The Key to the Christian Life

No one can live the Christian life in his or her own strength.

It took me a long time to learn this vital truth. For years, I struggled with how to live a successful, joyful, peaceful Christian life. I believed God had saved me, but I thought it was up to me to live a life pleasing to Him.

One day, Galatians 5:22-23 came alive to me in a way it never had before. It explains “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” God showed me that those qualities were not a consistent part of my life. I prayed desperately for Him to show me how to live a godly life. He used They Found the Secret, a little book consisting of 20 spiritual biographies. Through it, God opened my eyes to something I had never realized before: The key to the Christian life is to allow Christ to live His life through you. This truth absolutely revolutionized my walk with the Lord.

Our Condition Before Salvation

Let’s review what the Bible says about our lives before we were redeemed. No matter how good we seemed to others, Scripture says our sins separated us from God. Because He is holy, He cannot tolerate sinfulness. This means He didn’t hear our prayers (Isa. 59:2). Of course, He heard our prayers of repentance. But until we accepted God’s gift of salvation, we were dead spiritually. Every person without Christ is separated from the Father.

What Transpired at Salvation

Before we are saved, the Holy Spirit convicts us of our need for God’s forgiveness. Then we confess— or agree with the Lord—that we have disobeyed Him. We must accept Jesus’ death on the cross as forgiveness for our sins. Repentance, or turning away from our old lifestyles to new life, is another vital part of salvation (2 Cor. 5:17). At the moment of conversion, our sins are washed away. Our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Once we are saved, our guilt is erased, and we are assured of eternal life. But we still have

two problems. One, our world is full of rebellion, disobedience, corruption, and wickedness. It constantly challenges us to reject or ignore God’s best for our lives. Second, we still have what the Bible calls “the flesh,” or that part of us that desires to rebel against God. Because of these two things, we will never reach a point in our lifetimes where we never sin.

God’s Provision for the Christian Life

The key to godly living is relying on Jesus to live through us. The fact that we are “in Christ” makes us t for heaven; “Christ in us” makes us t for this life. (See John 17:22-23.) We died to our old selves and were raised to new life. This is one reason why Scripture refers to the salvation experience as being “born again” (John 3:3).  At the moment of conversion, the Spirit of Jesus, also known as the Holy Spirit, came to live within us.

His primary responsibility is to live the life of Christ through us. When we rely on Him, He helps us think, act, and react as Jesus would in our place. As we develop spiritually, we grow in our ability to allow Him to live through us. Galatians 2:20 puts it this way, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (See also Colossians 3:1-5 and Philippians 1:21.)

Each morning you and I can pray something like this: “Lord, it’s Your life—I’ve  surrendered it all to You. Thank You for dealing with each issue I face today.” We will still experience temptation and adversity, but now we know it’s not our responsibility to face those things in our own strength. In His power, we can have joyful and productive lives.

Why did Jesus come to live His life within us?

He knew we would be unable to follow His commands on our own. Without the Spirit’s help, we would be unsuccessful at living godly lives (see Acts 1:8).

He accomplishes His work here on earth by living through us. That doesn’t mean we will be perfect, but that we should “strive according to His power,” not our own (Col. 1:29).

He desires to have an intimate relationship with us. Christ has promised never to leave us (Heb. 13:5). Unless Jesus lives within us, a personal relationship with God is impossible.

Allowing Christ to Live Through You

What steps should you take if you desire to let Jesus live His life through you?

Admit your failure. Acknowledge that you feel spiritually frustrated or defeated. You have tried to live the Christian life and been unsuccessful.

Confess your inadequacy. Realize that even if you were given countless chances, you could not achieve spiritual victory on your own.

Acknowledge that Christ is sufficient. Since He is God, He has the ability to meet all your needs— wisdom for every decision, strength for every situation.

Abandon your life to Him. You must give Him permission to live His life through you. Let go of your own efforts to “be a good Christian” or “do enough” to please Him. Instead, surrender your life to Him and rely on His strength.

Confess it to be true. In other words, state out loud, “Jesus, please live Your life through me. I surrender to Your will and yield myself to You.” This is not a one-time commitment; you will probably have to surrender to Him over and over. When you fail, remind yourself again that you cannot live the Christian life in your own power— Jesus must live it through you.

Who is going to run your life: you or Jesus Christ who lives within you? If you are wise, you will allow the Son of God to direct you each day. Let Him give you guidance, direction, and power to make godly choices. Does that mean you will escape all problems, heartaches, and burdens? No. Nor does it mean that you will never sin again. But you won’t have to struggle on your own. Instead, you can walk in the power of the living God—and that is life at its very best.

Of the spiritual fruits—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control—which qualities are evident in your life? Which characteristics come easy to you? With which ones do you struggle?

The Key to the Christian Life