I recently listened to a podcast from CCEF. They used an interesting analogy for
sanctification and growing in Christ. It’s like being given a new
set of clothes and having to discard the old, comfy, worn clothes we
like. After a while the new clothes become more comfortable, but then
we have to change once again. Trusting God is a constant surrender of
the old life and learning to walk in the new life. Those who are
completely unwilling to change may not actually be Christians. As Sam
Allberry has said more than once, “If you think the gospel is
something that can be slotted neatly into your life without any
change, it’s not the real gospel you’ve got.”
I can look back at different times
in my life where I had to give something up and did so willingly. But
other times I have delayed and held on to the old clothes as long as
possible, like the rich young man in Matthew 19 who was unwilling to
let go of his riches to follow Jesus. I wonder if he returned later
after reconsidering? I believe God often gives us more than once
chance to surrender. Sometimes we have to let go a little at a time.
And it’s not just sin that we need to give up. It can also be good
things such as certain relationships, the career we think we want, or
our dreams of the future.
Sometimes I’m not sure I want to
change in a particular area, and other times I realize I have to
again surrender something I’ve taken back. I tend to think that I
should be farther along in my Christian walk, that I am a
disappointment to God and others because I feel stuck here. “But by
the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in
vain…” (1 Corinthians 15:10a ESV). It seems like I’ve been
wearing this set of clothes for a while now, but God said through the
Apostle Paul that His grace toward us is not in vain. He also said,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in
weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9b). He will accomplish His purposes in
us and through us in His own good time. Our reluctance to change is
no surprise to Him, so we can’t disappoint Him.
I came across this quote that had
been taken out of its original context:
“It [is] impossible… to be
converted to Christ while at the same time loving [your] sin. It is
true that anybody who comes to Christ will come with sin. In fact, he
or she will come precisely because of that sin—that is, to be rid
of it and its awful result. But to come to Christ while loving and
cherishing sin is totally impossible. It is like an airplane trying
to fly in two directions!”
The context in which I found the quote (a Sunday school lesson) might lead one to think that the author is referring to all the areas of sin in a person’s life at the time of conversion, when in fact he was referring to an individual who wanted to knowingly continue one particular sin and yet become a Christian. The fact is that we don’t even know all the areas in which we are holding onto sin even after a lifetime of faith in Christ. If God revealed every sin and forced us to choose before we could come to Him for eternal life, no one would be saved. Jesus told the woman caught in adultery “Neither do I condemn you” before He told her “Go and sin no more.” Some people try to reverse the order and say, “If you forsake all sin, then God won’t condemn you.” God is far more gracious than we even realize. He is gracious enough to reveal our sins and to cultivate our distaste for sin over time.
Tammy Maltby writes in Confessions of a Good Christian Girl:
“Even though
I knew my Savior, I kept coming to points in my life when I needed
more of Him than I ever thought possible… I
learned firsthand that good Christian girls need the grace of Jesus
just as much as unbelievers do—and that grace is abundantly
available to anyone who is willing to be honest about her pain and
cry out for help. But honesty can be a problem, especially for us
good Christian girls, because we are so used to thinking of our lives
as before-and-after stories… [The] implication is that once a
person accepts the Lord, she stops sinning and lays all her
brokenness outside the door. The implication is that churches are
populated by those who are joyfully and triumphantly healed. And
that’s just not true...” (3, 6).
Thankfully, God understands me
better than I understand myself, and He extends grace for each change
along the way. He knows just how much time and grace is needed to
both inspire and enable change. Perhaps someday I’ll look back and
realize I have changed without even realizing it. For example, I
remember times in school where I played sick so as to avoid public
speaking. Now I know that wasn’t nearly as big of a deal as I’d
thought at the time. God brought a change in perspective over the
course of several years. I trust He can and will do something similar
for any and all areas of my life that may be contrary to His perfect plan. His
grace is never in vain.
“Now may the God of peace
Himself sanctify you completely... He who calls you is faithful; He
will surely do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
© 2018 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise
indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com.
