Christ is Always the Focus in the Born-Again Believer

The sin of pride in those who believe they have never done anything big will keep that person out of heaven. Pride of goodness must be expunged from a person before they realize their need for Christ.

So many people who decided to be Christians have never been cleansed from their sin to become born again. They act as though they have joined a club and are going to live their life in their own effort better than they did before. This mentality fosters and grows arrogance.

These people decided for one reason or another a Christian association would make for a better life, but they were never "contrite" in their hearts. They were never crushed over their sin, as the word contrite conveys.

These people begin to build pride in themselves as they believe their choice to associate with Christianity gave them special status in the community, conveying a pius mentality, a superior attitude, often creating an "us versus them" frame of mind leading only to a false and even destructive Christian witness.

I have met many of these people who judge others as inferior to them, even though the people they judge have been cleansed and free of past forgiven sins that the pius ones wish to hold over their heads the rest of their lives.

There can be no attitude of superiority in the heart of a Christian when they know they had to be broken themselves at one time in order to be cleansed by Christ.

Those who think their sins were not so terrible and that they have earned their way through their pretense of a good person, will be chastised by God if they are born-again, if they are not born-again they will see the fires of hell.

Yes, it is sad and very true that there are some born-again folks in the church who elevate themselves as though they have always been good. No one has always been good, no one has always been Christian, everyone had to come to Christ in brokenness over their sin, knowing it is only Christ Who saves, they cannot save themselves. They are not special because they have become a Christian, only Christ in any believer is special. It is only by His grace that He changes us into a new creation when we confess our sinfulness and trust in Him to change us into what we should be, an ongoing work of Christ in our lives all of our lives.

Hallelujah, what a joy when we let go of pride, we have no need to be special or above anyone else, we are happy and content to be nothing while Christ is everything in us.

John 3:30-31 "30 He must increase; I must decrease. 31The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The One who comes from heaven is above all."