Have you ever noticed that when you pick up a coin, you pick up both sides? You can't pick up just the head's side, you can't pick up just get the tail's side. It's the same with being a true disciple of Jesus Christ.
The head's side of the disciple's coin is God's forgiveness. His forgiveness is ours for the asking, based on what Jesus accomplished on the Cross. But if God's plan stopped there -- and it doesn't!...but if it did -- leaving me unchanged, I would go through eternity being forgiven but miserable because I'd still be the same old me in the midst of a beautifully holy heaven.
That's why the tail's side of the disciple's coin is there. The tail's side is God's transformation, kick-started by repentance. The tail's side finishes the process started by the head's side. The tail's side is an inseparable part of the bargain. If you've really taken the coin, total transformation has already started, even though there's still a very long way to go.
If it was possible to be forgiven without being transformed (and I don't think it is!)... but just if, I would be in heaven as a forgiven but horribly ill-fitting court jester, only no one would be laughing. And there I would be, miserable in the midst of heaven, not truly conformed to God's holiness. Forgiven is forgiven, but I won't be a good fit in Heaven until I'm transformed. Forgiveness and transformation go together. You can't have one without the other. Really.
The Good News of the Gospel starts with forgiveness and being made "legally" right with God, free from condemnation. The bigger story of the Good News is that Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven AND transformed. Both sides of the coin are ours!
This can be seen from many passages of scripture, but here I'll stick with Romans 8:29: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." And II Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
None of us can be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus, without being forgiven AND transformed. The two sides of the coin are inseparable. To take the coin, you must accept both His forgiveness and His transformation. However He wants, whenever He wants, whatever He wants. Don't fool yourself: you can't receive His forgiveness without also accepting His transformation. You can try, but it won't work.
If you've "accepted Jesus" and "been forgiven" but don't have transformation going on in your inner man, you should go back and re-examine the "accepted Jesus" and "been forgiven" part, because maybe it wasn't real. Make sure "accepting Jesus" is accompanied this time by real repentance. Once you've done that, cry out for transformation. Total. Complete. From the inside-out.
Expect change. If I may be so bold, go to God and demand change. Faster, God! Cut deeper! Keep working! Don't stop!
And if I've done a poor job of explaining this, the truth of it is nonetheless unaffected by my words. We all must be forgiven AND transformed. That's the Gospel.
Dear Father, dear Lord Jesus, dear Holy Spirit, please don't leave us the way you find us now! Keep working! Cut deeper and work faster in us! We must have your transformation!
The head's side of the disciple's coin is God's forgiveness. His forgiveness is ours for the asking, based on what Jesus accomplished on the Cross. But if God's plan stopped there -- and it doesn't!...but if it did -- leaving me unchanged, I would go through eternity being forgiven but miserable because I'd still be the same old me in the midst of a beautifully holy heaven.
That's why the tail's side of the disciple's coin is there. The tail's side is God's transformation, kick-started by repentance. The tail's side finishes the process started by the head's side. The tail's side is an inseparable part of the bargain. If you've really taken the coin, total transformation has already started, even though there's still a very long way to go.
If it was possible to be forgiven without being transformed (and I don't think it is!)... but just if, I would be in heaven as a forgiven but horribly ill-fitting court jester, only no one would be laughing. And there I would be, miserable in the midst of heaven, not truly conformed to God's holiness. Forgiven is forgiven, but I won't be a good fit in Heaven until I'm transformed. Forgiveness and transformation go together. You can't have one without the other. Really.
The Good News of the Gospel starts with forgiveness and being made "legally" right with God, free from condemnation. The bigger story of the Good News is that Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven AND transformed. Both sides of the coin are ours!
This can be seen from many passages of scripture, but here I'll stick with Romans 8:29: "For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." And II Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
None of us can be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus, without being forgiven AND transformed. The two sides of the coin are inseparable. To take the coin, you must accept both His forgiveness and His transformation. However He wants, whenever He wants, whatever He wants. Don't fool yourself: you can't receive His forgiveness without also accepting His transformation. You can try, but it won't work.
If you've "accepted Jesus" and "been forgiven" but don't have transformation going on in your inner man, you should go back and re-examine the "accepted Jesus" and "been forgiven" part, because maybe it wasn't real. Make sure "accepting Jesus" is accompanied this time by real repentance. Once you've done that, cry out for transformation. Total. Complete. From the inside-out.
Expect change. If I may be so bold, go to God and demand change. Faster, God! Cut deeper! Keep working! Don't stop!
And if I've done a poor job of explaining this, the truth of it is nonetheless unaffected by my words. We all must be forgiven AND transformed. That's the Gospel.
Dear Father, dear Lord Jesus, dear Holy Spirit, please don't leave us the way you find us now! Keep working! Cut deeper and work faster in us! We must have your transformation!
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