“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”
2 Corinthians 5:17
Christianity isn’t primarily about what you do but about who you are. It is primarily about the life of God in a human spirit- divinity at work in humanity.
‘Doing good’ isn’t what makes you a Believer. You are a Believer because you believe in Jesus, who in response to your faith, has made you a new man with new desires by His Spirit.
In other words, instead of the popular notion: “I must do good to be a Believer”, the truth is, I can do good because I am a Believer.
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10
Christianity isn’t a lifestyle, but a life that has a lifestyle. It is a new nature you receive when the Holy Ghost comes to make His abode in you.
However, when you receive the life of God, your lifestyle is influenced for the better. A righteous lifestyle is a result, not the prerequisite for being a Christian.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
Your lifestyle proves that you have received the life of God, but it isn’t the life of God in itself.
Friend, there is a huge difference between striving for righteousness ‘to be’ (or keep being) a child of God and striving for righteousness ‘because’ you are a child of God.
Recognizing who you are in Christ empowers you to effortlessly produce fruits of righteousness, consistent with the nature of righteousness that you have received as a gift.
SAY THIS:
I have the life of God in me. I am a new creature in Christ. God works in me to do His good pleasure. Hallelujah!
