Central Focus of the Christian Life
The central focus of the Christian life is understood in various ways across different theological traditions, often emphasizing love, hope, or union with Christ.
One prominent view identifies charity (love) as the core of Christian perfection. Thomas Aquinas argues that a thing is perfect when it reaches its proper end. Since charity unites believers to God, who is humanity's ultimate end, the perfection of the Christian life consists fundamentally in charity, as expressed in 1 John 4:16: "he that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him" [12]. This perspective highlights love for God and neighbor as the ultimate aim and expression of Christian existence.
Another perspective emphasizes hope, alongside faith and love, as a foundational element of Christian character (1 Corinthians 13:13) [1]. Hope is considered so essential that it can define the essence of Christianity itself (1 Peter 3:15; Hebrews 10:23), with Christ being the object of this hope [1]. Unbelievers are described as being "without hope" (Ephesians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:13) [1]. This hope is firmly rooted in the central Christian creed that Jesus died and was raised to life, providing assurance in the face of death and guaranteeing the resurrection of believers [5].
For some Reformed theologians, the Christian life is fundamentally a "life of Christ" communicated to believers, leading to a substantial union with God [4, 8]. Charles Hodge, for instance, states that "The life of Christ is Christianity," meaning the indivisible life of God in human form [4, 8]. This view suggests that Christianity is not merely a system of doctrine or a form of knowledge, but a transformative life that brings individuals into real union with God [8]. This union is seen as a communication of Christ's "theanthropic nature" (divine-human nature), including his merits, blessedness, and power, to believers [10].
John Calvin also stresses the importance of a "love of righteousness" as a universal characteristic of a Christian, leading to holiness because God is holy and believers are united to Him [3, 7]. He outlines the Christian life as involving self-denial, bearing the cross, meditating on the future life, and properly using the present life [9, 11]. The "heart" in biblical understanding is the center of spiritual and personal life, from which wisdom, purity, righteousness, and piety spring [2]. Therefore, "walking in the truth" and having fellowship with God are considered the essence of the Christian life [6].
Sources
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Hope — One of the three main elements of Christian character (1 Cor. 13:13). It is joined to faith and love, and is opposed to seeing or possessing (Rom. 8:24; 1 John 3:2). "Hope is an essential and fundamental element of Christian life, so essential indeed, that, like faith and love, it can itself designate the essence of Christianity (1 Pet. 3:15; Heb. 10:23). In it the whole glory of the Christian vocation is centred (Eph. 1:18; 4:4)." Unbelievers are without this hope (Eph. 2:12; 1 Thess. 4:13). Christ is the actual object of the believer's hope, because it is in”
- Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Heart — According to the Bible, the heart is the centre not only of spiritual activity, but of all the operations of human life. "Heart" and "soul" are often used interchangeably (Deut. 6:5; 26:16; comp. Matt. 22:37; Mark 12:30, 33), but this is not generally the case. The heart is the "home of the personal life," and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1 Kings 3:12, etc.), pure (Ps. 24:4; Matt. 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Gen. 20:5, 6; Ps. 11:2; 78:72), pious and good (Luke 8:15), etc. In these and such passages the word "soul" could not ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 106: Contrition of the Sophists, and auricular Confession (as they call it), and the Satisfaction of actual performance, are opposed to the free forgiveness of sins. 49. The two parts of a Christian life are laid down: 1. The love of righteousness; that we may be holy, because God is holy, and because we are united to him, and are reckoned among his people; 2. That a rule may be prescribed to us, which does not permit us to wander in the course of righteousness, and that we may be conformed to Christ. A model of this is laid down to us”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 28: original idea of humanity as God made flesh. The watchword of this whole system is, in the language of Dr. Ullmann, “The life of Christ is Christianity;” i.e ., the one indivisible life of Christ; the life of God in the form of humanity. And that life as communicated to men brings them to this real, substantial life union with God. “What,” asks Dr. Ullmann, “is that in the personality of Christ by which He is constituted a perfect Saviour in the way of atonement and redemption? We reply generally, his own substantial nature, at once human”
- 1 Thessalonians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Thessalonians 4:14: 4:14 The central Christian creed, that Jesus died and was raised to life again, is the foundation for hope in the face of death, guaranteed by the resurrection of Christ (1 Cor 15). • God will bring back refers to the resurrection of believers (1 Thes 4:16).”
- 1 John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on 1 John 1:6: say--profess. have fellowship with him-- (Jo1 1:3). The essence of the Christian life. walk--in inward and outward action, whithersoever we turn ourselves [BENGEL]. in darkness--Greek, "in the darkness"; opposed to "the light" (compare Jo1 2:8, Jo1 2:11). lie-- (Jo1 2:4). do not--in practice, whatever we say. the truth-- (Eph 4:21; Joh 3:21).”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 61: 2001 CHAPTER 6. THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN MAN. SCRIPTURAL ARGUMENTS EXHORTING TO IT. This and the four following chapters treat of the Life of the Christian, and are so arranged as to admit of being classed under two principal heads. First, it must be held to be an universally acknowledged point, that no man is a Christian who does not feel some special love for righteousness, chap. 6. Secondly, in regard to the standard by which every man ought to regulate his life, although it seems to be considered in chap. 7 only, yet the three f”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, section 42: them, too, the ground and central point of Christianity is the oneness of Deity and humanity effected through the incarnation of God, and deification of man.” 114 114 Studien und Kritiken, 1845, p. 59. Christianity, therefore, is not a system of doctrine; it is not, subjectively considered, a form of knowledge. It is a life. It is the life of Christ. Ullmann again says explicitly: “The life of Christ is Christianity.” 115 115 Studien und Kritiken, January 1845; translated in The Mystical Presence, by Dr. J.W. Nevin. God in becoming man di”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 62: 2006 CHAPTER 7. A SUMMARY OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE. OF SELF-DENIAL. 391 391 On this and the three following chapters, which contain the second part of the Treatise on the Christian Life, see Augustine, De Moribus Ecclesiae Catholicae, and Calvin de Scandalis. The divisions of the chapter are,—I. The rule which permits us not to go astray in the study of righteousness, requires two things—viz. that man, abandoning his own will, devote himself entirely to the service of God; whence it follows, that we must seek not our own things, but t”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 5: and exalted to the power of a divine life” ( i.e ., deified), for the Holy Ghost. This substitution is made avowedly in obedience to modern science, to the new philosophy which has discovered a true anthropology and revealed “the real oneness of God and man.” As already remarked, it is assumed that this communication of the “theanthropic nature of Christ” carried with it his merits as well as his blessedness and power. All we have of Christ, we have within us. And if we can discover little of God, and little God-like in our souls, so much ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 111: CHRISTIAN LIFE. OF SELF-DENIAL. CHAPTER 8. - OF BEARING THE CROSS—ONE BRANCH OF SELF-DENIAL. CHAPTER 9. - OF MEDITATING ON THE FUTURE LIFE. CHAPTER 10. - HOW TO USE THE PRESENT LIFE, AND THE COMFORTS OF IT. CHAPTER 11. - OF JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH. BOTH THE NAME AND THE REALITY DEFINED. CHAPTER 12. - NECESSITY OF CONTEMPLATING THE JUDGMENT-SEAT OF GOD, IN ORDER TO BE SERIOUSLY CONVINCED OF THE DOCTRINE OF GRATUITOUS JUSTIFICATION. CHAPTER 13. - TWO THINGS TO BE OBSERVED IN GRATUITOUS JUSTIFICATION. CHAPTER 14. - THE BEGINNING OF JU”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Second Part of the Second Part (Secunda Secundae), Of the State of Perfection in General, Art. 1: Article: Whether the perfection of the Christian life consists chiefly in charity? I answer that, A thing is said to be perfect in so far as it attains its proper end, which is the ultimate perfection thereof. Now it is charity that unites us to God, Who is the last end of the human mind, since "he that abideth in charity abideth in God, and God in him" (1 Jn. 4:16). Therefore the perfection of the Christian life consists radically in charity. On the contrary: On the con”