Renewal in Christ: Athanasius on the Christian Life

Resources for Application

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tempted by the enemy to sin, remind yourself, “I have been set free from sin and the enemy has no power over me.” When you feel alone, remember the truths of the gospel that God is with you and you have been adopted into a spiritual family. In Christ, you are a new creation. Again, the key to a simple and disciplined life is to fix your eyes on Jesus. Reflect on these lines from a classic hymn: Turn your eyes upon Jesus Look full in his wonderful face And the things of earth will grow strangely dim In the light of his glorious grace. Reading Scripture and Praying the Psalms Jesus says, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). In other words, our souls need Scripture as much as our bodies need food. Through Scripture, God has revealed himself and invited us into conversation with him. He initiated. He broke the silence. And reading God’s word, meditating on God’s word, and memorizing God’s word trains us for righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). There are two spiritual practices I recommend for daily experiencing renewal in Christ through the Scriptures. First, learn the story of Scripture so that you can live by the story of Scripture. People often know many of the individual stories of the Bible (e.g., Noah’s ark, David and Goliath, Jesus walking on water). But Athanasius teaches us that Scripture is one grand story that culminates in Christ. We need to know the overarching narrative of Scripture to know who Jesus is and to know who we are. See if you can summarize the storyline of the Bible in two