How Shall We Now Live?
Living from Union with Christ
Because believers are united to Christ in his death and resurrection, the Christian life is lived from Christ, by faith, under grace, in holiness, love, obedience, and witness.
Help believers see that daily Christian living is not powered by self-rule, self-effort, or earthly identity, but by union with the crucified and risen Christ.
- Main Format
- 8 sessions
- Flexible Formats
- 4, 8 session options
- Scripture Focus
- Galatians 2:15-21; 2 Corinthians 5:11-15; Romans 6:1-14; Colossians 3:1-4:6 primary text
- Book
- Galatians, 2 Corinthians, Romans, Colossians teaching path
Why This Series
Help believers see that daily Christian living is not powered by self-rule, self-effort, or earthly identity, but by union with the crucified and risen Christ.
Gospel thread: The gospel thread moves from justification by faith and life in the Son of God, to Christ's compelling love, freedom from sin's dominion, resurrection-shaped desire, mortification of the old life, Christlike life together, household and work responsibilities under Christ, and prayerful witness before the world.
Doctrinal thread: The series traces union with Christ, justification, atonement, sanctification, resurrection life, the lordship of Christ, church life, ordinary vocation, prayer, wisdom, and witness.
Shepherding burden: Believers can try to live the Christian life by self-effort or receive grace in a way that becomes detached from obedience. This series roots holiness, love, household life, work, prayer, and witness in the believer's union with Christ.
Standard Session Guide
- 1Galatians 2:15-21
Crucified with Christ: Faith in the Son of God
The believer is justified by faith, crucified with Christ, and now lives by faith in the Son of God who loved and gave himself.
Teaching aim: Establish the series by showing that the old self-justifying life has ended in Christ and that Christian living begins with faith in him.
Gospel clarity: Sinners are justified by faith in Jesus Christ, not by works of the law. The Son of God loved his people and gave himself for them, so life before God rests on Christ and not on human performance.
Why this session belongs here
This passage gives the controlling union-with-Christ confession and anchors the whole series in justification by faith.
The series begins here so every later call to holiness and obedience grows from grace, faith, and Christ's self-giving love.
ThemesDoctrinesCross References - 22 Corinthians 5:11-15
The Love That Compels
Christ's love, displayed in his death and resurrection, compels believers to live no longer for themselves but for him.
Teaching aim: Show that obedience is not driven by self-proving effort but by the love of Christ and accountability before the risen Lord.
Gospel clarity: One died for all and was raised, so those who live belong to him. Christ's representative death and resurrection reorient the whole life away from self and toward the Lord.
Why this session belongs here
This passage names the gospel love and risen lordship that compel the life described through the rest of the series.
After Galatians establishes life by faith in Christ, this session shows the love of Christ pressing that life into no-longer-for-self obedience.
ThemesDoctrinesCross References - 3Romans 6:1-14
Dead to Sin, Alive to God
Union with the crucified and risen Christ breaks sin's reign and calls believers to present themselves to God.
Teaching aim: Help believers reckon with their new identity in Christ and refuse sin's claim to rule them.
Gospel clarity: Believers are united with Christ in his death and resurrection. Grace breaks sin's penalty and dominion while creating a new life for God.
Why this session belongs here
This passage gives the clearest doctrinal anchor for death to sin, life to God, and grace-governed holiness.
After the series names faith and Christ's compelling love, Romans 6 explains how union with Christ changes the believer's relationship to sin.
ThemesDoctrinesCross References - 4Colossians 3:1-4
Set Your Hearts Above
Those raised with Christ seek and set their minds on the things above, where Christ reigns and where their life is hidden with him.
Teaching aim: Call believers to let union with the risen Christ govern desire, attention, identity, and hope.
Gospel clarity: Believers have died, have been raised with Christ, and have their life hidden with him. Their hope rests in Christ's present reign and promised appearing.
Why this session belongs here
This passage transitions from death to sin into the raised life governed by Christ-centered desire and eternal hope.
After Romans 6 establishes death and resurrection with Christ, Colossians 3 begins the practical outworking of the raised life.
ThemesDoctrinesCross References - 5Colossians 3:5-11
Put to Death the Old Life
Those whose lives are hidden with Christ must put to death what belongs to the old life and live according to the renewed identity Christ gives.
Teaching aim: Teach mortification as the necessary warfare of resurrection life, grounded in the believer's new identity.
Gospel clarity: Christ does not merely forgive while leaving the old life untouched. In him the old self is put off and the new self is renewed according to the image of the Creator.
Why this session belongs here
This passage shows that raised life with Christ wages war against sin and rejects the old identity.
After desire and hope are set above, the series turns to the sins that must be put to death because the believer belongs to Christ.
ThemesCross References - 6Colossians 3:12-17
Clothed with Christlike Life Together
God's chosen, holy, and beloved people put on Christlike character, forgive one another, let Christ's peace rule, and let his word dwell richly.
Teaching aim: Show that union with Christ becomes visible in shared life, worship, gratitude, peace, forgiveness, and love.
Gospel clarity: Believers are chosen, holy, and beloved in Christ before they put on the life that fits that identity. Forgiveness and love flow from the Lord's grace toward them.
Why this session belongs here
This passage gathers the Christlike character, peace, word-shaped worship, and all-of-life obedience that make the new life visible.
After putting off the old life, the series shows what believers put on together as Christ's people.
DoctrinesCross References - 7Colossians 3:18-4:1
All of Life Under the Lordship of Christ
The life hidden with Christ becomes visible in household relationships, work, authority, justice, and ordinary responsibilities before the Lord.
Teaching aim: Apply the lordship of Christ to home, work, authority, service, integrity, and accountability before God.
Gospel clarity: The Lord Christ receives ordinary service done in faith, and he judges without partiality. Believers serve in daily responsibilities as those who belong to him.
Why this session belongs here
This passage prevents the series from keeping union with Christ in private spirituality by applying Christ's lordship to ordinary relationships and labor.
After church life is formed by Christ's peace and word, the series follows the text into home, work, authority, and daily responsibility.
DoctrinesCross References - 8Colossians 4:2-6
Prayerful and Wise Witness
A life rooted in Christ becomes devoted to prayer, watchful with thanksgiving, and wise in gracious witness before outsiders.
Teaching aim: Send the series outward by calling believers to prayerful dependence, gospel opportunity, wise conduct, and gracious speech.
Gospel clarity: The mystery of Christ must be made clear, and believers depend on God to open doors for that witness. The raised life bears testimony to Christ with prayer, wisdom, and grace.
Why this session belongs here
This passage completes the Colossians arc by turning the raised life toward prayer and witness before the watching world.
The series closes by moving from life together and ordinary responsibilities to outward witness shaped by prayer, wisdom, and grace.
DoctrinesCross References