Living the Christian Life – Chapter 2: Becoming Like Jesus

In fact, that is what the name “Christian” means—it is literally “Christ Ones” or “those who are like Christ.” So our prayer should continually be, “Lord, make me more like Jesus.”

The apostle Paul clarifies that this work of God in our lives will not cease until we are mature in Christ:

“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and
knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring
up to the full and complete standard of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13 NLT).

Measuring up to the standard of Jesus is our lifelong goal. He is our ideal. Becoming more like Jesus is the spiritual bullseye we should be aiming for.

Jesus made it clear that in order to be His disciple (disciplined follower), we have to live our lives according the principles of His Word. Yet He promises that if we fulfill this condition, He will give us freedom like we’ve never experienced.

“You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 NLT).

We find true freedom in this life by obeying Jesus’ teachings and walking in His ways. Jesus came to this earth to restore our relationship with God, and this brings to us so many of the things people are searching for—love, peace, joy, fulfillment, and much more.

You may sense that peace and warmth in your heart as you read these words. That is the Holy Spirit working in your life. The peace you are feeling is God’s way of confirming to you that these things are true and that following Jesus with all of your heart is the wisest decision you will ever make.

The Father sent His Son, Jesus, to die for our sins. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to dwell within us. The Holy Spirit always glorifies Jesus and confirms His words and His work. Jesus always gives glory to the Father. So God is One, but He manifests Himself in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We call this the Trinity, three persons in one.

If you want to know God, seek to know Jesus. The concept of God is beyond our human capacity to understand. One of the reasons Jesus came to earth as a human being was so that we could truly grasp the love, compassion, wisdom, and power of Almighty God by seeing the works Jesus did during his life.

When we learned to walk as a child, we didn’t begin by running a marathon. As a baby, we learned to rock on our knees, then crawl, and then we took our first halting steps. It took time as a toddler before we were truly confident enough to walk and then finally to run. It’s the same in our relationship with Christ. It takes time to learn the Christian lifestyle—and there will be slips and tumbles along the way. And that’s OK.

This course is a way for you to take your first steps into the exciting adventure of life with Jesus. In the rest of this course, we will be learning the basics of the Christian lifestyle—as we have already said, how to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Each lesson will build on the previous lessons, and in the end, you will not only walk, but you will begin to run the race that God has designed for your life (Hebrews 12:1).

You’ve probably heard the word baptism. Now learn how it can change your life in chapter 3!