What kind of things will be present a life that is standing in God’s grace? I believe we should think in pairs. That is, and inner quality coupled with an outer behavior. The ways in which our salvation affects us in our minds, spirits, and behaviors, are nearly endless. So we will simply give an example or two of the kind of thing I mean.

In the life of one who truly walks with God, there will be gradually increasing hatred of sin. Little by little, the works of the flesh will become loathsome to the Christian. That hatred will grow as maturity grows, fed by the Word of God and communion with our heavenly Father. As we become over time, become more like the Savior who bought us, we will begin to view things and think of them as he would.

This inner conviction, as it grows, will have increasing effect on our behavior. As a result, we will see a decreasing frequency of sin. The power of sin, objectively broken at Calvary’s cross, will be shown to be of less and less power in our lives. We will overcome sin both its particulars and in general.

Logically, these two cannot be separated. Neither can they be reversed. The second must be the result of the first. The second cannot exist independently. It is not possible for one who has not been redeemed and is not growing in grace to cease to sin. Such behavior can only be a result of the change that spiritual life brings to the mind first, and only then to the behavior.

Another good example of this principle would be one’s love, one’s cherishing of Christ. As our relationship with God progresses, in the life of a true believer, our love for God and for his son Jesus Christ understandably blossoms. As in human relationships when love becomes present and increases, the desire to spend time with the object loved increases also. As a result, one will, indeed, spend more time with the object of their love. There thoughts will increasingly be occupied with things concerning the loved one. His name will be on their lips. Other matters and activities will be put aside in order that the object of their affection might be pursued. There will be increasing sensitivity to his desires, his plans, and his purposes. As we of said before, this too is inevitable.

As we noted before, these two cannot be separated nor can there were be reversed. The one must come before the other. The Bible certainly backs this idea up. Jesus said that it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. What we do or say is a reflection of what is in our hearts and minds. As such, what we say and do can be used as a true indicator of the spiritual condition of our heart.

We would advise caution, however, in this regard.. No Christian lives their Christian life perfectly. There is no believer who is without sin. It is only when this lack of fruit is characteristic of one’s life in general that one should be concerned about the absence of spiritual life. All believers fallen to sin, and no believer, ever, has brought forth the maximum amount of fruit possible. The life as a whole is what is key, not a given particular incident in that life. We should be sure that we do not look of a particular failing, or even of the besetting sin, and allow it to crowd out other evidence that we are genuinely saved.