People have different thoughts on change. Some people relish the opportunity for something new. Others reluctantly go along with it. But change is inevitable. There are many changes we can’t control, like children growing up and seasons continuing on. It doesn’t mean it’s easy but it is predictable.
One positive change comes when we accept Christ as our Savior from our sins. This change is both sudden and slow. Suddenly, we see things differently. Our worldly desires don’t hold the same attraction for us. With the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are reoriented in our thinking, our behavior, and our values. We see the world and the things in this world through the lens of the Gospel.
Why is there evil in the world? Because of sin. Why do people do evil things? Because sin is controlling their lives. Now obviously there is nuance and Christians are still sinners who make mistakes, but our desires and goals are changed because we are changed. We are serving God above ourselves.
But this change doesn’t happen all at once and we never think about it again. We are also gradually being conformed to Christlikeness in a process called sanctification. This process won’t end until we step into eternity. Each day, we have a chance to grow in Christ and learn. We realize new truths about God we didn’t see before. His Word becomes more precious and valuable to us. We relate to people differently. It is a change that is noticeable to those around us and one of the strongest witnesses to bring the lost to Christ.
I have clear examples of people I knew before and after they were saved, and I can see the difference the Holy Spirit has made in them. From gruff and unkind to thoughtful and gentle. These are changes we can’t will or force to happen. They go deeper and change us from the inside. Gradually. But so sweetly.
In Colossians 3, we read that our new self in Christ needs to put off the things of this world and put on the traits of God’s chosen ones (vv5-17). And again, it’s not us willing ourselves to be better. It’s the Holy Spirit guiding, convicting, showing us what we need to change and then helping us live that way.
Romans 12:2 gives us helpful instruction on what this looks like:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
The word translated “transformed” is the Greek word “metamorpho” where we get the English, “metamorphosis.” It’s hard to think of that word and not picture a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. I think it’s one of nature’s most fascinating things. A gross, small, wiggly caterpillar crawling along. A delicate, beautiful butterfly sailing higher than trees. This is what happens when we accept Christ. Just as the life of a caterpillar is completely different when it becomes a butterfly, so do our lives transform when we accept the free gift of salvation.
I’m not a huge fan of change. Some of it is good, a lot of it is hard. But watching a believer grow in faith and discover God is a change I love to see, in others and in myself.
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash