How do I successfully live the Christian life?

[aiki]

Please understand that there is no way to live an 'unsuccessful' Christian life.

So long as you believe in Jesus Christ and accept him as your Savior, you are covered by his sacrifice.

However, this does not mean that you should go around doing the things you did before you were saved- at least not the negative things.

My advice to you is to just try your best. God doesn't expect anything more than you can manage.

He knows you better than you know yourself- and he loves you just as you are.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15
10 According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it.
11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—
13 each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.
14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

1 Corinthians 5:6-8
6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?
7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Romans 2:21-24
21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?
22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?
24 For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written.

Titus 1:15-16
15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto those who are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18
14 Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
15 Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?
16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.
17 "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you.
18 "And I will be a father to you, And you shall be sons and daughters to Me," Says the Lord Almighty.

James 4:4-10
4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"?
6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

 

[Burn The Ships]

1 Corinthians 3:15
15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.

1 Corinthians 5:8
8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Romans 2:21
21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?

Titus 1:15-16
15 Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto those who are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.
16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

2 Corinthians 6:17
17 "Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE," says the Lord. "AND DO NOT TOUCH WHAT IS UNCLEAN; And I will welcome you.

James 4:6
6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE."

Forgive me for cutting things out. I assure this response addresses each of those. However, I eliminated the rest of this message in hopes of not taking up an entire page

So, for starters I want to say that your perspective seems morally acceptable. However, no one is perfect.
Romans 3:23 , Romans 3:10 , Ecclesiastes 7:20 , Romans 6:23 , etc.

To address my highlights:

1 Corinthians 5:8
Could we be true towards God if we can consider ourselves perfect? No. Again, <Romans 3:23> So if anyone sincerely believes that they are capable of being sinless then I do pity their false sense of sincerity.


Romans 2:21
You cannot teach yourself something unless you try. And no one is capable of learning everything. God looks at how hard you try. Not how hard you fail.
Look at Romans 8:26 - God fills in where we can't. He knows we will mess up sometimes. And that's okay. Its part of the human experience.

Titus 1:15-16
I think it is unnecessary to have to point out that anyone worried about this issue would neither deny nor disbelieve in God.


2 Corinthians 6:17
God says that we are separate from the gentiles because we believe in him and because he loves us, not because we worked our way to separation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

You cannot get into heaven by works alone. (Ephesians 2:8-9)


James 4:6
Last time I checked any person who is humble would understand the verses I have shared above.

Because its true. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

I mentioned in my original response that as long as you try your best, God will be proud.

We, as humans are just that- human. We make mistakes we grow weary and we take time to ourselves when we should be giving - amongst other sins. But God loves us all the same.

Matthew 12:31-32 states that all sins will be forgiven with the exception of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

The definition of blasphemy according to Websters Dictionary is as follows: great disrespect shown to God or to something holy, or to something said or done that shows this kind of disrespect;

I understand that the definition of this may be subject to individual opinion, HOWEVER, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is different that just disrespecting God.

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is when you reject God completely, push him away and speak ill of him long term.

I personally believe that a Christian believer is incapable of blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.

Sure, sometimes we have thoughts about God not doing things that he says he should do- but that is called doubt. And we all have our own forms of doubt.

If you would like to read more about my personal viewpoint on this, here is a link: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/can-a-christian-blaspheme-the-holy-spirit


Thank you for reading this essay. I hope you enjoyed it.

I am living on 2 hours of sleep in the past 3 days, and dealing with a family crisis right now. It took me an hour and a half to do this research.

Please be respectful. Your opinion matters to me. And I respect it. I hope you respect mine as well.

Oh and I would like to throw this verse in for good measure
1 John 5:17

 

[alan650]

You need to behold the finished perfection of Jesus Christ on the cross. We as humans are not supposed to sit around and think obsessively of our sins and how we fall short! The moment we genuinely put our faith in Jesus Christ we are HIS. The Christian walk is supposed to be of continual praise, prayer, and delight in our perfect Jesus. We are his children and he loves us! When we realize that our sinful flesh can never get to a certain point that pleases God and that it's 100% THE WORK OF JESUS then we have our burdens fall off like melted butter. Jesus said "My yolk is easy and my burden is light." for a reason! It's because we no longer are supposed to carry the chains of the flesh on ourselves but realize IT IS FINISHED BECAUSE OF JESUS ALONE! CHRIST FINISHED IT! When you meditate on this glorious truth then you will be free indeed. Focus on Christ's righteousness and your soul will experience peace that surpasses understanding.

 

[angelsaroundme]

"Jesus declared, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:37-40

"The whole being of any Christian is faith and love. Faith brings the person to God; love brings the person to people."

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still possess." - Martin Luther