I am going to start this post by asking you to think mythically again for a moment. The original Beauty and the Beast is a fantastic tale because is talks about a transformation. Something as hideous as the Beast becomes the most beautiful thing once it goes through its trial. The reason why we like this story is because of the awesome truth in it. We are fascinated by tales of transformations because it is the secret to Christianity. We are born again and become a completely new person. How many Christians truly believe this though? Most Christians would agree that their name is written down in heaven and they are forgiven. Maybe they’ve changed the way they act a bit, their temper is a bit more under control, and their beliefs are different. Transformed seems a bit much to describe them though, perhaps forgiven and on their way would be a better description. Even though they’re a Christian they still believe that their heart is wicked. Is this what the Bible teaches though?
God created us to reflect His glory, but three chapters into the Bible we already screwed that up. By the sixth chapter God had enough and decided to almost wipe us out. “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.” Genesis 6:5 God looked into our hearts and all He could find was evil. If we were completely honest with ourselves we would admit that we are not what we were meant to be. Don’t shift the blame onto something else. Instead, try to compare your life to that of Christ. There’s no way we can compare to that. We can admit that something needs to be done about our lives.
“But the usual remedies involve some sort of shaping up on our part, some sort of face-lift whereby we clean up our act and start behaving as we should. Jews try to keep the Law. Buddhists follow the Eightfold Path. Muslims live by the Five Pillars. Many Christians try church attendance and moral living. You’d think, with all the effort, humanity would be on top of things by now. Of course, the reason all those treatments ultimately fail is that we quite misdiagnosed the disease. The problem is not our behavior; the problem is in us. Jesus said, ‘For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.’ Matthew 15:19 We don’t need an upgrade. We need a transformation.”
I think Christians, for the most part, understand salvation but they do not understand Christianity. We have been ransomed by Christ. Our treachery is forgiven and we are entirely pardoned for every wrong thought, desire, and deed. This is awesome and something that will set you free….for awhile. Most of us find this feeling fleeting because we have to ask for forgiveness again and again and again. We truly believe that something must be wrong with us even though we’ve been redeemed and most the time we end up feeling guilty. I know I have for the longest time. How can we possibly live up to something that we know we’ll fail at again and again? I am a shadow of the person I was meant to be, yet I am forgiven. One day this hell on Earth will end and I will join the angels in the choir, definitely Bass II for me. This is what is meant by salvation.
“The good news is…that is not Christianity. There is more. A lot more. And that more is what most of us have been longing for most of our lives.” The Cross didn’t just do something for us; something profound happened to us in the death of Christ. “The death he died, he died to sin once for all….In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:10-11 God understands that the root of all our problems arises from the heart and He went straight for it. We have been far more than just forgiven. God has removed our heart of stone. It has been set free and there is even more.
A lot of people may assume that the Cross is the total work of Christ. The Resurrection is just an afterthought to them. It is just viewed as the extra point after the touchdown. What image comes to mind when you think of Christianity? For a lot of people, it is the Cross. The crazy thing about the Cross is that it wasn’t used as a symbol by the early Christians. It wasn’t even seen in Christian churches until 400 A.D. and even then it wasn’t prominent. What did the early Christians use as a rallying point then? “They (the Pharisees) were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.” Acts 4:2 “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.” Acts 4:33a “They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.” Acts 17:18c
The early church and personal friends of Jesus focused on the Resurrection, healing, and miracles because those are the things God wants us to focus on. THEY ARE THE POINT. This is why Christianity is so incredible. Life, real life, the power of God to restore you. This isn’t the story of a dead God. The power of the Cross comes from the Resurrection. With that resurrection comes something special. Ever since Adam first sinned in the Garden, all of his descendants were born with a sinful nature. Because of Christ and the Resurrection, we are born again into a new nature and a new life. We don’t have the old self any longer. I’m not saying that we aren’t going to sin again or that life will be easy, far from it. What’s so awesome now is that sin doesn’t have that same hold over us. We have a NEW heart. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 36:26 What are the implications of this? Your heart is now good.
What if Christians came to the point to where they really understood this? Stop for a moment from reading this and think about it. Seriously, take your eyes off the screen and think. If you were honest with yourself and with God, you know that your heart is different and it is GOOD. This is why Christians can never be the same, because we aren’t! This knowledge has the power to change Christianity and it the last thing the Enemy wants us to know. This is freedom and this is life. Stop living a life you feel is shackled down by sin and guilt, which are not from God. You are a new creation and you are good, no matter what your friends, family, or media may tell you. Live life with this confidence because of what Christ has done through the Resurrection and live differently.
Thanks for taking time to read this and I pray that it will impact you or challenge your thinking in some way. I have been silent for far too long and now is the time for action.
In love,
Bill
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