Change? I’m Okay

Now all discipline seems painful at the time, not joyful. But later it produces the fruit of peace and righteousness for those trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

“Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!” This is likely the most familiar hymn. Indeed sweet to the ear, as well as heart and soul, is God’s amazing grace. How could one not embrace God’s undeserved bountiful gifts, especially His gift of salvation? What may not be so sweet in the first line of this famous hymn is the declarative statement that I am a wretch – a deplorable and pitiable person. It’s a confession with the ensuing implication that I need to change.

Hebrews 12:11 is about change – a change that comes from discipline, suffering, and trials endured over a period of time. This training produces the fruits of peace and righteousness. The sufferings of this world are orchestrated by God with the intent that we grow in character, faith, and love for Him. This is God’s purpose, that we become like Him – holy and righteous. Discipline is not to be scorn, disregarded, or taken lightly (v 5) because it comes from God for our benefit. God’s discipline means we belong to Him as sons. If we were not disciplined, then we are not His sons, but illegitimate. The majority of us (believers) see suffering as purely negative; to be avoided at all costs. Suffering is the exception and when it happens to us, we must have done something wrong. According to the teaching of scripture, suffering is the norm and often comes upon us not because we have sinned, but because God allowed it or directed it so that we may grow in our character and righteousness, resulting in His glorification. Suffering can sharpen our hearts’ focus to see that all the things of this world, material and immaterial, pale in comparison to knowing Him.

So far, what is written assumes we need to change. But many today not only question that assumption, but outright reject it. We love to hear about God’s message of love, grace, mercy, and acceptance. We gladly receive these things without the repentance. There’s no agreement with the truth that “I am a wretch,” which implies I’m not okay and change is required. The prevailing thinking, the very heartbeat of our society today is that “I’m okay.” Not only am I okay, you must think likewise, that there’s nothing wrong with the way I am.  Today, things that in the past were considered not okay, e.g. obesity, are now okay and acceptable. Obesity is not directly a moral issue, but it is a health issue. Health-wise, obesity is not okay. It is a more serious when we are blind to moral issues. Today, even among believers, sins such as materialism, self-righteousness, hate, selfishness, faithlessness, lying, sexual promiscuity, etc, are accepted. There’s no need to change. Though embracing these things, we don’t see ourselves as wretched. Are we not wretched when we embrace the riches of this world and forsake the riches of knowing Him? Are we not wretched when we are puffed with self-righteousness, looking smug on our high moral perch, saying that we see when in fact we are blind? Are we not wretched when the majority of our time and energy is spent on “number one,” when Christ forsook everything so that we might have life eternal? How can we say we love God, whom we cannot see, when we won’t lift a finger to help our neighbor, whom we can see?

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I am wretched as are you, and we dare not remain in such a state.

God indeed accepts us where we are, but He never leaves us where we are. He loves us too much to leave us in such a wretched state. God wants us to conform to the image of his Son, He wants us to be holy as He is holy. Throughout the scriptures, change is a common theme. For one who is born-again, for those who are believers, changing our thinking and behavior is the norm. The goal of the change is to become more like Jesus. The second aspect of salvation, sanctification, is all about change, being transformed and being conformed to His image. It is a process and continues until we see Jesus face to face.

Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . . Rom 12:2

And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2Cor3:18

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, and do not present your members to sin as instruments to be used for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments to be used for righteousness. Rom 6:12-13

Like obedient children, do not comply with the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance,but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” 1Pet:14-15

But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it. Col 3:8-10

It is not possible to be a believer and remain unchanged. Tozer, in his critique of today’s ‘easy’ faith, writes, “Faith may now be exercised without a jar to the moral life and without embarrassment to the Adamic ego.” This is not true faith because there is no repentance. As believers, we take off the ‘old man’ and put on the ‘new man.’ By the grace of God, we truly see that we are wretched and in need of change. Also by His grace, we walk in faith daily and, gradually, are transformed to the image of Christ. The first step in the journey to healing is recognizing that one is ill. Jeremiah writes, “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? The first step to life abundant is recognizing this fact. If we embrace the truth that we are wretches, then sweeter is the sound of His amazing grace. If God did indeed save us, we must ask the question, “From what did He save us?”