Real Change Awaits

It is in the nature of humans to change. We are born as infants and mature through stages of life. Not only is change desirable in this case, it is tragic when we don’t change!

This is in contrast with God, who does not change (Heb. 13:8; Mal. 3:6). This key attribute sets Him apart from us. We will never be like him in this way.

While we tend to view change in a positive way, not all change is good change. Things can change for the worse, as we see the impact of sin on our culture and society today. We are changing, to be sure, but in a downward spiral—and fast.

Given that, the question then becomes: How do we change in a way that is good and not bad? How can we pursue positive, beneficial change?

It Starts With Your Worldview

Your worldview, the lens which you see, interpret, and understand life, is vital to change for the good. A worldview without God will, at best, result in change that results in benefits but can at the same time fall short of what God originally intended because He is left out of the picture.

A godless worldview is our default worldview. Because of the fall, we all are born separated from God and alienated from Him (Eph. 2:12; 4:18; Col. 1:21). Left to our own devices, our twisted souls will pursue alternate gods—namely the great god of Self.

In our fallen world then, we are born into and live among people who all worship this god of Self. We can see it in the counsel and advice we hear, such as “Follow your heart.” The implication is that your heart knows what’s best for you.

Over time, this belief has further hardened into the insistence that not only are our preferences best but that everyone else needs to accept our truth as equal truth, even if we disagree. “Your truth is your truth,” we tell one another. There is no place for truth-telling, lest we are condemned as bigots.

However, just because this is the majority worldview doesn’t make it the truth. But the very problem—our sin nature—is what prevents us from seeing the real truth, that which is determined by God who created us.

On our own, we cannot see truth. Our eyes are blind to it, so we wander in darkness.

But God, by His grace alone, chooses a few to enlighten and “wake up” to see the real truth. We hear the Gospel and by the help of the Holy Spirit, we respond to it. (See Eph. 1:4-5, 2:1-10.)

When this happens, our whole worldview changes. We begin to “see” things that we once could not understand. This is, in fact, the first prerequisite to real change.

Our Part in Our Change

Lest it sound like we are robots, with no choice in the matter, the Bible also makes it clear that we do.

God does not hide from us these truths. Like the sower and His seed, He is spreading the truth of our condition and pointing out the consequences of persisting in the path of sin.

His message is true for one and all: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved.” (Acts 16:31) He alone is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6).

And while the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts unbelievers of their sin (John 16:8), it is clear throughout that conviction is not the same as belief and faith. We can be convicted of things but not respond as if we believed it was true.

Just like the Jews who heard Peter’s sermon in Acts 2, we also can hear the Gospel and be “cut to the heart.” But they also knew that knowing this is not enough, which prompted them to ask, “What shall we do?” (v. 37) They knew they needed to respond.

To this, Peter tells them to “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (v. 38) And that is exactly what they did: they heard, they received, and they were baptized (v. 41).

In a mysterious way, though salvation comes entirely through Christ, we also need to be willing to receive the gift. This requires that we recognize our need as well as the only answer to that need can be found in Christ alone.

This change is something that lies at the heart of all good and fruitful change. Without it, the best we can hope for is humanistic self-improvement and behavioral modification, which is helpful, but at best, only temporary.

But that is not what God intends for us. He intends for us to not merely be changed on the surface but transformed—metamorphosized—from our old sinful ways, from one degree of glory to another (2 Cor. 3:18) into the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). He is the ultimate Human.

This is a work of a lifetime. While the rest of the world may strive for self-actualization, God’s aim is Christ-transformation.

And when we repent and believe, we open the door to a new relationship with Him. He then becomes the center of our lives, and He commits to completing that work of change in us until it is completely finished (Phil. 1:6).

However, as long as we insist that God does not know what is best (even though He created us), we will stay in our sins. We will keep trying our hardest, and we may even succeed in the eyes of the world. There are many self-made men and women around today who can attest to that.

But what good is it to gain the world but forfeit your soul? (Matt. 16:26) What God offers is a kingdom built on a rock that will last, not a kingdom of sand that will fall (Matt. 7:24-27). In Him, we can experience change in the deepest core of our being that will last for eternity.

Our First Step Towards Change

For those who truly want to see change in their lives, there is really only one option. It begins with being willing to consider the claims of Christ, the plan of God for our salvation, and then wrestling with the implications in our lives.

It requires being willing to surrender our control over our lives and confess that we cannot change on our own. It means humbly putting our lives into the care of another—one who made us, loves us, and has good plans for us (Eph. 2:10). He is the one who has written all our days in his book before one of them came to be (Ps. 139:16).

If we are willing to get off the throne of our own lives, relinquish our personal kingdoms, so that we can be a citizen of His eternal kingdom and follow His rule, then we will be ready for real change.

The following posts will assume that this first step has been made. But if you have, then watch out! In Him, real change awaits.