We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the One who was born of God keeps them safe, and the evil one cannot harm them.

1 John 5: 18

What should the life of a follower of Christ look like on a day to day basis? It has been said that Christian discipleship can be likened to is a long obedience in the same direction. In his book with the same title, Eugene Peterson states that “there is a great market for religious experience in our world; there is little enthusiasm for the patient acquisition of virtue, little inclination to sign up for a long apprenticeship in what earlier generations of Christians called holiness.”

In the short verse above, John reminds us of two things: 1) a Christian’s life is one marked by a growing faithfulness to God demonstrated by obedience, and 2) the real source of our strength and ability to persevere is Christ who protects us.

The Christian faith is not built on our own ability to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We are completely dependent on Christ. So, our obedience is not solely our responsibility. We are not on our own. It is our faith in the work of Christ that brings about the change in our lives. And there should be a change. A maturing faith should reflect a maturing life.