What Does It Mean To “Live Out Your Christianity”?
I am often asked what it means to live out our Christian lives, and discover that most people don’t know what it really means. The typical response from most Christians would be to serve God and avoid sin, but follow me before you come to that conclusion.
While avoiding sin and having good outwardly works are almost always a wonderful side-effect of being a new creation, I honestly don’t think that’s what it fully means to really live out our new identity.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees were really good at avoiding external sin and doing all kinds of serving and outward religious stuff. But they weren’t living out a Christian life, were they? In fact, they were the exact opposite. They were called whitewashed tombs (Matthew 23:27). They looked clean on the outside but inside they were dead.
Heck, I know plenty of atheists who outwardly are nice and honestly don’t commit that many sins. At least no more than a typical Christian.
So if the Pharisees and atheists are outwardly good and aren’t outwardly sinning any more than us, that can’t possibly be what it means to live out the Christian life.
So how do we live the Christian life and our new identity? I believe it’s with a bold acknowledgment that Jesus’s blood is what made us right with God. That Jesus is the only thing that paid for our sins. That nothing we outwardly do or don’t do makes us right with God.
Living out our Christianity is a total acknowledgment of who Jesus is for us. It’s surrendering our rights to somehow earn salvation or righteousness through our own effort. It’s totally trusting in Christ as our everything.
You won’t find a single atheist or Pharisee that ever did that.
Take away: Even those that reject Jesus can look clean on the outside (whitewashed tombs), but it’s what’s on the inside that matters. If you want to live out your identity, acknowledge that Jesus made you right with God…..not your behavior.
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.