The ABC’s of Our Christian Faith
Sometimes we lose sight of the basics to our Christian faith. The elements of Christianity setting us apart from the world and other religions.
They are essential to help us grow in relationship with Christ. And they are the spiritual tools we need to live as a believer.
So, here are the ABC’s of a Christian life.
A-F Basics for Our Christian Faith
Abide in Christ. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” John 15:5, ESV.
Believe God. Believe what God says and who He is. Because when the journey turns bumpy, our Christian beliefs carry us over life’s potholes. “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness” Romans 4:3b, NIV.
Believe what God says and who He is. Because when the journey turns bumpy, our Christian #beliefs carry us over life's potholes. #Christian #ChristianLiving Click To TweetConfess. Confess our sin against God, own it, and take responsibility for when we go in the wrong direction. Because sometimes we fall into sin or we fail to walk in the direction God instructed (Proverbs 28:13 and James 4:17).
Declare God’s glory and works. We declare His glory and works to others and ourselves. In other words, preach it. Then preach it to the choir. “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!” Psalm 96:3, ESV.
Encourage other believers. “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up” 1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV.
Forget what’s behind. Looking back on our life may help us move forward. But Jesus never intended for the past to paralyze us (Philippians 3:13-14).
G-L Truths of Our Christian Faith
Give all. We give our heart to Jesus. Yet, it never ends there. Giving Christ everything: our cares, desires, goals, and relationships (1 Peter 5:7, Romans 12:1).
Hope in the Hope-giver. False and weaker forms of hope exist. Yet, true hope is only found in the Lord. “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope” Romans 15:13, ESV.
Imitate Jesus. Not just following Jesus as a one time deal. But follow through by imitating His life (1 Corinthians 11:1).
Join the saints. Unite with other believers in the gospel and protect the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:1-13).
Know Jesus more. “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” 2 Peter 3:18a, ESV.
Live on purpose. Be intentional about living the Christian life through the power of Christ (Galatians 2:20).
Live on purpose, intentional in living the Christian life through the power of Christ. #ChristianLiving #faith Click To TweetM-S Basics of Our Christian Faith
Make disciples. “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:19a, ESV.
Never turn back. Only turn back from our old self, never from the cross. “But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world…” Galatians 4:9a, ESV.
Obey the Lord. Obeying the Lord and His commands is always for our good and His glory. Jesus said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” Luke 11:28, NIV.
Pray without ceasing. There is power in prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17, James 5:14-16).
Quiet time with Christ. Spend time alone with Christ to mute the world’s constant noise and hear His voice (Mark 6:30-32).
Renew our mind. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” Romans 12:2, NIV.
Seek righteousness. “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” Matthew 6:33, NIV.
T-Z Truths of Our Christian Faith
Trust in the Lord. God is trustworthy and faithful to His promises. “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.'” Psalm 91:2, NIV.
Uphold the cause. The Lord upholds the cause of the poor, oppressed, needy, and fatherless. We’re called to the same ministry (Matthew 25:31-40, Psalm 82:3, Isaiah 61:1-3).
Value godliness. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come” I Timothy 4:8, NLT.
Walk in the Spirit. “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” Galatians 5:16, NIV.
X-ray the inner man. X-rays allow us to view the inside for a diagnosis and treatment. The Holy Spirit views our inside to transform us into God’s likeness (Proverbs 20:27, Psalm 139).
Yield to God’s discipline. “…he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness” Hebrews 12:10b, ESV.
Zoom in on God’s Word. Zooming gives clarity to an image or content. As we magnify God’s commandments and promises, it gives clarity for Christian living (Psalm 119).
Zooming in gives clarity to an image or content. As we zoom in on God's Word, it gives clarity for Christian living. #Bible #ChristianLiving Click To TweetIf you missed it, last week we discussed 5 Ways to Cultivate an Unstoppable Faith.
*Sometimes I participate in these link-ups:
Legacy Linkup/Inspire Me Monday/Kingdom Bloggers/Literacy Musings/Tell His Story/Purposeful Faith/Abounding Grace/Tea and the Word/Welcome Heart/Recharge Wednesday/Porch Stories/Destination Inspiration/Worth Beyond Rubies/Tune in Thursday/Sitting Among Friends/Heart Encouragement/Embracing the Unexpected/Fresh Market Friday/Faith On Fire/Dance With Jesus and Faith and Friends.
© 2019 by Karen Friday, All rights reserved
Love this! 🙂
Thanks, Melissa. We all need reminding of the basics to how to live victoriously in Christ.
Love the ABCs of our faith, Karen. What a unique approach you’ve taken in breaking down what we need to do to live a more vibrant and meaningful life for Christ.
Blessings!
Thank you, Martha. “Lord, remind us often of the elements of Christianity setting us apart from the world and other religions, helping us grow in relationship with Christ, and equipping us spiritually to live as a believer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Great way to sum up great points of faith!
Appreciate you, Nancy. I desire to really keep these front and center in my daily walk with the Lord.
This is awesome. I love it.
Thanks so much, Jann. Glad this encouraged you. It’s certainly a reminder of the intentional way we must live as a believer in this present world.
Yet again, I’m going to have to print and save this to refer back to Ms. Karen. You are so right ma’am; we can stray from time to time, and we can also forget the “basics” of our faith. Especially when we get so wrapped up in the busyness of our church, different ministries, etc. None of these things matter though if we fail to live out God’s plan. Like any quality home, our Christian lives must start with a good foundation. Wonderful post ma’am.
You are such a great encouragement to me, J.D. So appreciate that about you. Thanks for reminding us about a good foundation…the basics to our faith. And you know, the Lord is teaching me how it’s impossible to separate our personal life from our Christian walk and God’s Word. Like it’s stated here: “If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct empowered by the Holy Spirit].” Galatians 5:25 AMP
These acronyms are great! The basics is so good. We need to be reminded of the simplicity of our faith. Sometimes I think we can complicate things too much, so thanks for the back-to-the-basics thoughts.
At times, we do complicate things too much, Lisa. We forget the simple and powerful truths that help us live out our Christian faith in this world right now. Thanks for your input.
Love this list!
Mandy, thank you. Praying we are reminded of these great truths, A-Z.
Love it! Such a great way to share the information
Yvonne, thank you. I think staying intentional in living our life on purpose…in Christ, helps us also stay focused on what really matters.
This is great! I love how you approach the subject. Zoom is good, zeal would have worked too! Thanks so much for sharing. Blessings to you as you bless others!
Mari-Anna, I like zeal for z. I’ve always appreciated the Apostle Paul’s example of being zealous for the Lord. May we imitate that as well. Thanks for adding to our conversation.
Karen, this is so well done! How creative! I love how you captured the essence of our faith in clear, easy-to-understand and yet powerful bullets from A to Z. He is the Alpha and Omega and everything in between. You summed it all up in this great post!
Melissa, thank you dear friend. Praise the Lord He is the start and finish of our faith and everything in the middle!
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:13, NIV
Awesome list I love these! Thanks for sharing these awesome truths!! God Bless.
You’re welcome, Stephen. Grateful this spoke to you. Praying the Lord helps us remember to give all of our heart and selves to Him and He stays our top focus in life. Blessings!
This is a keeper, Karen. I’m pinning so I can return to this one again and again!
Thanks, friend.
Marva, thank you for that. I’m keeping this list front and center in my Christian walk as well. Appreciate you commenting.
You call this the ABC’s making it sound elementary. Yet, if we trusted God to the point of keeping them, it would display a very mature faith. Good words, thanks.
So true, Beth. The bottom line remains, God desires we continue to move forward in our faith, growing and becoming more and more like Christ. May we never forget the basics that take us where we need to be on the Christian journey.
A great list! You’re especially skilled st these, Karen! I love when you present helpful truth like this! Thank you!
So kind of you to say, Melinda. Thanks friend. “Lord, remind us to focus on YOU, grow our faith in YOU, and keep the main essentials to our Christian faith about YOU. Amen!”
What an awesome list! Not just the ABCs of Salvation, but the ABCs of our Christian Faith. This list is such a helpful reminder for all of us. Thank you for the time you spent putting it together!
Thank you, Aryn. I enjoyed putting this together because reflecting on what fit best for each letter of the alphabet and what Scritpure reference really spoke to me.
Why do we have the illusion that there’s some secret formula for living the Christian life?
Thanks, Karen, for taking my brain back to the basics of a faithful following!
Pinned for future reference!
Michele, right?! There is NO secret formula or code to break. It’s about the basics and essentials to walking fully with Jesus. Thank you!
That’s so clever Karen! Great for groups & personal reflections.
Blessings,
Jennifer
Thank you, Jennifer. I pray these reflections DO help us, others, groups, studies…whoever wants to live in right standing with the Lord!
Karen, good morning! Thanks for the emphasis on the basics and on the powerful truth of Scripture. What a perfect way to kick off this Tuesday.
Bless you, girl …
Love how you said, “emphais on the basics.” That’s so key to put our emphasis where it matters most. Appreciate your words.
Love this! We all need reminders of this from time to time. This morning, I needed “U” – uphold the cause, yes, even when weary we continue on.
Joanne, the Lord has called each of us to serve and uphold the cause of our faith and for the least of these. (Matthew 25)
This is so good, Karen! And Q is terrific… QUIET TIME. In the last few years I’ve realized how important this is for my soul.
You and me both, Jessica. That quiet, still, and focused time with the Lord not only takes us away from the noisy world and all its distractions, but also helps fill our soul for daily living in Christ.
Such a thorough post of God’s Truth, dear Karen. I’ve shared this to Linked-In, Twitter, and Pinterest. This would make a good booklet for a mini-refresher course for believers.
Blessings ~ Wendy Mac
Thanks for sharing on social media, Wendy. And that is a good idea for a small booklet or refresher course. Always appreciate your input.
I’ve heard of the ABC’s of our faith in Christ, but you’ve taken this to a whole new level, Karen! You’re so creative and inspiring, my friend! I’m going to share this post as much as I can! Hugs to you!
Awe thank you, Beth. You always bless and encourage me in the most loving way. You are inspirational to me!
This is a great summary of important things we need to remember!
Lord, set our hearts on You and what matters most in this life and the next!
The idea of preaching to the choir stuck with me throughout this entire post, Karen. I don’t know that I ever considered that phrase in the way you presented it, and I think it resonates with me because I believe God wants me to spur Christians to a deeper relationship with Him and service for Him. So I will go merrily on my way preaching to the choir. Thank you for putting this in a different light for me.
Stephen, the Lord often reminds me of the words He gives me to write or speak to others…and how much they are meant for others and for me. So I agree, let’s be filled by the Lord and His Word, then spur others on to good works and living the Christian life with fire in our souls! Preach!
Karen,
Love, love, love this! Making a hard copy right now to keep with my Bible! “H” – Hope, and Romans 15:13 jumped out at me today. I needed that reminder. Definitely need to share this!
Blessings to you,
Bev xx
Hey Bev, thank you. Romans 15:13 is one of my all-time favorite Scriptures. Because who doesn’t need hope! Blessings!
Such a well done post. Thank you for sharing this great reminder about our faith.
Thank you, Sare. Lord, continue to remind us to walk in our faith as Jesus walked.
What a great way to remember instructions and promises from the Bible! Thank you for putting this together :).
You’re welcome, Anita. Glad it encouraged you.
Love the use of the alphabet as an acronym. Well done in organizing the basics of the Christian walk in a memorable way!
Thank you, Ava. I pray often the Lord takes us and the church back to the basics so we never forget that foundation everything we believe is built upon!
I love this! What a great way to spell out our faith and how we should behave with the ABCs of Christianity!
Thanks so much, Wendy! Now, if we can stay on track to lean into them for the sake of our Christian living. 🙂
This post really taught me and highlighted great scriptures for me to focus on as a Christian. Thanks for sharing on the #LMMLinkup this past week.
You’re welcome, Mary. Scriptures are really key to the foundation of our faith and how to live the Christian life today, tomorrow, and every day in the future.