Real Life Transformation

When we hear the phrase, “come as you are,” in relation to church attendance, sometimes we assume we can remain as we are. God’s love and grace allow us to come to Him as we are, without having to be qualified to be in His presence. No matter what state we are in when we come to Him, He will cause something in us to change. Some people are content to remain the same, continuing in fear and bondage, but through His unmerited, undeserved favor, God is able to teach us to do what we were previously unable to do. Jesus died on the cross to set us free from every issue that we would ever have to deal with. This is a truth that is controversial in some circles, yet believing it unlocks the power to set us free. When we correctly interpret the truth of the Gospel, we put ourselves in a position to receive life transformation.
A. How we think determines our behavior, and influences every part of our life. 1.Right-believing and right-thinking lead to right-living. If our thinking has been formed by some type of confusing doctrine, we can wrongly interpret the Word of God. a.Whatever we expose ourselves to will shape our thinking (Proverbs 23:7).
b.We spend much time trying to live right, but very little time trying to believe right.

2.Grace is the truth that will set us free. a.Jesus said to the Jews who believed him, if you continue in my word, you are indeed my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:31, 32).
b.Moses gave the Law, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ (John 1:17).

3.The world’s values contradict God’s values. Observing events around us, we can see the evidence and results of wrong thinking. a.We live in a society that does not want to read the Word. People want to be comforted by compromise, and they do not accept the Bible as the truth. But there is a way that seems right to a person, that ends in death (Proverbs 14:12).
b.It appears that evil and sin are winning, but when sin abounds, grace abounds much more (Romans 5:20).

B. Experiencing real transformation starts with our minds. We must change our thinking. 1.I pray that your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:23). a.We are tri-part beings. Each one of us is a spirit, possessing a soul, and living in a physical body. Our soul is our mind, which we use to think, feel, choose, and reason.

2.Before we were born again, we were children of the devil, possessing a sinful nature. When we became born again, God removed the old root of sin and replaced it with the root of righteousness. We received a new nature, and became God’s children. This was true of the apostle Paul, and it is also true for us. a.Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. We have wronged, corrupted, or defrauded no one (2 Corinthians 7:1, 2).
b.Saul consented to Stephen’s death. At that time, there was great persecution against the church in Jerusalem. Saul caused havoc in the church, entering into every house and taking men and women to prison (Acts 8:1-3).

3.If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old things have passed away, and all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). a.When we become new people in Christ, we are no longer to associate or identify with the way we used to be.
b.We undergo the same transformation that Saul went through when he became Paul. The old person dies when the new person is born.
c.We must believe we are made perfect in Christ when we are born again. We are no longer sinners, but we are saved by grace. If we do not believe this, we are double-minded (James 1:8).

4.We put on the new man, which, like God, is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24). a.When we are saved, our spirits are immediately changed. They become exact duplicates of God’s Spirit, but our souls and bodies are not immediately affected.

C. After we are saved, we must begin the process of changing our old habits and attitudes. 1.After you trusted in Christ, you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. After you believed in Him, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13). a.The Word of truth is the Gospel, which is the grace of God. Being born again seals our spirits with the Holy Spirit, for our protection.

2.We are spirit beings, and our “inner man” is the real person inside us. Therefore, our real person in Christ is perfect. a.We teach everyone in all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:28).
b.To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous people made perfect (Hebrews 12:23).
c.Whoever is born of God does not commit sin, because his seed remains in him. He cannot sin, because he is born of God (1 John 3:9).
d.Our love is made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment. As he is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17).

3.We know that our old man is crucified with Jesus, that the body of sin might be destroyed, so henceforth we should not serve sin (Romans 6:6). a.When we believe wrong, we live wrong. We must not believe we are our behavior, or allow our sinful actions to tell us we are still sinners.
b.It is important we interpret the phrase, “body of sin,” correctly. We are delivered from sin itself, not from the act of sinning. In this context, sin should be considered a noun, not a verb.

4.We should present our body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed and changed by the entire renewal of your mind, by its new ideals and attitude, so you may prove for yourselves what is the perfect will of God (Romans 12;1, 2, AMPC). a.It is our responsibility to change our way of thinking, to align our souls with our new spirits.
b.The most important thing for a person to do is to get born again. Some people do not believe they need God, but they are fools (Proverbs 14:1).
c.After being saved, the most important thing for a person to do is to renew the mind, so change can begin from the inside.