The disciples of Jesus Christ were called Christian first at Antioch because of their Christ-like living [Act 11: 26]. Therefore, Christian living simply means to live the life of Christ. The life of Christ means a humble, holy, righteous, happy, peaceful, and thankful life in every ramification. Jesus Christ, in His time and ministry, showed us the way and manner we should live our lives unto our father in heaven. A Christian must possess all the qualities seen or mentioned in the book of Matthew 5: 1-48 because Christ is the end of the law. It is then very important that men
live unto God as the law commands, meaning that their life should be exactly as Christ commands it is to be.
Acts 11:26: And when he had found him, he brought him back to Antioch. For a whole year they assembled together with and [g]were guests of the church and instructed a large number of people; and in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.
Therefore, to live a Christlike and glorified life unto God, all men have to fulfil certain rules and obligations of God's word. Without doing these things, they cannot be like Christ. Some of these rules and obligations which could simply be seen as principles have to be in place and in line with God's word. Principles include the following: born again, obedience to God's word, faith in God‘s word, growing in godliness and holiness, humbleness, thankfulness, love, joy, self-control and evangelism to mention but these few.
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we need to understand the principles of Christianity. Actually, Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with God. As members of the royal family of God, we do not hope to become one belonging to God; instead, we are already within the family. Therefore, it is important to exercise our rights and behave as members of the body of Christ. We learn what our Heavenly Father expects from us through the principles set forth in the word of God being guided by God the Holy Spirit who has given us new life.
