According to C.S. Lewis, the Christ life is a new and divine form of life that Christians believe is received through union with Christ. This is not merely intellectual agreement or moral imitation but a real impartation of spiritual life. Lewis identifies three ordinary methods through which this life is spread: Baptism, a bodily act of initiation; Belief, the mental acceptance of Christian doctrine; and Holy Communion, a mysterious bodily act involving material elements.

To understand why these seemingly specific actions impart spiritual life, Lewis uses an analogy to physical pleasure and procreation. Just as the connection between sexual intercourse and the birth of a child isn't inherently obvious, the link between baptism, belief, Communion, and the Christ life might seem odd. However, both are ordained by God.

The Christ life differs from natural life in its source (God vs. ancestors), acquisition (active participation vs. passive reception), nature (spiritual transformation vs. biological existence), and purpose (sharing in Christ's victory over death vs. earthly function). God utilizes material means like water, bread, and wine because He created and values the physical world and intended humans to be embodied, not purely spiritual beings.

The acceptance of these methods relies on believing on authority, which, according to Lewis, is a fundamental aspect of human life. We accept countless facts based on the trustworthy testimony of others. In this case, Christians accept baptism, belief, and Holy Communion as conduits of the Christ life because they trust the authority of Christ's teachings.

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