A word often heard in church is "life". People say that a person has Christ's life when he or she has a solid foundation of truth, cares for believers, and has fervor for preaching the Gospel.
Christianity is a living faith rather than an empty slogan or outward behaviors. Christians are called "new creations" (2 Corinthians 5:17) who should live a life worthy of the calling they have received (Ephesians 4:1).
What are the characteristics of a Christian with life?
First of all, he or she must experience value changes.
If asked what life is, most Christians may give the answer: desiring biblical truths, being active in church ministries, attending church services every week, praying a lot, and joining in a Bible study or fellowship as well as the church service. Well, these are how a Christian should behave and also pleasing to the Lord.
However, be aware that the Lord values mental renewal and value changes rather than outward performances. He wants us to love Him with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all our mind and with all our strength, and to obey His teachings (Mark 12:30-31, John 14:23-24). Therefore, our values should be transformed from loving fame, wealth, and status to loving the Lord Jesus; from boasting in ourselves to glorifying the Lord; from being aggressive to forgiving and showing mercy to others.
A famous theologian even states that the way to identify the authenticity of one's Christian faith is to see his or her ultimate goal. Is it to glorify heaven or to get worldly benefits?
A Christian with life definitely puts the glory of the heaven as his or her lifetime pursuit.
Secondly, walk with the Lord.
Christians who renew their life grow in truth (Ephesians 4:13-14), live a holy life the Lord delights in (1 Thessalonians 4:7), preach the Gospel actively (Matthew 28:19) and are eager to help the needy (Matthew 25:34-40). More importantly, we have new life and bear the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) when we obey the Lord. We can walk with the Lord with such a life.
Third, reflect the glory of Christ.
With new life and walking with the Lord, we live a different life through which people see our goodness and know Christ. We often reach unbelievers, hoping that they can accept Jesus and receive salvation, while the result turns out to be the opposite. They often reject and even detest us. Apart from that some have stubborn hearts and refuse to admit the truth because we fail to influence people with life to the extent that they see Christ in us.
I see many believers with abundant lives who influence people around them with a natural overflow of life and witness the glory of Christ through their deeds. As a result, a lot of people accept the Gospel.
Translated by Karen Luo
