A fundamental principle of the Christian faith is that Jesus not only impacts eternity but also changes lives here on earth in our daily existence. For example, when he states that “rivers of living water” will flow from his disciples, (1) he’s referring to the work of the Holy Spirit, who transforms believers. The Apostle Paul writes that Christians are “new creations” with an altered quality of life. (2) Yet, such transformation isn’t always evident.
Does a failure to change mean that Christianity “doesn’t work?” What should we make of a person who claims to follow Christ yet remains the same, showing no evidence of growth? I believe it often comes down to a misunderstanding of what it means to be a Christian, and I would like to share an experience to illustrate my point.
Many years ago, one of my roommates was an atheist. I’ll call her Mary. She was very vocal about her beliefs, and so, to keep the peace, we avoided discussing the topic of God. After several months, we went our separate ways and lost touch. Then, one day, out of the blue, I received a long letter from her (it was the days before email) in which she told me her story.
When Mary was a teenager, she became involved with a church and professed her faith in Christ. She expected her life to be transformed by experiencing a deeper sense of peace and love, but she was greatly disappointed. Nothing changed. The same fears, doubts, and sins she had before continued to trouble her. After struggling for several years, she concluded Christianity was nothing but a lie and turned away from Jesus.
Surprisingly, Mary wrote to tell me she had become a Christian and was already noticing a significant difference in her life. So, what made the difference the second time around?
The one-word answer is “repentance.”
Now, let’s delve into the details. During her first encounter with Christianity, Mary had never grasped the fundamental message of the Gospel: we need Christ because we are sinners. The Bible teaches that our sin creates an insurmountable barrier that separates humanity from a holy God. Fortunately for us, Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross blew that barrier to smithereens, allowing God to forgive us.
Jesus didn’t come to earth to give us peace of mind or teach us how to love one another. Those tenets are certainly part of his message, but his purpose in coming was to deal with our sins. We need to understand this basic truth if we want to have a relationship with him. Let me illustrate it this way: when patients visit the doctor, they receive the appropriate medication only after an accurate diagnosis. If they are prescribed heart medication while having Crohn’s Disease, not only won’t it help, but it could also lead to complications.
The same principle applies to Christianity. God’s diagnosis of the human condition is that sin taints everything we do. Frankly, I don’t need to look very far to agree with his assessment; all I must do is examine my heart. God’s prescribed treatment is to forgive everyone who accepts his salvation through faith in Christ.
We have now reached the crux of the problem—faith is often misunderstood. Yes, it entails believing in the deity of Christ and his saving work on the cross, but it doesn’t end there. It also requires recognizing the reality of our sins.
We misunderstand what faith is when we think we can have Christ without repentance, but it doesn’t work that way. We can’t separate faith from repentance, because neither can exist without the other. (3) Repentance involves more than just feeling sorry for sin. It requires agreeing with God that our wrong actions are indeed sinful and choosing not to commit them any longer. We’ll certainly continue to struggle and stumble, but our attitude toward our sins has changed.
In her letter, Mary admitted that as a teenager, she never realized she was a sinner but only sought the benefits Jesus offered. No wonder there was no change in her life! Years later, she experienced Christ’s transformative power only after she understood why she needed him and repented of her sins.
God isn’t mean or cruel for requiring repentance—he’s like a doctor who wants to remove a cancerous tumor before it destroys the whole body. Ignoring the cancer won’t make it disappear; instead, it allows the malignancy to grow unchecked until it’s too late. Just as a surgeon can’t operate without the patient’s permission, God can’t grant us salvation without our repentance.
Have you repented?
(1) John 7:37-39
(2) 2 Corinthians 5:17
(3) 2 Corinthians 7:10, James 4:8-10
Picture: Carol Schlorff