What should a Christ-centered life look like?

To follow the teaching of the passage we may ask ourselves three questions: (1) What is the fruit of which the Lord speaks? (2) What are the means taken that the true disciples may be fruitful? (3) What is the great end in view in fruit-bearing? What then does the Lord mean when He speaks of fruit? May we not say that fruit is all that in our lives which is agreeable to God? It follows that only that which is of Christ in us can be for the Father's delight. We may therefore say, that fruit is the character of Christ reproduced in the lives of His disciples. We read in Galatians 5:22, that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, self-control" (N. Tn.). These are the very qualities that marked Christ in His path down here, and that called forth the Father's expression of pleasure, for the voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son in whom I have found my delight." Fruit, then, is not simply preaching and teaching, or activity in different forms of service, or in this passage even souls won for Christ through the preaching, but rather the beautiful qualities of Christ seen in the souls that are won. Alas! it is possible to be very active in Christian service and yet exhibit very little of the character of Christ in the life, and, therefore, bring forth but little fruit for the delight of the Father. Moreover, let us remember that what goes up to God as fruit, goes out to man as testimony. These two thoughts are expressed by the Lord's words, "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." The life that glorifies the Father and delights His heart becomes a testimony to the world that we are Christ's disciples. That we are truly His disciples will be far more manifest by a little meekness and gentleness, than by any amount of activity. Mary's quiet dependence upon the Lord, that led her to sit at His feet and hear His word, brought forth fruit that was far more pleasing to the heart of Christ than all Martha's sincere energy. We are not all called or gifted to take an active part in preaching or teaching, or many other forms of service; but it is open to all — the youngest as the oldest believer — to express in our life the beautiful traits of Christ, and thus bring forth fruit for the Father and testimony before men. Christ, personally, is no longer on earth; but God desires that Christ, morally, should still be seen in His people. In the measure in which this is true there will be fruit and testimony.

Everywhere and at all times the apostles, though they may occasionally refer to the law, to point out with greater force any inconsistency with the more exalted principles on which the Christian is called to act, present Christ to us as the alone standard of conduct or rule of life for Christians, and never the law; for every christian act, or motive, or feeling, the scriptures hold up Christ before us. Is strife or vain glory to be avoided? it is through having the mind that was in Christ Jesus, who, having the divine glory, took the form of a servant, and by lowliness and self-renunciation in this world traced the path out for us that leads to exaltation and glory from God alone (Phil. 2). Is liberality to brethren in question? The grace of the Lord Jesus is the example set before us, who "though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that we through His poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. 8:9). Is patient submission to injustice from others, without murmuring to be inculcated? We are "to follow his steps," who alone of all others being free from blame and able to punish, "when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:19-23). Is unselfish surrender of our own feelings and inclinations for the good of others the lesson to be taught? We are told of One, "who pleased not himself," but made Himself, for God's glory and our sakes, the object of all human reproach (Rom. 15:3). Is faith to be maintained in the heart of the Christian amid circumstances of affliction and danger? The confidence in God exhibited by Christ in presence of death and the grave, and all the power of the world and of Satan, and which was answered in the resurrection, presents itself at once as the means of support (2 Cor. 4:13-14). Indeed it would be difficult to find any trait of Christian character, of which He is not made the illustration, for our general walk (1 John 2:6), for purity (3:3), for love (3:16), for holiness of conduct (Eph. 4:20-21). and for patient endurance (Heb. 12:2-3).

In a word, the Christian's standard and test for everything is Christ. This makes it all so simple. Instead of asking, Is such a thing consistent with our profession, our principles, our character or our reputation? we have to ask, Is it consistent with Christ? This makes all the difference. Whatever is unworthy of Christ is unworthy of a Christian. If this be thoroughly understood and laid hold of it will furnish a great practical rule which may be applied to a thousand details. If the heart be true to Christ, if we walk according to the instincts of the divine nature, as strengthened by the ministry of the Holy Ghost, and guided by the authority of holy scripture, we shall not be much troubled with questions of right or wrong in our daily life.

The Christian's rule of life is to be like Christ - the only rule he has, and we find the details of it in Scripture. We have to seek such power of Christ over the affections, that we are longing and striving to be like Him; and there is joy in that kind of activity - the heart growing naturally like Him in real spiritual diligence - occupied with Him. Not satisfied with merely avoiding evil, you must be occupied with it to avoid it; but when the heart is full of Christ, evil looks like evil - you see it in its true character; if not, it looks like a bauble.

"Thus it was with Israel , and thus it should be with us. We are passing through a trackless desert--a moral wilderness. There is absolutely no way. We should not know how to walk, or where to go, were it not for that one most precious, most deep, most comprehensive sentence which fell from the lips of our blessed Lord, 'I am the way.' Here is divine, infallible guidance. We are to follow Him. 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life' (John 8). This is living guidance. It is not acting according to the letter of certain rules and regulations; it is following a living Christ--walking as He walked, doing as He did, imitating His example in all things. This is Christian movement--Christian action. It is keeping the eye fixed upon Jesus, and having the features, traits and lineaments of His character imprinted on our new nature, and reflected back or reproduced in our daily life and ways.

It becomes evident from this and other passages of Scripture that believers are not left in this world to find their way to heaven as best they can or to walk according to their own ideas of what is pleasing to God. The pathway that God has marked out for His people is one in which His will is paramount, and not theirs. Clearly, this tenth verse shows that His will is that His people should walk worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit — that is displaying the character of Christ — and growing by the knowledge of God. A walk worthy of the Lord can only be as we "follow His steps". Of Him we read, "Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judges righteously" (1 Peter 2:23). In the presence of wrongs and the hard, unkind and malicious speeches that may be uttered against us, our concern should be, not to defend ourselves and maintain our rights, but to express Christ; and in respect of any wrongs, to commit ourselves to Him that judges righteously. If we make Christ's interest our great concern, we can trust God to make our concerns His interest. Thus exhibiting Christ we shall bear fruit, and grow in the true knowledge of God. One has said, "We adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour by manifesting in this world of sin, and in the trying circumstances of daily life, not what flesh is, but what Christ is: our hearts feeding upon His love whilst we lean upon His arm and are guided by His eye … Will He fail us in the hour of need? He lets us come into it just that we may prove how abundant are His resources to make us victors over the power of the enemy" (J. N. D.).

Christ is our life; He also is our pattern. The life, which is ours in the Son, and the character of that life expressed in us, are not to be sundered from each other in our thoughts: "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." (1 John 2:6.)

It is exceedingly important in these days to have Christ the centre of everything to us, so as to be able to say, "to me to live is Christ;" to be walking in the light of His glory shining down upon our path, in everything that glory kept uppermost; not to be allowing two lives in us, the life of the flesh and the life of the Spirit, but to be sinking the life of the flesh, and having only the life of Christ living in us.

Whatever is enthroned in the seat of the affections will govern all our thoughts and feelings, and give strength and character to every inward spring and outward action of our lives. Is it Christ that dwells in our hearts? Is Christ Personally, and in the wide range of His interests, paramount with us at all times? Is everything in our lives subservient to Him and His will? Do we refer every action to Him, deciding each detail of our lives by the way it will be viewed by Christ and as to how it will affect His interests?

Faith, too, has its place in this most important work of the Spirit of God, for the Christ is to dwell in the heart "by faith." God would ever direct the eye to Christ, and give us to know that every subjective result is obtained in occupation with Him. Nor is it a fleeting glance at Christ, now and again, that will give Him a dwelling place in the heart. It is the habit of the soul in turning instinctively to Christ at all times that proves that He dwells in the heart. How true this was of "The prisoner of Jesus Christ"; of him who could say, "To me to live is Christ."

And so may we. Depend upon it, it would be an excellent thing for you to cultivate the practice of getting away to be alone, so that the Lord may speak to you from His word, and that your heart may be turned upward to Him with regard to the things you find in that word. It will be found that this habit takes you away from being altogether engaged with what you yourself need in your own life and your own circumstances. Self is forgotten for a time; and divine things fill your heart. In this way the new spiritual life grows and develops heavenward as it should do. For the things of self, even the good things of self, should never be allowed to become the centre of any Christian's life. "Not I, but Christ lives in me," the apostle wrote (Gal. 2:20). Christ therefore is the central object for each believer's heart. Oh, draw me, Saviour, after Thee, So shall I run and never tire: With gracious words still comfort me: Be Thou my hope, my sole desire. On Thee I'd roll each weight and fear: Calm in the thought that Thou art near. What in Thy love possess I not? My star by night, my sun by day, My spring of life when parch'd with drought: My wine to cheer, my bread to stay, My strength, my shield, my safe abode, My robe before the throne of God! Unchangeable Thy gracious love My earthly path has ceaseless view'd; Ere yet this beating heart could move, Thy tender mercies me pursued: Ever with me may they abide, And close me in on every side. P.Gerhardt.