Transformation From Sinner To Saint
July 14, 2016 salvation, sin, transformation No CommentsPaul declares, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God” (Rom. 12:1-2).
Transformation!
Transformation is change. It is a complete, radical, change under the power of God that finds expression in character and conduct. The change impacts every aspect of a person’s being. The change is in God’s direction motivated by both faith in Him and love for Him. The direction of the change is based upon conformity to God’s Word. The change involves resistance to the forces of the world that would attempt to assimilate us to the sinful aspects of the culture in which we live.
The Change Begins With The Renewal of the Mind.
You and I must change our thinking and bring it into conformity to God’s Word. The goal is to conform to God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will. The human mind must come into contact with God’s revealed and inspired Word (Rom. 10:17). Faith in God comes by hearing His Word. We must begin to see ourselves as God sees us with no masks and no excuses. Looking into the perfect Law of Liberty (James 1:25) will confirm our need for change from a life of sinful conduct to one of righteous conduct.
The Change Continues With A Change of Heart.
Repentance is a change of heart with regard to sin. We turn away from sin and turn to God (Acts 3:19, 17:30). Repentance is a universal command of God. Each person must realize that he/she is lost (eternally doomed to hell) because of sin. Our sin places our soul in peril. Each person must realize that salvation is only through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Every soul in eternal peril must change their hearts by renouncing sin and setting out on a new course as a servant of righteousness (Rom. 6:16-17).
The Change Continues With a Change of Our Spiritual State.
In sin, we are lost. In Christ, we are saved. The transition from sinner to saint is not complete until we have confessed Christ and been baptized into Christ (Acts 8:37-39; Gal. 3:26-29). We must undergo a new birth. We must be born of water and Spirit in order to become a part of God’s kingdom–the church. The new birth produces a new creature and a new life (John 3:3-5; Rom. 6:4). We stop being the servants of sin and we begin being servants of righteousness.
The Change Continues With A Change of Life.
Paul states, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Cor. 3:18). The image (eikon) of Christ is summed up in all of the moral excellencies found in the character (impress) of Jesus Christ. We represent and manifest these qualities by imitation of His example. We must put on Christ. We are transformed into His image by following/obeying His Word, imitating His life, and duplicating His work in as much as it is possible for us do so (preaching God’s word, compassion for the lost, the poor, the suffering, etc.). We must put on the new man which is created in Christ Jesus unto righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:24). Pursue the sacred (Col. 3:1). Put to death the former lusts of the flesh (Eph. 4:22). Put on Christ in all His moral excellencies. The Christian life involves a perfecting of holiness in the fear of God (II Cor. 7:1).
Change is Possible.
Change is possible, but it requires a change of thinking, a change of heart, a change of spiritual status, and a change of life. Are you ready for a change that will bless your life now and secure the promise and hope of eternal life? This change is possible by obedience to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:16).