Transformed by Christ

Christ comes into those who have trusted in Him to transform them. Even the person who lived a socially perfect life in the eyes of the community is still lost and going to hell if they do not trust in Christ. Anyone trusting in themselves and their own good deeds will not be saved.

I once heard an arrogant Christian express that he was irritated at those people who had big bad stories about how terrible they were before they were born again.

He expressed that he never had a story like that and those who did were just showing off.

This told me that the prideful man who didn't have a big bad story to tell about himself was perhaps convicted that he didn't find anything bad enough in himself to repent from. In fact I never heard this man tell about his own sinful heart.

Everyone has a big, bad story to tell about their own willfulness before Christ transformed them. It is not possible to be repentant when you don't think you did anything bad enough to go to hell.

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"

No one is without a sinful heart, no one is "doing well enough" to be saved because they were so good.

Mark 7:21-23 "For from within, out of your heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly."

Christ made it clear that our thoughts alone condemn us even if we never commit the sin outwardly.

Those who are truly broken over their own sin will have compassion for the broken heart of another person who is repenting. Those who think they are above others with no sin are the ones who are the harshest toward someone who has repented.

Galatians 6:1 "Brothers and sisters, even if a person is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual are to restore such a person in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you are not tempted as well."

Those who obey the Bible love to see someone who has repented, because we know we had to repent to be transformed by Christ.