Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

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Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

How can you experience renewal inChrist through a simple and disciplined life? There are three spiritual practices we can apply from Athanasius’s vision of the Christian life. Living in Light of the Gospel A simple and disciplined life comes from fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb 12:2). Understanding who Jesus is and what he has done for us, as Athanasius helps us do in On the Incarnation , does not merely apply to conversion. The good news is for all of life. The way we grow as Christians is not by trying harder but rather by trusting in God’s grace and applying the gospel to every aspect of life. This is why Paul, toward the end of his first letter to the Corinthians, responds to their struggles with sexual immorality, alcohol abuse, and division by reminding them of the gospel (1 Cor 15:1–4). He tells them that the gospel is not only something we receive when we become Christians; it is the foundation we stand on as we grow as Christians (1 Cor 15:2). But it gets even better. The grace of the gospel that we receive from God does not come to us like spiritual fairy dust, somehow separate from God himself. It is received in Christ . Let us consider the implications. Renewal is not merely something Christ gives us, as if the blessings would be sufficient without the source. No, we experience not merely renewal from Christ, or even renewal like Christ. We experience renewal in Christ, which means our greatest good is not the gifts but the Giver himself. A daily practice, therefore, is to remind yourself of the gospel and your identity in Christ that flows from it. When you feel guilty, do not simply try harder. Remember Christ and remind yourself, “I am forgiven.” When you are