What Does The True Christian Life Look Like?

[Awaken4Christ]

Growing in Faith, I Find that more and more things of the world have lost their sparkle. I sit here and wonder about all the activities people practice and ask myself if any of them other than surviving is valid under complete submission to Christ.

Would Jesus Play Basketball? Could he have fun while playing or If he played would he have to shoot the ball to glorify God and dunk the ball to glorify God.

If we take the greatest commandment seriously then is there the slightest bit room for anything else? Can we love him through activities? what if we lose focus of him for a second and appreciate something being beautiful of itself. Is that because we are imperfect or are we allowed such breathing room?

Can I like pizza? Can I like classical music? Those moments where I like the taste of something or like the sound of a song is time I am not thinking about God. Is that wrong? Were we given flexibility even in perfect behavior to appreciate other things other than God? Like his creation? Like the personalities of others?

Did the Puritans take it too far by many seeing fun as something bad? Is Fun a sin? In a hypothetical perfect sinless life, did God let us on the playground to run around the playground and check in with him frequently...or in a hypothetical sinless life were we supposed to stay there right next to him and not explore his creation?

Your thoughts please.

 

[Mariposa36]

In a true Christian life, the pope would be like...

All the Christians would be like...

In all seriousness, they took it to far. For example: there is nothing wrong with eating pizza, but if you eat too much of anything then it would be considered gluttony.

Jesus would be too hardcore for basketball. He'd totally be like...

 

[Emmy]

Dear Awaken4Christ. In Matthew 22: 35-40: Jesus tells a Lawyer:" The first and great Commandment is: Love God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. The second is like it: Love thy neighbour as thyself."
Then Jesus says: " On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." God wants our Love, freely given and No conditions made."
How do we follow? Everything we say or do, everything we advice or stand for,
MUST BE FROM LOVE AND COMPASSION. Jesus will give us His Love and Joy, and the Holy Spirit will empower us with His Love, also. Jesus tells us:" Ask and ye shall receive," ( Matthew 7: 7-8) then we thank God, and share all Love and Joy with our neighbour: i.e. all we know and all we meet, friends and not-friends. God will see our sincere efforts, and God will approve and bless us.
We keep asking God and thanking God, and sharing all Love and Joy with
our neighbour, and always treat all around us as we would love to be treated.
The people we meet will treat us the same as we treat the people, Love is very catching. We might stumble or forget, then we ask God to forgive us and carry on loving and caring. A Christian`s great weapon is Love, with love we
will overcome all enmity and wrong behaviour.
The Bible tells us to " Repent," change from being selfish and unloving to become loving and caring. We will turn into the men and women which God
wants us to become: even sign-posts to God our Heavenly Father. Jesus our Saviour will help and guide us: JESUS IS THE WAY.
I say this with love, Awaken4Christ. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[Sojourner1]

"Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." 1 Thess. 5:18

We can love God through all of our activities, other than the sinful ones. As Christians we should be enjoying life and living it to the full. One way to enjoy life while appreciating God is to thank God for those activities. When you eat a great pizza give thanks to God. When you are playing a sport thank God for your health. Enjoying life while giving thanks to God keeps us focused on Him and allows us to demonstrate to the world that we are "full of joy".

 

[Iosias]

In Genesis 1 the world is called by God, 'Good'! We ought to enjoy it

 

[98cwitr]

In Genesis 1 the world is called by God, 'Good'! We ought to enjoy it

5 chapters later He "relented" and destroyed it all...are you suggesting that what was then was still good?

Can I like pizza? Yes

Can I like classical music? Yes

A true christian does the following: Love his/her neighbor literally as much as they love themselves, and moreso as Christ has loved His church.

Now that's a tough shoe to fit!!!

 

[Gospel Guy]

What Does The True Christian Life Look Like?

Romans 8, which describes the difference between the goats and the sheep!

In Genesis 1 the world is called by God, 'Good'! We ought to enjoy it

Yes, that was BEFORE Adam sinned, after that... no so much!

Which of course is why He had to send Jesus, and it's why He is going to end this age at some point cause it ain't all good up in here no mo!

 

[pilgrim42]

Of course you can have fun. Jesus attended a lot of parties. Ecclesiastes tells us to enjoy our lives because God gave us these lives. Its all about balance. Having too much fun can become idolatry. Just make sure that you are putting God first in everything, invest your life in others, and obey the commands of scripture. Following the Lord isn't a burden. He said His burden was light. Its a piece of cake, but it will cost you your life.
Have fun.

Ken

 

[Gospel Guy]

Of course you can have fun. Jesus attended a lot of parties.

Yes, many claim He was a drunk, smoked pot, made love to the ladies, etc, etc. Liberals love to hear about jesus the party boy! It's satan's version of jesus.

That would be the poser jesus running around out there which is satan's impersonation to try and re-invent Jesus in modern times to be in the image of satan instead of being in the image of The Father.

Beware the false jesus!

 

[pilgrim42]

Yes, many claim He was a drunk, smoked pot, made love to the ladies, etc, etc. Liberals love to hear about jesus the party boy! It's satan's version of jesus.

That would be the poser jesus running around out there which is satan's impersonation to try and re-invent Jesus in modern times to be in the image of satan instead of being in the image of The Father.

Beware the false jesus!

I didn't say He was any of those things. I just said he went to a lot of parties. Jesus was a friend to sinners. A person can go to clean parties and still maintain a holy walk with G-d. If a person has to fit in with the crowd and do the sinful things they are doing maybe they need to stay away from those activities and do some heart searching.

Ken

 

[Lollerskates]

Growing in Faith, I Find that more and more things of the world have lost their sparkle. I sit here and wonder about all the activities people practice and ask myself if any of them other than surviving is valid under complete submission to Christ.

Would Jesus Play Basketball? Could he have fun while playing or If he played would he have to shoot the ball to glorify God and dunk the ball to glorify God.

If we take the greatest commandment seriously then is there the slightest bit room for anything else? Can we love him through activities? what if we lose focus of him for a second and appreciate something being beautiful of itself. Is that because we are imperfect or are we allowed such breathing room?

Can I like pizza? Can I like classical music? Those moments where I like the taste of something or like the sound of a song is time I am not thinking about God. Is that wrong? Were we given flexibility even in perfect behavior to appreciate other things other than God? Like his creation? Like the personalities of others?

Did the Puritans take it too far by many seeing fun as something bad? Is Fun a sin? In a hypothetical perfect sinless life, did God let us on the playground to run around the playground and check in with him frequently...or in a hypothetical sinless life were we supposed to stay there right next to him and not explore his creation?

Your thoughts please.

I believe the true Christian looks like Christ. Or Peter. Or Paul. Or Matthew. Or David. Or Moses. Or Mary. Or Solomon. Or may people on this forum.

It is given we will sin - even after being born again, and accepting Christ. I think anyone that says they have not sinned - or that you mustn't sin after you are born again is wrong. Now, there is something called sanctification in which you are 99.999999999% sin free - but that usually takes many years, and much devotion/prayer/fasting/faith.

I think dancing, basketball, singing, eating pizza, etc. do not make one less of a Christian. But, the thing is we are at war. I think a lot of people fail to realize this. We are at war. So, you have to think about what you would do, and where your priorities should be if you were fighting an earthly war. You can play basketball during wartime, but should that be a priority? You can enjoy pizza during wartime, but should that be a priority? Should you long to wake up and watch your favorite TV show while pressing your clothes, or should you wake up thinking about ways you can defend yourself from the Enemy(ies)?

I don't think God doesn't want us to have fun, but being that we are at war, there are lots of distractions to keep our minds off of the focus.

 

[Johnnz]

We must be aware of unbiblical dualisms of which spiritual/natural, and sacred/secular are two such examples.

God made this world and He has never abandoned His original design. In the OT we see the evidence of God's blessings were very material - plenty of wine, good crops, family, celebration, harmony amongst the animals. Many of Jesus' miracles (signs) were indicative of such things, God's kingdom coming amongst us and restoring His order.

Our prime example is Jesus. He was very social, His divinity was not lessened while working up until around 30 making things out of wood, he made a BBQ for his disciples after His resurrection. Jesus was the only perfect human.

Back to Eden. If they had not sinned and continued to breed as planned then the millions of people that would be on earth would need most of the things we need now - housing, food, entertainment, education, designs, transport of goods and so on.

Look at Daniel. He served under foreign rule and Scripture records:
Dan 1:17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. NIV

Or Solomon.
1 Kings 4:29-34 God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight, and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand on the seashore. Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the men of the East, and greater than all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than any other man, including Ethan the Ezrahite — wiser than Heman, Calcol and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame spread to all the surrounding nations. He spoke three thousand proverbs and his songs numbered a thousand and five. He described plant life, from the cedar of Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of walls. He also taught about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon's wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.

John
NZ

 

[ErikYear1]

Since I have been Born Again, I have seen all things thru GOD, thru the wonders of GOD's creation, and His infinite "mind" (being, source of all things). Even my suffering, the bad things, natural disasters...I see it all as part of His Holy Plan...

When I eat a good pizza, I thank GOD, just as when I hear a great piece of music, I thank GOD. I see all things as being a gift from Him, for He enjoys creating and giving to us, all the things a Father would give, including discipline. I see my relationship more and more as a child with a parent (GOD), and how I do not always understand what He does, or why, but that I am thankful I am experiencing this life--all things, and I rejoice in the knowledge that I will be CLOSER to Him when I enter His heavenly kingdom.

 

[WannaWitness]

"What does the true Christian life look like?"

I believe a Christian can live a normal life with the proper balance of business and fun just like anyone else, except with Christ in the center of everything we do, doing our best to apply Biblical principles to whatever decisions we have facing us and letting the Lord lead. We should live a holy life in submission to God, applying His Word to our daily lifestyles as best we can; however, that doesn't mean we have to walk on pins and needles to do so.

As far as fun things go (including what the OP mentions), there is nothing wrong with them in their proper perspective, so long as God is first and foremost and that these other thing aren't allowed to become idols. That is where we have to watch our step. But as far as enjoying the things we enjoy, provided it is wholesome in general, I fail to see a problem.

Basketball - A fun way for some to get physical activity.

Pizza - Delicious, but definitely something that should be eaten in moderation.

Classical music (or music, period) - All a matter of taste, and people are so different when it comes to this. I'd see nothing wrong; but of course, I enjoy music of various types, classical included. I listen to a lot of music with Christian (or at least moral) lyrics, plus, I love some good instrumentals (music with no lyrics) and clean, fun novelty songs, too.

 

[Emmy]

Dear Awaken4Christ. Jesus Himself tells us. In Luke 10: 27-28: Jesus said:
" You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind," and " your neighbour as yourself." Then Jesus told us:
" Do this and you will live." What does that mean to us? All we say or do must
be done from love or compassion, we must always remember to be kind and loving, whether we play or take part in playing. God does not forbid us to enjoy life, as long as we remember: " love our neighbour as we love ourselves: treat all as we would love to be treated.
God wants our Love, freely given and No tags attached. God will see our sincere efforts to love and care. God will approve and bless us. We might stumble or forget at times, but then we ask God to forgive us, and carry on being loving and caring.
God is Love, and God wants loving children/sons and daughters. Jesus will give us His Love and Joy, and the Holy Spirit will empower us with His Love, also. We keep asking God, and thanking God, then sharing all Love and Joy with all around us: our neighbour. A Christian`s great weapon is Love, with Love we will overcome all enmity and wrong behaviour. Jesus our Saviour will help and guide us: JESUS IS THE WAY. I say this with love, Awaken4Christ.
Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ. P.S. We have years to get better and better, Love is very catching.

 

[graciesings]

I believe that the true Christian life is one of wonder and enjoyment. A true Christian is the person who loses the basketball game and had a great time. God wants us to enjoy everything He created. That means music and tornados! He wants us to enjoy taking care of ourselves (which is why we eat.) That means enjoying pizza AND cabbage! God wants us to "Rejoice always... and in all things give thanks." "Always" means rejoice whether you win or lose the basketball game. "In all things" means that we should be thankful in the middle of basketball games and rush hour.

Fun is not a sin, unless it becomes an idol. It is a sin to live for entertainment, but it is not a sin to enjoy our lives.

We do not need to worry about living sinless lives, because Christ lived a sinless life for us. We are in His glory. We should glow with it! We are the light on the hill, but we are only reflecting the light of God in the same way that the moon reflects the light of the sun. If we tried to stay "close to God" by hiding at the foot of His robe, than we would never be that city on a hill. We are close to God when God is in our hearts.

The Bible says that we should do all things to glorify God. I think this means that we should be our best selves all of the time. We should praise God by showing the world an example of what salvation does to a person. We are not of the world, but we are in the world. God put us in the world because there is a need for Christians in the world.

I apologize for the way I'm rambling, I'm tired. If any of this doesn't make sense, tell me and I'll answer your questions in the morning.

God bless you,
Grace

 

[pilgrim42]

I believe that the true Christian life is one of wonder and enjoyment. A true Christian is the person who loses the basketball game and had a great time. God wants us to enjoy everything He created. That means music and tornados! He wants us to enjoy taking care of ourselves (which is why we eat.) That means enjoying pizza AND cabbage! God wants us to "Rejoice always... and in all things give thanks." "Always" means rejoice whether you win or lose the basketball game. "In all things" means that we should be thankful in the middle of basketball games and rush hour.

Fun is not a sin, unless it becomes an idol. It is a sin to live for entertainment, but it is not a sin to enjoy our lives.

We do not need to worry about living sinless lives, because Christ lived a sinless life for us. We are in His glory. We should glow with it! We are the light on the hill, but we are only reflecting the light of God in the same way that the moon reflects the light of the sun. If we tried to stay "close to God" by hiding at the foot of His robe, than we would never be that city on a hill. We are close to God when God is in our hearts.

The Bible says that we should do all things to glorify God. I think this means that we should be our best selves all of the time. We should praise God by showing the world an example of what salvation does to a person. We are not of the world, but we are in the world. God put us in the world because there is a need for Christians in the world.

I apologize for the way I'm rambling, I'm tired. If any of this doesn't make sense, tell me and I'll answer your questions in the morning.

God bless you,
Grace

Most of what you said i believe I could agree with, but I'm not sure about your statement that we don't have to worry about living a sinless life, because Jesus lived a sinless life for us.

It almost sounds like a sinless life isn't even a consideration. Are you saying that we can live in open sin as much as we want, and we don't need to be concerned, because Jesus is doing everything for us? The Bible is very clear. It says "Be ye holy even as I a holy." No, we are never perfect and we are all capable of sinning, but our goal should be to live holy lives and shun all known sin. Yes, Jesus did pay the price for our sins and He gives us the power to renounce sin. I don't worry about living a sinless life, but I am focused on being surrendered to doing the will of God in my life. My part is to walk in obedience and trust in the power of God in my life.

Ken

 

[graciesings]

Most of what you said i believe I could agree with, but I'm not sure about your statement that we don't have to worry about living a sinless life, because Jesus lived a sinless life for us.

It almost sounds like a sinless life isn't even a consideration. Are you saying that we can live in open sin as much as we want, and we don't need to be concerned, because Jesus is doing everything for us? The Bible is very clear. It says "Be ye holy even as I a holy." No, we are never perfect and we are all capable of sinning, but our goal should be to live holy lives and shun all known sin. Yes, Jesus did pay the price for our sins and He gives us the power to renounce sin. I don't worry about living a sinless life, but I am focused on being surrendered to doing the will of God in my life. My part is to walk in obedience and trust in the power of God in my life.

Ken

I think we're stressing different parts of the same idea.

We don't have to WORRY about living a sinless life. We try, but if we fail we are forgiven. It isn't our goal in life, our biggest worry, etc.

Our goal is to lead holy lives. That is why we need Jesus, because He can sanctify us. We can't sanctify ourselves! The Pharisees couldn't!

The Bible is clear that we are saved by faith alone. However, James 2 points out that faith without works is dead. I believe we only have faith if we believe in the loving and the demanding sides of God. Only believing in God as a judge and lawgiver won't save us, because we are believing in a different God than the God of love. At the same time, believing in a God who only gives good things and won't do anything mean to anyone is idolatry. (It's like making Santa Claus a god.) In reality, God has saved us through His grace and expects obedience from us in return. True faith recognizes that we aren't saved by works but still strives to please God through actions.

We love God because He first loved us. Because He loved us, we keep His commandments.

God bless you,
Grace

 

[trentlogain2]

personally, i think God would look down on asceticism.

we're called to insulation, not isolation.

He who did not spare His own son, but delivered Him up for us all. how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things.

 

[DamonRambo]

We should separate from people who say that they are Christians, but are living in sin. We should not even eat with them. (1 Corinthians 5).

That being said, to the OP, the Christian life, if plotted on a chart, would show a gradual increase in holiness, righteousness, and Christlike character, with frequent, but ever decreasing temporary "drops" into sin....