“What does the Bible say about Christian behavior?”……When we talk about "Christian" behavior we are talking about the behavior of those who have accepted, by faith, Jesus Christ as their Savior and thus are indwelt with His Holy Spirit making it possible for them to serve God

Romans 8:9

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

Examples of Christian behavior are woven throughout Scripture. Indeed, our Savior Himself spoke at length about the way we are to behave towards others, friends and enemies. More than that, however, the life He lived, accentuated by His love and compassion for the lost, provides the consummate example of what Christian behavior should look like.…Christians are "God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works"

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

And these last four words "do the good things" epitomize the behavior that glorifies God and makes Christ real to others. Granted, there are obstacles in our daily lives that can encumber our minds and hinder our spiritual progress, but only if we let them. Nonetheless,

Christians are called to live lives that are "holy and pleasing to God"

Romans 12:1

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice-the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him

and exemplary Christian behavior that allows us to fully commit ourselves to serving the Lord is made possible as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit who enables us to do the Father's will

Romans 8:9 (our opening text)

Indeed,

2 Chronicles 16:9

The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on you will be at war."

Christians are a chosen people, belonging to God so that we may declare His praises

1 Peter 2:9

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,

( Greek a royal priesthood.)a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

To "declare His praises," then, it is essential that we spend time in His Word not just so we can learn how to behave in Christian fashion, but also so we can battle against the schemes of Satan. As the apostle Paul pointed out, without this biblical knowledge we are not only subject to buying in to every new teaching that comes along, but we can also fall prey to "the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming"

Ephesians 4:14.

Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.

However, knowledge alone is not enough; we are called to do more than to know and believe.

Christians are to be "doers of the Word" As the apostle James informs us

James 1:22

But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

We are deceiving ourselves if we think we are spiritual by only hearing the Word. Hearing is not the same as doing. "Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" Faith must be demonstrated by actions.

James 2:17, 26 …So you see, faith by itself isn't enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless├ö├ç┬¬├ö├ç┬¬Just as the body is dead without breath,[a] so also faith is dead without good works.

Faith must be demonstrated by actions. …The "actions" that glorify our Father in heaven are those that bear much fruit

John 15:8

When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

This is, in fact, how we show we are His disciples by baring the fruit of the Spirit

Galatians 5:22-23

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

This should be the hallmark of Christian behavior, especially love. Yet our tendency is to sometimes look down on unbelievers or those whose lifestyles are not in sync with our Christian faith, and this is where the Christian life can be challenging. It is easy to show love to those who walk as we do. It's not always so easy to be kind to those who ridicule our beliefs, show contempt for our Savior, or make a mockery of the institutions that Christians hold sacred. Yet Christ taught us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us. Recall how He dealt with the woman caught in adultery. Her captors wanted her dead; our Savior showed compassion even though He was the One who would have to die for her (and our) sinful behavior

John 8:10-11…Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, "Where are your accusers? Didn't even one of them condemn you?" "No, Lord," she said. And Jesus said,"Neither do I. Go and sin no more."

Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners

1 Timothy 1:15

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"-and I am the worst of them all.

not to condemn them

John 3:17

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

and if Christ did not come to condemn sinners, neither should Christians. …Christian behavior includes sharing the gospel,Jesus call for us to

Acts1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere-in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

We are to share the gospel which Paul defined as the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 …Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it.It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you-unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place.(Or unless you never believed it in the first place.) I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

As it was said "preach the gospel always, using words if necessary" which means the validity of our witness is in how we live our lives. In the second half of Ephesians (Chapters 4-6), Paul discusses Christian behavior which can best be summed up in these few words:

Ephesians 5: 1-2

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

True Christian behavior is to

Romans 12:2

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

This, ultimately, is to ÔÇô surrendering our hearts and yielding our bodies to Christ so He might continue God's work through us. We are to be beacons of light in a dark world, using our spiritual gifts to advance His kingdom. It is living here on earth the way Jesus lived when He was here. It also means living to please one Person ÔÇô God. We do this when we abide in His Word and then live it out as we are enabled by His Spirit, just as our Savior did until He took His last breath. As He was dying on the cross, Christ looked out at His executioners and asked His Father to forgive them

Luke 23:34

Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.(Greek by casting lots. See Ps 22:18).

Jesus was doing more than fulfilling prophecy and making "intercession for the transgressors"

Isaiah 53:12

I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

He was practicing what He preached

Luke 6:27-28

"But to you who are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you."