The Normal Christian Life
The normal Christian life is a victorious, holy, faith-centered, Spirit-empowered, Christ-dependent, surrendered, fruit-bearing, broken, overcoming, sustained life, made possible by Christ living in us.
Major Ian Thomas emphasizes that the normal Christian life is characterized by a victorious and Spirit-empowered existence, rooted in a deep, abiding relationship with Christ. He explains that this life is not achieved through personal effort but through surrendering to Christ, who lives in and through believers, enabling them to bear fruit and overcome challenges. Thomas illustrates this concept by comparing the necessity of being filled with oil in a lamp or gas in a car to the need for Christ to fill the believer's life. He highlights that true righteousness and functionality as a Christian come only when one is filled with God, which is made possible through the new birth by the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, the normal Christian life is about experiencing Christ's presence daily and relying on Him for strength and guidance.
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For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory (Col 1:27 NLT).
The normal Christian life is a victorious, holy, faith-centered, Spirit-empowered, Christ-dependent, surrendered, fruit-bearing, broken, overcoming, sustained life. The normal Christian life is another way of describing abiding in Christ. This life is an on-going conversational relationship with Christ that is maintained by faith through gratitude toward life disappointments, dependence on the Spirit, and acknowledgment of my numerous weaknesses and failings. The normal Christian life is daily experiencing the presence of Christ and allowing him to live his life in and through me. Christ lives the Christian life in me because by my efforts alone I cannot live the Christian life.
To get light from an oil lamp, filling it first with oil is entirely reasonable. To get a car to provide you with transportation, filling the tank with gas is completely logical. In the same way, a divine logic affirms that obtaining righteousness from a man or woman happens only when that person is filled with God. Oil in the lamp, gas in the car . . . and Christ in the Christian. It takes God to be a man, and that is why it takes Christ to be a Christian, because Christ puts God back into man, the only way we can again become functional.
It is called new birth, being born again, as our soul is awakened by God's Spirit.
Sermon Outline
- The Normal Christian Life
- Maintaining this life through
- Daily experiencing the presence of Christ
- Allowing him to live his life in and through me
- Gratitude toward life disappointments
- Dependence on the Spirit
Key Quotes
“Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.” — Major Ian Thomas
“It takes God to be a man, and that is why it takes Christ to be a Christian, because Christ puts God back into man, the only way we can again become functional.” — Major Ian Thomas
“It is called new birth, being born again, as our soul is awakened by God's Spirit.” — Major Ian Thomas
Application Points
- To live the normal Christian life, I must acknowledge my weaknesses and failings and depend on the Spirit.
- I must allow Christ to live his life in and through me, rather than trying to live it by my own efforts.
- New birth, or being born again, is necessary to experience the presence of Christ and live the Christian life.