As nonbelievers, we are drawn to Christianity because of its promise. Through Christ, we’re told, we’ll receive forgiveness, the security of eternal life, as well as hope for a better life in the here and now. We generally understand this hope is realized in change, and we long for our transformation so we can be pure and holy, free from our sinful nature.
It’s possible we believe salvation itself to be that change. And yes, salvation is a rebirth, but it isn’t always the change we’re looking for. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we experience spiritual birth much like our physical birth. During salvation, our spirit, which previously was only aware of this physical world, is infused with the Holy Spirit, which gives us the capacity to grow in the spirit.
But spiritual growth, like physical growth, can take time. While we would love for real transformation to occur overnight, more often than not, it’s a long journey. We must realize the important stuff is in the journey, not necessarily in the destination. Of course, that begs the question: If our goal is to be holy as Jesus is holy, isn’t the destination all that matters?
The importance of the journey
If holiness were the whole object of salvation, God could transform us the moment we say, “I believe.” But God works in unusual ways, often to accomplish goals we know nothing about. He wants us to choose him. And once we’ve chosen salvation, He wants us to choose holiness. The choices we make as Christians define who we are and reveal the degree to which we allow the Holy Spirit to direct us. In essence, they make public what we’d like to believe is private—the desires of our hearts.
God cares deeply about our hearts. Physically, the heart is the source of life. Emotionally, it is a driving force. Spiritually, it’s the seat of Christ. Isn’t that why we say, when someone accepts the Lord, Jesus now lives in their hearts. When we speak about transformation, we’re talking about a changed heart, a heart given over totally to Christ for some serious housecleaning and renovation. That’s the work of the Holy Spirit—if we’ll allow it, that is.
So whether we’re a seeker, a new believer or a weathered soldier of the faith, the matter of transformation is a work of God in our hearts. God does promise to do the work, but he asks us to choose it by responding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. He asks us to give up old attitudes and patterns of thought. Instead, he wants us to focus on his kingdom, the spirit world and eternity.
The transformation, at first, seems counterproductive. If we don’t worry about it, can the day take care of itself? If we worry about eternity, can we still survive in this world? But God knows how to provide for us, and he wants us to learn how to trust him. Each baby step toward trusting him takes us deeper into his presence. And little by little, we learn we can be holy and still make a living in the here and now. Not only that, we discover the wealth of God’s blessings for those who believe: new purpose, true freedom and immeasurable joy.
New purpose
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Lydia was a God-fearer from Thyatira who lived in Philippi. She was one of a group of women who each Sabbath would go outside the city to pray by the river. Paul and Silas visited their “church” one day and told them about Jesus. Lydia recognized Paul’s message as the answer to her prayers. She and her household were saved and baptized, and their lives were changed.
Lydia now had a purpose. She insisted that Paul and Silas stay at her home while they ministered in Philippi. And after their release from prison, they returned to her home, “where they met with the brothers and encouraged them” (Acts 16:40). It appears Lydia did more than open her home to missionaries. She appears to have invited the young church to meet in her home as well.
We don’t always get such an immediate answer to our search for meaning. But God is faithful to lead us to his purpose for our lives. Each of us has a gift God wants us to exercise. When we use that gift for God’s glory, he is pleased and honored. Salvation brings us into communion with God, and as we get to know God personally, he can reveal to us the work he has prepared in advance for us to do.
True freedom
While ministering to the church in Philippi, Paul and Silas met a slave girl “who had a spirit by which she predicted the future” (Acts 16:16). In other words, she was a fortune-teller. The girl followed Paul for several days, constantly shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved” (Acts 16:17). While her words were true, her shouting probably interrupted Paul’s work. The Bible says he was troubled, but I imagine he also was growing tired of the noise. He commanded the spirit to leave the girl, and it did.
Sometimes we forget how much power is available through the name of Jesus. Transformation is slowed because we don’t realize the degree to which we’ve submitted to the enemy. When we accept Jesus as Lord, we have the power to overcome the enemy and access the freedom Jesus promises. We also have the power to help one another achieve that freedom. It doesn’t matter what our past holds. Through Jesus, we can overcome evil with good.
Immeasurable joy
While Paul and Silas sat in jail, they didn’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves. They prayed and sang hymns. Then a sudden earthquake shook the foundations of the jail, breaking the chains and ripping open the doors. All the prisoners could have escaped, but they didn’t. Of course, the jailer was sure everyone had escaped, which meant he would be punished by death. Paul had to stop the jailer from killing himself, and the man responded by asking how he could be saved. After the jailer and his family were baptized, “he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family” (Acts 16:34).
Without the Holy Spirit working in our hearts, we can experience happiness, but not true joy. Joy is found only in the presence of God. “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand” (Psalm 16:11). As we allow God to transform our hearts, joy is the result.
The secret to a transformed life is a changed heart. But it takes courage to allow God’s light to shine into the shadows of our hearts. Clearing out the debris of our sin nature can be a painful and slow process. We need to remember: “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25). Jesus has the power to bring everything under his control, transforming “our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). We simply need to trust God to do his work in his time.
Discussion questions
• Was salvation a life-changing transformation, or has change been a gradual experience for you?
• Do you believe the degree of our transformation depends on our lifestyle prior to salvation? Why? Does this line up with today’s scripture reading?
• Why might God desire us to experience a slow transformation rather than an immediate transformation?
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