flesh to the cross and give God’s Spirit freedom to work in us. As He does, we see fruit of 
PINIMAGEHis control over our lives and it’s remarkable. The work of God’s Spirit in us produces love, joy peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
I have seen this take place in my own life. God changing me from the inside out. Places I thought were too difficult to change, habits I thought I could not break, have been crumbled by HIs power in me. What freedom!
But, what is crucial to this process is to see the danger of sin and flesh. If we do not heed the conviction of the Spirit of God in us we will fall prey to our enemy.
Do we, like David, see our sin from God’s perspective? I must confess I don’t hate sin like God does – especially my own. I want to see sin the way God does and live in a manner that pleases Him and so I must rely on His Spirit. I was convicted as I prepared these words that I must confess and turn from such a cavalier view of these sins I harbor, these sins that Jesus died to forgive.
When is the last time you’ve taken inventory of your heart and your sin in light of what God says in Galatians 5?
- Do you see your sins as worthy of death?
- Or do you see some of your sins as daily companions that God understands and overlooks?
- Do you see that the coddling of your sin, mocks and minimizes Christ’s death on the cross to conquer it?
- Are you willing to ask God to show you your sin and His view of it?
Psalm 19:12-14 says,
12How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart?
Cleanse me from these hidden faults.
13Keep your servant from deliberate sins!
Don’t let them control me.
Then I will be free of guilt
and innocent of great sin.
14May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
I pray I have brought much needed attention to the battle we must fight each and every day. But where do we begin? How do we fight?
The other morning, my husband Mark read a verse to me that brought this whole struggle against the flesh into perspective. It was a simple sentence – only 6 words. And yet, it says as much as scores of books on Christian living. I said to myself, “That’s it. That’s how we win the battle against the flesh.” Wan to know how to daily live out the Christian life? Here it is:
Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Matt 3:8
Let it sink in. Think on it for a while.
What does it mean to repent?
To repent is to turn from. By default when we turn from we, at the same time, turn to.
To repent from sin is to turn from sin and turn to God.
I’ve heard it said that to repent in the life of a believer is to agree with God about my sin – to see my sin the way God sees it.
I think about my kids. Sometimes I can get them to obey in a matter and even though they obey, they do so reluctantly. Maybe you’ve heard your child say, “What’s the big deal?!” They don’t see the issue the way you do. What would you rather, blind obedience or obedience with understanding?
Repentance means we, like David, want to please God with every part of us. Remember, he said,
“May the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing to you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.”
Psalm 18:30 says, God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.
When I agree that God’s way is perfect, I then realize all other ways of living should be nailed to the cross. I can look to Him to do what He promises. I look to Him to be my Shield of protection, not only against the things of the world but against my own flesh.
Today, I will contend with the flesh. Believer, so will you.
How do I live the Christian life today, moment to moment? By bearing fruit in keeping with repentance.
This is how it will play out for me as I go about my day. As I face decisions, opportunities and challenges, I will ask myself, “How will I respond to this situation in a way that bears fruit in keeping with repentance – surrendering my fleshly feelings, opinions, and reactions to God and agreeing with Him that His way is best?”
I may repeat this exercise over and over throughout the day but in doing so I can be confident that I’m nailing my flesh to the cross and letting His Spirit live in me.
It is easy to live day in and day out in ignorance toward our sin. But it’s not okay.
Let us be mindful of the price Jesus paid for our sin.
Let us be mindful of the choices we will make today in light of the Gospel.
Let us live according to the Spirit and not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
Let us bring glory and honor to God today.
14So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:14-16
The battle is real and the victory is ours. Today let’s honor God and bear fruit.
