Part 5 · Belief 22 — The Doctrine of the Christian Life
Christian Behavior
What we believe
We are called to be a godly people who think, feel, and act in harmony with biblical principles in all aspects of personal and social life. For the Spirit to recreate in us the character of our Lord we involve ourselves only in those things that will produce Christlike purity, health, and joy in our lives. This means that our amusement and entertainment should meet the highest standards of Christian taste and beauty. While recognizing cultural differences, our dress is to be simple, modest, and neat. It also means that because our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, we are to care for them intelligently. We are to adopt the most healthful diet possible and abstain from the unclean foods identified in the Scriptures. Since alcoholic beverages, tobacco, and the irresponsible use of drugs and narcotics are harmful to our bodies, we are to abstain from them as well. Instead, we are to engage in whatever brings our thoughts and bodies into the discipline of Christ, who desires our wholesomeness, joy, and goodness.
When someone falls in love with God, it changes the way they live — not because rules are imposed from outside, but because gratitude grows from inside. The Christian life is not a long list of "don'ts" designed to make us miserable; it is a glad response to a God who loves us and wants us whole. Paul puts it beautifully: "present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship" (Romans 12:1). Our everyday choices — what we eat, how we dress, what we watch, how we treat our bodies — all become a way of saying "thank You" to the One who made us and bought us back. This study is not about earning God's love. It is about living like people who already have it.
Your body is a temple
Paul asks a question that changes everything: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you... You are not your own, for you were bought with a price" (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20). A temple is a place where God lives — and that is what you are. This is why we care for our health: not out of vanity, but reverence. So Paul concludes, "whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). Even something as ordinary as a meal can become an act of worship. John's prayer for a friend captures God's heart for us: "that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health" (3 John 2).
Renewed minds, wholesome thoughts
Christian behavior begins not with the hands but with the mind. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind" (Romans 12:2). What we feed our thoughts shapes what we become, so Paul gives us a wonderful filter for what we read, watch, and dwell on: "whatever is true... honorable... just... pure... lovely... commendable... think about these things" (Philippians 4:8). This is the gentle test for our entertainment and recreation — does it lift the mind toward what is good, or drag it down? We are simply asked to fill our lives with what is beautiful, because we are becoming like the One we behold.
Walking as Jesus walked
All of this flows from one simple aim: to live the way Jesus lived. "Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked" (1 John 2:6). This shapes even our outward appearance — our dress is to be "modest" and "respectable" (1 Timothy 2:9, 10), with the truest beauty being a gentle, loving character rather than mere display. Notice that none of this is about looking down on others or earning points with God; it is about reflecting Him. When gratitude, not guilt, is the engine, healthful living and quiet modesty stop feeling like restrictions and start feeling like freedom. We are not giving things up so much as growing up into Christ.
Search the Scriptures
Gen. 7:2; Exod. 20:15; Lev. 11:1-47; Ps. 106:3; Rom. 12:1, 2; 1 Cor. 6:19, 20; 10:31; 2 Cor. 6:14-7:1; 10:5; Eph. 5:1-21; Phil. 2:4; 4:8; 1 Tim. 2:9, 10; Titus 2:11, 12; 1 Peter 3:1-4; 1 John 2:6; 3 John 2.
Reflect
This week, pick one ordinary habit — a meal, a screen, a few minutes of rest — and ask gently, "Does this honor the God who lives in me?" Don't approach it with guilt, but with gratitude, the way you would care for a gift you treasure. Small, glad choices, made out of love, are how the Spirit slowly reshapes a life. You are His temple, and He delights to make you whole.
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