Christ and the Christian Life

Michael Fierro
Jun 15
3 min read

Knowing Christ Changes Everything

Christianity is not simply a belief system. It is not a set of moral rules or a historical narrative.At its heart, it is a relationship with a person—Jesus Christ.

Everything we have explored in this series—His divinity, His Incarnation, His Passion, Resurrection, and presence in the Church—leads to this truth:

To be a Christian is to live in Christ.

This is not just imitation. It is participation. Through grace, Christ lives in us, and we live in Him.

We Are United to Him

Through baptism, we are incorporated into His Body.Through the Eucharist, we receive His life.Through prayer, we are drawn into His communion with the Father.Through suffering, we are conformed to His Cross.Through hope, we share in His Resurrection.

This is the Christian life: not just believing about Christ, but being joined to Him, and becoming like Him from the inside out.

“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” —Galatians 2:20

We Are Called to Follow Him

Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).

The Christian life is not a life of ease. It is a life of conversion, of continual turning toward Christ.

We are called to love as He loves, even when it costs us.
We are called to forgive as He forgives, even when it’s undeserved.
We are called to trust as He trusted, even in the face of suffering and death.

This is possible not because we are strong, but because He is present, and His grace is enough.

The Moral Life is Christ-Shaped

Catholic moral teaching is not about abstract rules. It is about becoming like Christ.

We are called to holiness—not as something imposed from outside, but as the natural flowering of divine life within us.The virtues are not just ideals. They are the characteristics of Christ, lived in us.

Chastity, because He is pure.
Humility, because He is gentle.
Courage, because He is strong.
Mercy, because He is love.

The commandments are not burdens—they are pathways to freedom, because they shape us into the kind of people who can love well and live fully.

The Cross Is Not the End

To follow Christ is to walk the path of the Cross. But the Cross is not the end of the story.

The pattern of Christ’s life—death and Resurrection—is also the pattern of ours. Every death, every sorrow, every loss is seeded with hope.

We do not carry our crosses alone. Christ walks with us. And when we fall, He lifts us up. He does not simply inspire us from afar—He strengthens us from within.

“Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit.” —John 15:5

Becoming What We Receive

The goal of the Christian life is not just to go to heaven. It is to become like Christ, and to be united to Him forever.

Every time we receive the Eucharist, we are receiving the whole Christ. And over time, by grace, we are meant to become what we receive.

The saints are those who allowed Christ to fully live in them. That is our calling too.

Why This Matters

All of Christ’s work—His Incarnation, His Passion, His Resurrection, and His gift of the Church—is ordered to your transformation.

He did not come just to forgive you.He came to make you new.

To be a Christian is not to carry an idea. It is to carry Christ Himself in your heart, to let Him shape your thoughts, your words, your choices, and your destiny.