LIFE POSSIBLE?
Most believers have trouble living the "Christian Life". Some of us have trouble much of the time, some most of the time, and some all of the time.Let's agree that the life God wants the believer (the saved person) to live is impossible to an unbeliever (an unsaved person). The resources simply are not there. The Holy Spirit is given only to those who believe God and trust His offer of salvation. No unsaved person is indwelt by "the Third Person" of the Triune Godhead. The "once-born" person has only his original Adamic nature. Only the "twice-born" person has, in addition to his Old Nature, a New Nature capable of responding to the indwelling Spirit of God.
We do NOT say that an unbeliever cannot live a moral life, have high ethical standards, and even show compassion. The unsaved person sometimes responds to a higher morality than his Christian neighbor. However, by refusing to come to God on God's terms (accepting a totally free Salvation fully paid for on the Cross-of Calvary by God's Son) the unbeliever continues to act as an enemy of God. Actually then, everything that the unsaved person does - even the good that he does - he does from an attitude of rebellion. In effect, he acts as his own God, committing idolatry and insulting beyond measure the very One who gave His own life to redeem him.
But if the unbeliever cannot live the Christian life, what of the Believer? The Believer DOES have God dwelling in him plus a New Nature designed always to cooperate with the Spirit of God. Romans Six teaches plainly that every saint (believer) died with Christ and rose to a life in a New and permanent Creation. THIS IS NOT ALWAYS EVIDENT IN OUR BEHAVIOR but, nonetheless, IT NEVER CEASES TO BE TRUE.
If the reality of Calvary affects us as it did our Apostle (Paul), who said, "The love from Christ constrains us; because we thus conclude, that if One died for all, then all died: and He died for all, that those who live should not live any longer for themselves, but for HIM WHO DIED FOR THEM and rose again", then we WILL NOT STOP STUDYING GOD'S WORD until we have found the formula for success in the life of the Believer ... absolute dependence upon the dynamic of Scripture with the aid of the Holy Spirit of God. *