2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV): Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
God’s word is very clear, and what it says has now been backed up by millennia of examples: If ANYONE is in Christ; if they have been truly forgiven; if they have had their sins washed away and been given a new, clean life; if the Holy Spirit has come to live in their hearts, communicating the presence of both Jesus and God the Father to their spirit; if all of these things are true in a person’s life, their whole life will be changed from the inside out. The whole basis of their life, what they value, what their priorities are, how they act, how they talk, it all undergoes a drastic and instant transformation when they begin to live in Christ. When you think of all that happens in that moment, how could it not?!
Many people today are encouraged to say a “sinner’s prayer” when they express interest in salvation, and when they say that prayer, they are told that they are now saved, and that they now need to confess and profess that they are saved, even if they see no change in their life. And so they confess, but they still go on living essentially the same life they led before – although they might add in some Christian activities, like Church attendance. But by and large, these “professers” are not new creations. The old has not gone, and the new has not come. The simple fact is, if there is no transformation of the person, a transformation that shows on the outside, especially to those who know them best, then nothing really happened when the words of that prayer were said.
Too often the step of true repentance is glossed over, replaced by merely admitting that sin has occurred, or being “sorry” for one’s sins. Repentance is not just apologizing for sins committed in the past. It is a complete reorientation of the life, an act of the will in which a sinner makes a complete U-turn in their mind and heart away from sin and toward God. They actually begin to move in a completely new direction – so convinced that past sins have wrecked their past, and so doomed their future, that they want nothing more to do with it.
Often real trust in the sin-cleansing blood of Jesus is lightly brushed over. The wages of sin is death – it always has been, and always will be. When a person comes to Jesus, he is acknowledging that he truly is a sinner, and that he actually deserves eternal death, eternal separation from God because of his rebellion against God’s commandments. But he also understands that Jesus voluntarily died the death that he, the sinner, rightfully deserves, talking all of that pain, and anguish, and separation from God on Himself. That sparks in the heart of the repentant sinner a depth of thankfulness that words cannot express. How could you ever thank someone who, even while you were living in rebellion against Him and all that He stands for, still loved you enough to die the death that you deserve; the hideous, painful, eternal death that you have earned multiplied thousands of times over by your sins and rebellion?
Very often the step of total commitment is omitted. When someone accepts Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf, they must understand that from that moment forward, they are no longer their own. They have been purchased, body, soul, mind, and spirit, by God, and at the highest price that anyone could imagine. When they surrender themselves totally to God (and there is no salvation without complete surrender), their lives are no longer their own. From that moment forward they are obligated to go where God sends them, to obey His commands instantly and to the letter, to whole-heartedly take up the mission of Jesus, to make disciples of all nations, as their own, and to live every minute of every day as God directs.
When a person truly understands all of that and wholeheartedly commits themselves to every facet of it, they will be transformed inside by the indwelling Holy Spirit, and that inner transformation will immediately show itself in a complete outward change of action, attitude, and even thought processes. Such a person must still be taught, discipled, but they will undertake that process with joy and enthusiasm.
Such a transformative conversion takes more care, much more initial groundwork in laying a solid foundation, than merely leading a group in a “sinner’s prayer.” But, in the end, if a person says such a prayer without being transformed, the record of their “conversion” is a mere mark on an earthly paper that is not reflected in a corresponding entry in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Father, this is so important, so vital for the life of everyone, here and in all eternity, that we CAN’T brush over it lightly. Forgive us for often relying on a convenient formula instead of ensuring that each person we bring to You continues all the way in until they are truly transformed. Help us to never give up until each one really takes hold of the life that is truly life, and is completely transformed by Your love, Your grace, Your power, and Your presence. Amen.