New Life in Christ – SS1 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (First Term)

The new life in Christ is the changed way of living that a person begins when they accept the lordship of Jesus Christ.

• Old life dropped: the believer leaves the life of the flesh, which is marked by sin.
• New nature put on: it is shown in the fruit of the Spirit, such as love, joy and peace.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. describe the old life and state its characteristics;
2. explain why a Christian must change from the old life;
3. list the fruit of the Spirit as the characteristics of the new life;
4. state ways Christians can show their new life in Christ;
5. explain why believers must stick to the new life (Rom. 6:12-19);
6. outline the steps new believers take before initiation into the new life in Christ.

What is the old life?

The old life is the life of the flesh, also called the life of the Fallen Man.

• At creation: man was the epitome of God’s glory and could relate with God directly.
• The fall: man lost this exalted state and was banished out of the garden.
• Result: sin became the order of the day.
• Example: Cain killed his brother Abel, and iniquity became very prevalent on earth.

What do the Scriptures say about the heart of the old man?

• Genesis 6:5: And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
• Jeremiah 17:9: The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked: who can know it?

What are the characteristics of the old life? (Gal. 5:19-21, Col. 3:5-7)

The old life is marked by the works of the flesh listed below.

• Sexual sin: committing sexual immorality.
• Moral badness: doing all kinds of shameful things.
• False worship: worshipping false gods and taking part in witchcraft.
• Hatred: hating people and causing trouble.
• Bad feelings: being jealous, angry or selfish.
• Division: causing people to argue and split into separate groups.
• Excess: envy, drunkenness and wild parties.

• Paul’s warning: people who live like this will not have a part in God’s kingdom.

Why must a Christian change from the old life? (Rom. 6:1-4)

A Christian must change because Jesus Christ came in the body to save people from the old life.

• Salvation: it is a deliverance from the old life.
• Paul’s teaching: in Romans and Colossians, he said a person who receives the lordship of Jesus must drop the old nature and put on the new.
• Worthy living: Christians are expected to live a life worthy of the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

What did Paul teach the Galatians?

• Spirit-led life: if the Spirit leads them, they are not under the law.
• Sinful self crucified: those who belong to Christ Jesus have given up their old selfish feelings and evil desires.
• New life from the Spirit: so believers should follow the Spirit.
• Behaviour to avoid: pride, boasting, causing trouble for each other and jealousy.

What did Paul teach the Colossians?

• Faith in the Resurrection: believers should seek the things above, which are heavenly.
• Earthly things: they should put away mundane or earthly things.
• Old nature: these things belong to the old nature, which must be put off.
• New nature: it must be put on, and it is renewed in the knowledge and image of God.
• Equality: there must be no discrimination among them.

What are the characteristics of the new life?

The characteristics of the new life are the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23).

• Love: care for others that seeks their good.
• Joy: gladness that comes from God.
• Peace: calmness and good relationships with God and people.
• Patience: staying calm when provoked or kept waiting.
• Kindness: being gentle and helpful to others.
• Goodness: doing what is right and good.
• Faithfulness: being loyal and dependable.
• Gentleness: being humble and mild in dealing with people.
• Self-control: controlling one’s desires and actions.

How does the old life compare with the new life?

The old life follows the flesh, while the new life follows the Spirit.

How can Christians show their new life in Christ?

Christians show their new life by living differently from the old life and serving God and others.

1. Live a new life and forget the old.
2. Be the light and salt of the world, as Christ commands.
3. Get involved in preaching the gospel.
4. Contribute our quota to every good work within the Christian community.

Which practices harm the Christian community?

Practices that harm the Christian community are those that come from the old life.

• Gossiping and backbiting: speaking ill of others behind their backs.
• Social injustice: treating people unfairly.
• Sexual immorality: breaking God’s standard for purity.
• Fraud and corruption: cheating and dishonest dealings.
• Child abuse and drug abuse: harming children and misusing drugs.
• Jealousy and envy: resenting what others have.
• Quarrelling, fighting and unforgiveness: keeping conflict alive.
• Drunkenness, greed, selfishness and hatred: putting self before others.

Why must believers stick to the new life? (Rom. 6:12-19)

Believers must stick to the new life because sin must no longer be their master.

• Do not let sin control you: believers must not be ruled by what their sinful self wants.
• Body parts belong to God: they must not serve sin or be used to do evil.
• Offer yourselves to God: believers are people who have died and now live, so they offer their body parts for doing good.
• Grace, not law: sin should not be master, because believers now live under God’s grace.
• No licence to sin: being under grace does not mean believers may sin. Paul answers, “Certainly not!”
• We become slaves of what we follow: whoever or whatever we give ourselves to becomes our master.
• Two outcomes: following sin brings spiritual death, and obeying God makes us right with him.
• Past and present: before salvation, believers offered their bodies to immoral thoughts and lived only for sin.
• Freedom at salvation: believers are made free from sin and are now slaves to what is right.
• Result: by offering themselves to what is right, believers live only for God.

What steps should new believers take before initiation into the new life in Christ?

New believers take five steps, from hearing the word of God to confirmation.

1. The individual listens to the word of God.
2. Confession of sin by word of mouth follows conviction and belief in the word preached.
3. Baptism.
4. Determination to live worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ while being a member of the church.
5. Confirmation by the Bishop of the church, after which the person may partake in the body and blood of Jesus during Holy Communion.

Evaluation

1. What is the old life?
2. List five characteristics of the old life.
3. Name the fruit of the Spirit.
4. Why must believers not let sin control their lives?
5. State the steps a new believer should take before initiation into the new life in Christ.

Assignment

1. What is Paul’s teaching on new life in Christ? In what two ways can Christians show this? (SSCE August 1991)
2. Outline the features of the new life in Christ as stated by Paul to the Colossians.
3. Identify three practices which can have negative effects on the Christian community. (June 2006, WASSCE)