The Lord Jesus Christ will not save anyone who does not want to be cleansed by Him.
He will only change into a new creation those who want to be changed, then they will be a brand new creation called born-again.
If someone wants all of God's blessings and perks but does not want Him, they will not be changed into a new creation. We do not become born again by joining a club or saying some words.
Have you ever known someone who wants all you have to offer them but shows no interest in you as a person, with all your gifts and talents? This kind of person wants the blessings you have to offer them, at least in their own minds, but they do not have any desire to know you. Everything about the relationship is based on what you can give them, not on who you are as a person. In other words, you are a robot who provides, whether it be goods, services, or praise not a friend who also has needs and desires.
Narcissists are like this, they want friends who enhance them but do not want friends who have needs of their own. The narcissist does not want to put out anything for their friend but wants their friends to put out continually for the enhancement of the narcissist's life.
There are many people who view God in this way. They want to "feel" safe and happy for knowing about Christ but have no desire to know Him as a person. They have no desire to please Him or walk with Him in His ways daily. They are claiming Christianity for what they can get out of it.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new [a]creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
1 John 1:9 "
"9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Those who wish to be changed by Christ must be willing to confess their sinful nature and desire to be changed by Him.
Those who are authentic believers care about pleasing God, seeking Him constantly as well as being a holy asset to other born-again believers.
When the Holy Spirit moves into a believer's body He is there to do many things that move us further into holiness and obedience to the Father.
If someone does not have the fruit of the Spirit they are not born-again. If there has been no change in the way they think and the actions that come after the thought pattern, then there has been no born-again experience.
Some people say; "that movie changed my life" after walking out of the theater. This is nothing more than feelings-oriented Christianity. Anyone can have feelings about events on the screen, it is not evidence that anything has changed. When the feelings leave them by the next day they resume their life of rebellion and pleasure.
The proof of a changed life comes when the person no longer thinks in the same way they used to think and no longer desires the sinful patterns they had before. Everything is new, the way they think and then the actions that result from that pattern of thinking.
There are many people who think they are born-again, but they remain without fruit and without the resolve to follow Christ. They are satisfied with the title; "Christian" but they become angry when someone steers them toward the Bible for their answers to life's situations.
If you attend church and answer yes that you are a Christian when someone asks you but find yourself embarrassed at the name of Jesus Christ or shrinking away from a conversation about Biblical principles to be obeyed, then it is possible you have never been born-again.
If you find yourself in this state it is simple to confess your sinfulness, ask God to change you so that you can walk as a born-again believer authentically. Don't wait to do this, time is short and Christ is coming for His church soon. Be one of those who go up with His church in the rapture.
No comments:
Post a Comment