What is the Christian life like for a teen?

So you're a Christian. Sweet! You've accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, and you are ready to start representing Him as an Ambassador for Heaven here on Earth. That's awesome! Deciding to follow Jesus is the single most important decision you will ever make. You are a new creation with the righteousness of Christ all over you and the Holy Spirit riding shotgun with your soul (Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:13-14).

But if you've been a Christian for more than a couple days, you know that the story doesn't end at the bottom of a rainbow. Being a Christian isn't always filled with sugar cookies, sunshine, and kittens. In fact, Jesus was sure to point out that life gets tougher if you choose to follow Him, but He also said that this was no reason to despair because He's on your side (John 16:33).

To Be Clear: Salvation is Free

When we're talking about what a Christian is "supposed to do," we want to make it clear that there is NO checklist we must follow in order to gain salvation from God. The only way we can be saved or be deemed righteous by God is by having faith that Jesus Christ is our Savior from the punishment of sin (John 3:16; Acts 16:31; Ephesians 2:8-9). Galatians 3:11 says that "no one is justified by the Law in the sight of God...for, 'The just shall live by faith.'"

So our honest, repentant belief is the only thing "required" to accept God's free gift of forgiveness. After we've been saved, we then must respond with obedience to God. So, while salvation may be "free" to us, we are still expected to be Ambassadors for Christ once we have our freedom from sin. So what does that look like?

God's Greatest Commands

"Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?"

Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments." —Matthew 22:36-40 (NLT)

According to Jesus' teachings, God's greatest commandments boil down to two things: love God and love people. If you live your life through the lens of truly loving God and loving people, you're going to be on the right track for sure.

What Loving God Looks Like

When you love someone, you try to maintain a healthy relationship that person. In order to maintain a healthy relationship with God, we should talk to Him regularly (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18), read His Word in the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 1:17), and talk to others about Him and what He's doing in our lives (Galatians 6:9; Psalm 96:3). Make God a part of your daily life to maintain a connection with your Creator, who made you and forgives you, and who will give you strength to persevere (Hebrews 10:38-39).

Being obedient to God is another part of loving Him. Because He loves you dearly and knows what is best for you (John 14:15; 1 John 5:3; Psalm 119:30), you can trust His directions and know that He'll never lead you in the wrong direction (Proverbs 3:6; Romans 8:28; Proverbs 3:5).

"Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday." —Psalm 37:4-6

What Loving People Looks Like

Even though not everyone is lovable, it's important for us to love them the way God loves them (1 John 4:19). If we're honest, we know that we're not always loveable either. But that doesn't change the way God feels about us.

We are to be kind, compassionate, merciful, forgiving, patient, and gentle to the people around us—no matter what their beliefs, lifestyles, race, or social status (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). God loves all people unconditionally, sacrificially, and absolutely (Romans 5:8; John 3:16). We should aim to do the same.

Progress (Not Perfection) is the Goal

Of course, we aren't going to be able to do all of this perfectly, but with the Holy Spirit, we now have the ability to recognize and resist harmful tendencies and choose to do better (Galatians 2:20; 1 Corinthians 5:17). We have a responsibility to examine what we allow into our hearts and minds and discern the true affect things have on us so we can make wise choices.

Because of Jesus' sacrifice, we must surrender our lives to God's will (Matthew 16:25; Proverbs 3:5-6). Yes, it's a lot harder to stay on God's path than it is the one where anything goes (Matthew 7:13-14), but God is not a taskmaster just waiting to smack us when we step out of line. He has a lot of grace for us and will equip you and guide you as you live your life for Him (1 John 1:9; James 1:5).

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." —Romans 12:2

Your Journey Has Just Begun

Please keep in mind that your spiritual journey is one that will last your entire lifetime. We all have new things to learn. No one has it all figured out. As we grow and change as individual human beings, our needs and perspectives change. And this will keep happening over and over for the rest of our lives as we continue to transform.

We will often need to pause, start over, and look back to re-examine things—and that's OK. It's OK to struggle. It's OK to not know everything. It's OK to keep asking questions and researching your doubts. This is how we grow and strengthen our faith.

It can be hard to love God when He allows bad things in our lives. It can be hard to love people when people can be so unlovable. It can be hard to focus on our spiritual life when stress, hormones, school, parents, mental illness, and everything else seems to be piling on our shoulders.

But God promises that He will walk us through those trials and bring us out on the other side (Romans 5:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:2-12).

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." —Isaiah 40:30-31

Some Practical Tips

1. Stay grounded in reality. Many young believers leave the faith because it doesn't fit the ideal of what they feel church or Christianity "should" be or because the church is putting unrealistic expectations on them. Forget everything you've heard. Recognize people and things for what they truly are, and let Jesus and the Bible be your comparison models.

2. Have compassion for others—and yourself. We are all going to still make mistakes in life. Have grace for others who don't have it all figured out, because none of us ever will. And have grace for yourself when you give in to sin or feel God's mad at you. He is not mad you; He forgives anything we ask (1 John 1:9). And you are allowed to forgive yourself too so you can move on.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." —Romans 8:1-2

3. Be vigilant. 1 Peter 5:8 says we should "be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Spiritual warfare is a very real thing, and we need to be prepared to defend ourselves with spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:11-12). Lustful thoughts, uncontrolled anger, bitterness, self-hatred, legalistic fears, body image and self-worth issues, poor mental health, and more can contribute to our personal challenges and give ammunition to the enemy of our souls.

So staying aware and discerning of our state of mind and body, the content we consume, the friendships we pursue, and how we spend our time is of utmost importance in spiritual and personal growth.

We hope that this has given you a good place to start. The Bible is full of great advice on life (biblical principles) that can help you in just about any situation you can think of. And if you need some help finding passages or principles that would apply to your situation, please feel free to search our site (or any of Got Questions Ministries' sites for that matter) or ask a real person through our Q&A System. We're here to help!

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