Chapter 1: Christian Living
Connecting Question
What are your favorite or least
favorite memories of high school? Which of these are associated with breaking
the rules?
A Reading Adapted from The Institutes of the Christian Religion, Third Book, Chapter 6, “The Life of a Christian Man.”
When we consider what it means to live as Christians in today's world, we must first understand the connection between our new life in Christ and how that life should be expressed through our daily actions. The apostle Paul reminds us that those who belong to Christ have "put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Colossians 3:9-10). This transformation is not merely a one-time event but an ongoing process that shapes every aspect of how we live.
The Connection Between Inner Change
and Outward Living
We need to recognize that true
Christianity involves both an inner transformation and an outward expression of
that change. Scripture presents a beautifully organized system of moral and
spiritual instruction that surpasses anything human philosophy or psychology
has produced. While great secular thinkers may create impressive theories about
wellness and meaningful living, they can only appeal to human nature and
reason. Scripture, however, draws its teachings from a much deeper source, our
relationship with the holy God who created us.
This biblical approach to Christian living rests on two fundamental pillars. First, we must cultivate personal holiness, because God Himself is holy. As we read in 1 Peter 1:16, “For it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’” The bond that unites us with God must be holiness—not because our holiness earns us a relationship with Him, but because His glory demands that He have no fellowship with wickedness and impurity. We were not rescued from the world's corruption simply to continue wallowing in it throughout our lives.
Second, our Christian living flows from our redemption through Christ. God the Father has reconciled us to Himself through His Son and has impressed His image upon us. We are called to be conformed to this image (Romans 8:29). Think about this: if God adopts us as His children on the condition that our lives reflect Christ, then we must dedicate ourselves to righteousness. To do otherwise would be to revolt against our Creator with the worst kind of betrayal and to reject our Savior Himself.
Since God has shown Himself to be our Father, we would be extremely ungrateful if we did not conduct ourselves as His children. Since Christ cleansed us with His blood and shared this purification with us through baptism, it would be shameful for us to defile ourselves with new pollution. Since Christ has made us members of His body, we who belong to Him should carefully avoid anything that would bring dishonor to our Head. Since Christ, our Head, has ascended to heaven, we should withdraw our affections from earthly things and set our hearts on heaven. Since the Holy Spirit has made us temples of the Lord, we should strive to show forth God's glory and guard against being corrupted by sin. Since both our souls and bodies are destined for heavenly glory and an eternal crown, we should earnestly work to keep them pure until the day of the Lord's return.
These truths provide the strongest foundation for a well-ordered life. We will search in vain among secular resources for anything that comes close to these motivations. Even their highest appeals to human dignity fall far short of what Scripture offers us.
Distinguishing True Christians from
False Ones
We must begin by discussing those who claim the name of Christ but show no evidence of His transforming power in their lives. How can they dare to call themselves Christians when they have only the name and outward appearance of faith? True fellowship with Christ belongs only to those who have gained genuine knowledge of Him through the Gospel. Paul clearly states that no one has truly learned Christ who has not learned to "put off the old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24).
Those who claim to know Christ but show no evidence of transformation are deceiving themselves, regardless of how eloquently they may speak about the Gospel. Christian doctrine is not merely a matter of words but of life itself. It is not something we grasp only with our minds and memories like other academic subjects. Instead, it takes possession of our entire being and finds its home in the deepest parts of our hearts. When the Gospel truly impacts us, it transforms us completely rather than proving barren and ineffective.
Consider how this applies in our contemporary context. Many people today identify as Christians because they grew up in Christian families, attend church occasionally, or live in a culture with Christian influences. They may even be able to discuss theology or quote Bible verses. However, if their lives show no evidence of the Gospel's transforming power—if they live primarily for their own pleasure, show no concern for righteousness, and demonstrate no love for God or others—then their claim to be Christians is empty.
We should be much more concerned about those who let the Gospel remain merely on their lips when it should penetrate their hearts and transform their entire lives. If secular philosophers of the past have rightfully rejected students who turn their noble teachings into empty talk, how much more should we be concerned about those who treat the Gospel so carelessly?
The Scripture's Approach to
Spiritual Formation
Scripture's method of spiritual instruction differs significantly from secular systems of human development. Scripture presents its teaching in connection with our relationship to God. Secular thinkers often focus on impressive resources and scientific data, but the Holy Spirit teaches without such pretense. Although Scripture does not always follow a rigid systematic structure, it does reveal eternal truths that guide us in godly living.
Scripture's approach to Christian
living has two primary objectives. First, it seeks to instill and plant within
us a love for righteousness, toward which we are not naturally inclined. Our
fallen nature gravitates toward selfishness and sin, so we need supernatural
motivation to pursue what is right. Second, Scripture provides clear guidance
to keep us on the right path as we pursue righteousness, preventing us from
wandering into error.
When considering contemporary examples of righteous living, think about how this principle applies to our work lives and family relationships. If we truly belong to God, then our integrity in business dealings, our treatment of coworkers, and our attitude toward authority, all become expressions of our relationship with our holy God. Similarly, in our family relationships, our patience with difficult relatives, our faithfulness to our spouses, and our love for our children all reflect whether we are truly living as God's children.
Progress, Not Perfection:
Encouragement for the Struggling Believer
We should clarify an important point: we do not insist that every Christian's life perfectly reflects the Gospel in every detail, though this should certainly be our goal and constant effort. We do not demand such strict evangelical perfection that we would refuse to acknowledge as Christians anyone who has not attained it. If we applied such a standard, we would exclude everyone from the church, since no one is completely free from imperfection. Many believers who have made only modest progress would be unfairly rejected.
What then should be our approach? We should keep this goal constantly before us as the target at which we aim and the finish line toward which we run. We cannot compromise with God by choosing to obey some of His commands, while ignoring others, according to our own preferences. God consistently emphasizes integrity as the central element of life and true worship, meaning genuine sincerity of heart, free from pretense and falsehood. This integrity stands in direct opposition to a divided heart that tries to serve both God and self.
The spiritual foundation of a good
life begins when our internal motivations are sincerely devoted to God in
pursuit of holiness and justice. However, since we live in these earthly
bodies, none of us possesses sufficient strength to run this race with perfect
consistency. Most of us struggle with weaknesses that cause us to hesitate,
stumble, and sometimes barely crawl forward, making only small progress.
Nevertheless, each of us should go as far as our humble ability allows and
continue the journey we have begun.
No one will perform so poorly that they fail to make some regular progress. Therefore, we should never stop working to advance daily in the Lord's way, and we should not despair because our success seems limited. However small our progress may be compared to our hopes, our effort is not wasted when today is better than yesterday. We must maintain this constant striving with genuine sincerity of heart, keeping our focus on the goal, rather than flattering ourselves or indulging our vices. We should make it our consistent effort to become better until we attain goodness itself.
This perspective requires genuine humility on our part. When we honestly examine our faults and acknowledge our ongoing weaknesses, we learn to depend less on our own strength and more on God's grace. This humility keeps us from spiritual pride that can infect even genuine believers when they see progress in their lives. Rather than becoming self-congratulatory, we recognize that any advancement comes from God's work in us.
If we seek and follow this path throughout our entire lives, we will eventually reach our destination when we are freed from the weakness of our flesh and welcomed into full fellowship with God. This should encourage us when we feel discouraged by our slow progress. The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint, and God measures our success by our direction and persistence rather than by our speed or current position.
Conclusion
The foundation of Christian living rests on understanding that our inner transformation must express itself in outward righteousness and holiness. We live as God's adopted children, united to Christ and indwelt by His Spirit. While we do not expect perfection in this life, we must demonstrate genuine progress in conforming to God's character. True Christians can be distinguished from false ones by this evidence of the Gospel's transforming power in their lives, even as they continue to grow and mature in their faith.
Personal
Reflection on the Above Text
What insights or questions about Christian living do you have as a result of this reading?
Related Scripture and Other
Resources
1 Peter 1:13-16
Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
Ephesians 4:17-32
So I tell you this, and insist on
it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the
futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and
separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to
the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given
themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and
they are full of greed.
That, however, is not the way of
life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in
accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to
your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by
its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put
on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore each of you must put off
falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one
body. In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still
angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must
steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands,
that they may have something to share with those in need.
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Definition of the word “holy.”
The word "holy" refers to what is set apart for God's purposes, characterized by moral and spiritual purity. It identifies God's perfect, divine, sacred, and righteous nature. When applied to people or things, “holy” indicates dedication to God and separation from worldly influences, often requiring obedience and reverence. It may also be thought of as “Christlikeness.”
Personal
Reflection on the Above Scripture
What
are a few of the main teachings from this Bible passage?
Discussion Questions
How can we distinguish between genuine spiritual transformation and mere outward religious behavior in our own lives and in others we observe?
What are some practical ways that our understanding of being "adopted as God's children" should influence our daily decisions and relationships?
The chapter points out that
Scripture's approach to spiritual growth is superior to secular systems. What
might be examples of “secular systems” today? What specific advantages does a
God-centered approach offer compared to human-centered approaches to life?
How should we balance the encouragement that "progress, not perfection" is expected with the biblical call to holiness and the serious warning against false Christianity?
In what areas of your life do you most need to apply the principle that "we are not our own" but belong to God? How might this change your priorities and choices?
Concluding
Question
What
spiritual direction might we take away from this discussion?
Copyright ©2025 by Burt D. Braunius
