Why do Christians live?
We who name the name of Christ do so for God’s good pleasure. Many people emphasize aspects of the whole truth, but the Word of God covers many things important to God that fall under the overarching dictate of surrender to His will.
That is, God’s creation – man and the fallen angels – have rebelled, become independent in their minds and thoughts, and redemption is a restoration of man to obedience. The devils cannot be saved for they knew God and rebelled to his face, whereas man is born under sin in Adam.
Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned …
As natural-born rebels, men are called in this age to hear God as revealed by His Word, preached or otherwise taught.
Romans 10:15 – And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!
To truly come into the family of God, and be accepted in the Beloved, born again – of the Spirit – is a miracle, an act of God.
Jn 6:43 – Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. 44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
Jn 3:3 – “Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Jn 3:5-7 – “Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
If one comes to Jesus, and receives Him, and the Spirit of Jesus takes up permanent abode in the person’s body making it a temple of God, this is a working definition of a Christian.
Rom 8:9 – But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
The Word says if anyone has not God’s Spirit, he is not a Christian, not on the path of life that leads to heaven. You are either in or out.
But once in the Door, once in the house, now what? Here is where people are ready to pop off about their pet theories, but the Word which says “as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” calls for obedience and faith. To what? The Bible? In as much as the Bible is God’s revealed word – His speaking to us – yes. In the spirit as revealed by the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:4-6 – And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
God also speaks directly, and the core issue is, as stated above, God’s will.
Jn 10:4-5 – And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.’
God, who is love, wants many things from His people who abide in Him with the overarching mission that we become conformed individually and corporately to Jesus Christ the Lord.
Galatians 4:19 – (Corporate conformity to Christ) – My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,
Romans 8:29 – (Individual conformity to Christ) – For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Is it God’s will that we love one another? Yes. And who defines this? He does. How do we love one another? By taking on His Spirit through the baptism of the Spirit.
Romans 5:5 – Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Headship of the Lord
Where Christians of good faith may go awry is when they, as the saying goes, “take the ball and run with it.” That is, when they presume they know the formula to “fix” the church or Christian lives when what they are called to do is know God’s voice, and let Him proscribe the remedy and direction.
Such a mind of supposing to know what it will take to form Christ in us is also a recipe for perpetual divisions – and strongholds of the minds of the self-willed supposing to serve God.
Our actual calling is to humble ourselves and allow the Lord to direct us, testing the spirits, testing all things against the Word of God, for God will never contradict the spirit of the word.
Colossians 1:18 – And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
Why do we Live?
So again, as this is titled: why do we live? Is it to love one another? Yes. Is it to have unity in the spirit in the bond of peace? Yes. Is it to create a testimony of God in and among us? Yes. Is it to quell the insurrection in God’s creatures and form a special holy people to Himself? Yes. Is it to defy Satan who has made his kingdom in opposition to God? Yes. Is it to turn back the works of the wicked? Yes.
All of these and more are wrapped up in God’s eternal purpose and who is sufficient for these things? No one, save Christ Jesus – and those who are truly so yielded, as dead to themselves, and alive in Him.
In this only is God’s heart satisfied. Righteousness demands it. God is a terror to the wicked, a consuming fire, and will return to judge the earth and rule with a rod of iron.
Rev 2:27 – ‘He shall rule them with a rod of iron; They shall be dashed to pieces like the potter’s vessels’—
God is both Righteous Judge who cannot tolerate sin, and the Prince of Peace, the Lamb.
In this is love as God defines it.
May the Lord bless you.
