Living in Jesus Christ
How are Christians called to live in Jesus Christ ? For a good start let us look in the New Testament Epistles. Paul's letters to the Romans and Ephesians are great for starters.
In Ephesians Chapter 4, beginning at
Verse 22 and reading through to the end of the Chapter you will find a great
way to get started living the Christian life:
From the Good News Bible it reads, "Get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to - the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.
No more lying then! Everyone must tell the truth to his fellow believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ. If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day.
Don't give the devil a chance. The man who used to rob must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for himself and to be able to help the poor. Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's Mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free.
Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. Instead, be kind and tender hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ."
Living in Jesus Christ begins with a change of heart and direction. Instead of being deceitful you must become upright and holy. If you are doing wrong, start doing right and keep your words in check lest you tear people down instead of building them up. Paul gives a couple of good reason for doing this. First he says "Do not make God's Holy Spirit Sad". Remember the Holy Spirit lives in us so that everything we say and do is known by the Spirit of God, that is why when we do wrong we "grieve the Spirit" and we are reminded to forgive others, don't hold grudges, and Paul reminds us why, because God has forgiven us through Christ. Be aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit and remember that God has forgiven us through Christ and we are to do the same to others as we live our Christian lives in Christ !