CHRISTIANITY AS A WAY OF LIFE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. 1. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Christianity begins with receiving our Lord Jesus Christ, the gift of God's love and forgiveness by faith. It results in a triple commitment to a person, the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a commitment to Him of your intellect, emotions, and will. Christianity is a personal intimate relationship between one and Christ. This life begins in faith according to Ephesians 2:8-9 and can only be lived by faith. Faith is another word for trust. We trust our lives to Christ's keeping because He has proven Himself trustworthy by His life, His death, His resurrection, and His abiding presence, His unconditional love. Christianity from onset is meant to be a life lived by faith according to Gods principles as indicated in the bible. It is by faith that we enter into Christianity and it is by faith that we make it as a way of life. Once we begin the Christian life by coming to Christ for forgiveness of sin, we understand that what we seek cannot be obtained by any other means than by faith. We cannot work our way to heaven, because nothing we could ever do would be sufficient. Those who believe they can attain worthy christian life by keeping rules and regulations deny what the Bible clearly teaches. “But that no one is justified by the Law in the sight of God is clear, for, ‘The just shall live by faith’" (Galatians 3:11). The Pharisees of Jesus’ day rejected Christ because He told them this very truth that all their righteous deeds were worthless and that only faith in their Messiah would save them.

In Romans 1, Paul says that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the power that saves us, the gospel being the good news that all who believe in Him will have eternal life. When we enter into the Christian life by faith in this good news, we see improvement in the nature of life we live as Christians as it can only be made possible through the daily reading of the scriptures and learning from it while at the same time not forgetting the prayers as well. The gospel of Christ actually reveals God to us as we live to grow closer to Him each day. Romans 1:17 says, “For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’” So part of the Christianity is diligent reading and study of the Word, accompanied by prayer for understanding and wisdom and for a closer, more intimate relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.
Christianity is also supposed a life of being death to self in order to live a life by faith. Paul told the Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Being crucified with Christ means that our old nature has been nailed to the cross and has been replaced by a new nature which is Christ’s (2 Corinthians 5:17). He who loved us and died for us now lives in us, and the life we live is by faith in Him. It means sacrificing our own desires, ambitions, and glories and replacing them with those of Christ. We can only do this by His power through the faith that He gives us by His grace. Part of Christianity is praying to that end.
Christianity is also supposed to persevere to the end. Hebrews 10:38-39 addresses this issue by quoting from the Old Testament prophet Habukkuk: “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him.” God is not pleased with one who “draws back” from Him after making a commitment, but those who live by faith will never drawback, because they are kept by the Holy Spirit who assures us that we will continue with Christ until the end (Ephesians 1:13-14). The writer of Hebrews goes on to verify this truth in verse 39: “But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.” The true believer is one who believes to the end.
So Christianity is one lived by faith in jesus who saved us, empowers us, seals us for heaven, and by whose power we are kept forever. The day-to-day life of faith is one that grows and strengthens as we seek God in His Word and through prayer and as we unite with other Christians whose goal of Christ likeness is similar to our own.

The Christian life is a manifestation of the Spirit in the life and day to day activities of Christians.

1. 1. Statement of the problem

The Scriptures instruct us to "love not the world." We also learn from Scripture that to be a friend of the world is to be an "enemy of God" (1 John 2:15, James 4:4). It is well to understand just what is meant in Scripture by 'the world' regarding which Jesus warned. The 'world' is that whole value-system which dominates whatever form of society may be our lot to experience, and it is contrary to the ways of God. The term "the world" is used in the Bible in several ways. It sometimes speaks of the created world--the rugged mountains, the surging ocean waves, and the beauty of a sunset. These in themselves are not a threat to our spiritual welfare, and thus we would not consider the created world to be our spiritual enemy. The word 'world' is also used with reference to the world of people who make up our society. God loves that 'world', as assured in John 3:16, and we are exhorted to follow God's example of love for that world. The 'world' which we are not to love is the self-centered way of human life which ignores God, and operates by selfish principles and lives by ungodly standards. The philosophy of the world says that the only important thing is "this life." The principles of the world are force, greed, selfishness, ambition, and pleasure. The 'world,' in the Greek, kosmos, is a system that comprises a way of life which, according to fleshly human values, is seen as exciting and colorful and seductive and sweet and wonderful. As a result, Christians are constantly in danger of getting involved and entangled in it to a degree that spiritual values could be given second place. The Apostle John enabled believers to more clearly identify worldliness by explaining that it has three parts. Worldliness includes the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life.--1 John 2:16,17. The "lust of the flesh" might be termed sensualism. This is a craving for anything that gratifies the senses. There is of course a legitimate satisfaction of body needs, but when we glut our senses, it becomes animal-like self-indulgence. For instance, when we satisfy an excessive appetite for food, or when we permit the exercise of sexual relationships to control our lives, we do not withstand the tendencies or allurements described as "the lust of the flesh." The "lust of the eyes" may be termed materialism. This is a covetous itching to own what we see. It is the selfish desire that rises when we see things which we really don't need, but for which a want develops. It is the longing to possess, the desire to get, the eagerness to acquire. The "lust of the eyes" is dreaming about that new "something" which we someday hope to get.

The "pride of life" might be called egotism. This is the desire to enhance one's own prestige and to push ourselves up. It is the hankering to inflate our own reputations. It is an attempt to get the spotlight shining on ourselves. The "pride of life" is putting on an air of "being somebody"--a vain display of who we are--perhaps by the way we talk, or how much money we spend in being hospitable, or how we dress.

1. 1. Objectives of the study

The major aim of the study is to examine Christianity as a way of life among Christians. Other general objectives of the study include;

1. To know the impact of Christianity as a way of life on the society.
2. To exalt heterosexual monogamous love, this would provide the basis for a lasting and exclusive relationship between husband and wife, oriented toward the rearing of children. 
3. To promote Christianity through ensuring a charitable life of Christians.
4. To recommend ways of improving the life of Christians in the world.

1.4   Research questions

1. What is the impact of Christianity as a way of life on the society?
2. What are the ways of exalting heterosexual monogamous love, this would provide the basis for a lasting and exclusive relationship between husband and wife, oriented toward the rearing of children? 
3. What are the ways of promoting Christianity through ensuring a charitable life of Christians?
4. What are the ways of improving the life of Christians in the world?

1.5   Significance of the study

Christianity is responsible for the way our society is organized and for the way we currently live; therefore the study would greatly benefit the Christian society and all related stakeholders as it would assess Christianity as a way of life. this study would also benefit students, researchers and scholars who are interested in developing a further study on the subject matter through the providion of relevant literatures.

1.6   Definition of terms

Christian: A person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Jesus Christ and his teachings.

Society: The aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.

Christian life: The Christian life is a personal intimate relationship between one and Christ.