The core of the Christian life

What is it about?

You could write endless stories or have discussions about what is at the heart of a Christian's life. Much of what is then on the table is probably not unimportant. But is it the crux of the matter? That's the question.

The moment a person turns to God and accepts the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as atonement for his guilt, then at that moment the cross work of the Lord Jesus Christ becomes very important to you. For there on Calvary it happened: the incarnate Son of God died for your guilt, bore your punishment and paid the price to redeem you. He has suffered the wrath of the holy God there in your place.

Living for God!

The Christian life begins at the cross of Golgotha. What God has communicated about the cross in His Word, we believe. But that belief must remain throughout our lives. The believers in Galatia had been "justified by faith" (Galatians 2:16-17), but after a while they came to think that living up to certain standards now mattered. But says Paul, 'I died to the law through the law, that I might live to God'. Not the standards of the law or requirements of a Christian life or anything else are the motivator for my Christian life. If you give in to that, you miss the point. We just died to the law,'so that we might live for God'. We no longer live to live up to certain standards, but so that our lives may be valuable to God! 'So that we might live for God‘!

The Cross of Christ

If our lives are to be valuable to God, then the cross of Christ must be at the center of it. Paul continues in Galatians 2:20 with the well-known text

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me“.

This is how we started our Christian life: crucified with Christ. And so we must continue our Christian life: crucified with Christ. Of course, this cannot be taken literally. But we should be realizing every day what Christ did on the cross! Paul himself says it later that he also lives 'by faith in the Son of God'. Faith in the Lord Jesus is the starting point, but also the core of our daily life. “(…) the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me“.

Just think. He, the Son of God, so loved me that He gave Himself up for me. That is very personal, it couldn't be more personal. Your mind will stop at that, if you think that He, the eternal Son of God, who created everything, became man and died on the cross of Calvary. . . for me?

How great must that work be, that God then justifies us on the basis of faith in the Lord Jesus, makes us His children and puts the Spirit of His Son in our hearts (Galatians 4:4-6). It will be remembered forever and ever that the Son sent by God is also the Lamb of God. There is no cross in heaven, but the One who died on that cross, the Lamb of God. He is there 'standing as slain' and sits with God in His throne (Revelation 5:6;22:1,3).

Christ lives in me

This phrase is one that many have misused to "prove" that God's Word says that Christ is in me and so I can experience Him deep down in a supernatural way. But don't be fooled. You should not take this literally that this can actually be experienced physically; any more than you physically experience being "crucified with Christ." We need to take this in a spiritual sense and look at the context of the verse. Paul says that if I'm crucified with Christ, that's what keeps me busy every day. The result is then that I no longer live for myself, but that my life is marked by the cross of Christ. For on that cross the Son of God gave up His life for me and loved me.

We thank the Father

If I deal with His suffering and death every day, reading for that in God's Word, will I not see more and more of Him, of the glory of the Lord Jesus? Will not God's Spirit do His work in me (2 Corinthians 3:18)? It is that same Spirit who is called 'the Spirit of God's Son' in Galatians 4:8. God has sent that Spirit into our hearts because He so desires to be called 'Abba, Father' by His children. Through the work of the Lord Jesus, His Father has now also become our Father (John 20:17). The Father's desire is that we be worshipers “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23).

It is my firm belief that this is what God has called us to do:

‘(…) a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light' (1 Peter 2:5,9).

This is why we are allowed to be priests to Him, to make "spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

In a simple picture it is the following:

Read your bible, pray every day

We used to sing this song a lot. But it is still current. If we consider the previous and ask ourselves how we can simply be a 'priest' in our personal Christian life, this is the answer.

Every day when you have the opportunity, speak aloud or without words to yourself, with God the Father and with the Lord Jesus, about the work of the cross that has been accomplished out of love for you! Every prayer is a spiritual sacrifice, something that God desires.

It keeps your heart burning and awakens in you the desire to understand more about Him from His Word. Read it, grow in it and thank Him for showing His mercy on the cross of Calvary! And while we're on the subject of Bible reading, find out what blessings we have all received through the work of Christ.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3)

Thanking or blessing God our Father (that is: praising), is that too much or too difficult? It is the least we can do for Him, but also the highest, because He takes pleasure in it, because it concerns our Lord Jesus Christ.

The core of the Christian life – very practical

If we try to summarize, the Christian life is characterized by

the daily offering of spiritual sacrifices to God; thank and honor Him for the cross of Calvary, for the work His Son has done there;

Very practically, you can ask yourself the question every day: Have I already thanked the Lord Jesus for His work on the cross today? Have I already believed God the Father because He sent His Son? Did I explicitly mention the cross of Calvary when I prayed aloud at the table or elsewhere? Have I used every opportunity? Not because I have to, but because I can and because God is waiting, as it were, for my praise and my thanks! Therefore!

Then the cross of the Lord Jesus becomes reality in our daily life. All growth in our Christian life flows from this, then we persevere, then we hold on to what we have and we will soon arrive safely with Him! Then we don't have to live up to all kinds of standards, but then we love Him who first loved us and then we want to do what He tells us in His Word.

But aren't there other things we should do? Yes, of course, there are plenty of other things in the Bible for us to observe and plenty of other things for us to learn. But if this core, this basis is missing, we won't get very far with all those other things. Then we are shipwrecked in our faith.

How do you want to survive as a single person in this life? Focus on the cross of the Lord Jesus! As a father, how will you lead your family in the way with the Lord, if the cross is not 'in the middle of your own heart', so to speak? As a mother, how do you want to bring your children to the Lord Jesus if the cross is not the only anchor point for your own faith?

with my thoughts,
words and deeds,()
with all my powers
I pray to Him.
He is worth it
that I am on earth'
all my time
Thanking him widely.
Lord, from above
give me the strength,
to praise you,
by day and night.

From: Spiritual Songs, no 130

What is described above you can only do if you are 'born again' and have received the Holy Spirit. Therefore, read more about 'Rebirth, a work of the Holy Spirit'.