Article: The True Christian Life

The Bible: God's Word

The Bible has been the guide to millions of seeking souls, who have found out that the answers of life do not lie in themselves. Many have looked at themselves honestly and have obeyed their God given conscience and admitted that they are wrong and that God is right. They have searched in vain within themselves and found no peace only hopelessness and despair and no true answers to life and have turned to the Jesus Christ of the Bible who died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the dead, to prove that he was God and had power over death to all that believe and repent and turn from their wickedness. The Bible is a book for people that want answers to lifes many problems. Jesus said in John 6:40 " And this is the will of him that sent him, that every one which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life and I will raise him up at the last day." Also in verse 47 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."

Being A Christian:
There are many false impressions today about what a true christian is. A Christian is a humble repentant sinner, who has realized his lost condition and his dire need of a savior, who can save and also change heart's from a Christ rejecting to a Christ loving. Romans 3:23-24 saya " For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." A Christian is saved through faith alone in Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross as it say's in Romans 5:1 " Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

A true Christian follows only God's Word "The Bible/KJV" in all things regarding faith and practice, and rejects all else as the traditions of men, Such as infant baptism,priesthood (only priesthood of all believer's 1 Peter 2:9),confessionals, masses and the such like, and all else that is contrary to the Word of God this is the Christian mandate as spoken by Christ himself in the Gospel of John 8:31b-32"If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples in deed. And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

A true Christian has trusted Christ alone for salvation and has been delivered from God's wrath, and become his child and has a home in heaven instead of in hell. God's Word says in I Thessalonians 1:9-10, "For they themselves show what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son form heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come." Also in Revelation 20:15, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Our name can be found in God's book if we obey his Gospel and trust in him completely and not in ourselves.

A true Christian walks in love towards all men, and does not return evil for evil, but good for evil as it says in Romans 12:21, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." Also in the Gospel of Matthew 5:44, Jesus said, "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use, and persecute you."

On Separation
A true Christian has been separated from the world and made different by Christ as it says in II Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." A true Christian thinks, acts and talks different because Christ comes to dwell in a true believer, and the fruits of this are seen in a changed life. A true Christian has no desire for the pleasures of this temporal world. He knows that it will pass away. A true Christian is in the world, but not of the world. Colossians 3:1-3 describes the mind of a true Christian, "If ye then be risen with Christ (in baptism and the new life), seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." When we talk of baptism here we refer to being baptized as a believer after true conversion, which results from repentance and true faith as it says in Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." Salvation comes before baptism. Baptism itself can never save. Water doesn't save, only faith in Christ. But baptism is in obedience to Christ's command and it represents our death to self and our desire to walk in newness of life.

On Suffering and Rejection
A true Christian will not be loved and accepted by the world. If they are, they are not true Christians. The world, in general, will hate the fruits of a true Christian. Much damage has been done to the church and its testimony by sham professors of the faith who live in hypocrisy. As Jesus said in John 15:19, "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

A true Christian can sin but this is not a daily occurence, he has been changed. Sin can result in times of temptation, and if he does fall, the Lord always makes a way of escape as it says in I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Also in 1st John 3:8-9 "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth nt commit sin; For his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." The meaning here is that the Christian does not live a habitual life of sin, he has been delivered from sin it is no longer his master.
A true Christian is willing to suffer and be rejected by the world, and does not seek the praises of men, but the praises of God. The holy life of a true Christian is contrary to the unbelieving life of the wicked. Therefore, the world hates them because their righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ exposes their dark and wicked heart. Peter talks of this in I Peter 4:3-4, "For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you." Also in II Timothy 3:12, "Yea and all that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." The true Christian life is the life of the cross of Christ, which was the place of suffering and rejection as Jesus himself said in Matthew 10:38-39, "And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

Christian Joy
Even in suffering and rejection, a true Christian has a pure joy so we can say with Paul in II Corinthians 7:4, "Great is my speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation." A true Christian joy does not come through peace or possessions in this world, but a true Christians peace is found in his abiding in Christ and knowing he has an eternal home in heaven. Peter speaks of the joy found in believing in Jesus Christ he says in I Peter 1:8-9, "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."

Conclusion
You can know Christ too, by believing the Gospel and trusting in Christ alone for salvation, by turning form an unbelieving and sinful life, to the salvation offered by Jesus Christ. He showed his love to us by taking our judgment for us, if we will believe and trust him as it says in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish (in hell), but have everlasting life." Turn to Jesus Christ today. He wants to save you and make you a new creature. Acts 4:12 says, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."