When I hear the word Christianity, one of the first things I think about is the word transformation. When someone gives their heart to Jesus, they are instantly given a brand new spiritual heart and are transformed from a sinner into a saint, and from bondage to free. Not only that but our eternal destiny and residency have been radically altered. Before we come to Christ we are totally doomed and headed to eternal damnation in a literal hell. But once a person accepts Jesus as their sin substitute and Lord and Savior their passport is restamped – heaven bound!
Apologist Josh McDowell gives us a clear picture of why Christianity works and it centers not on some system but on a person: “You can laugh at Christianity, you can mock it and ridicule it. But it works. It changes lives. I should say Jesus Christ changes lives. Christianity is not a religion; it’s not a system; it’s not an ethical idea; it’s not a psychological phenomenon. It’s a person. If you trust Christ, start watching your attitudes and actions because Jesus Christ is in the business of changing lives.”1
McDowell is spot on when he says Christianity is about a person – but not just some special person, but a person who is the God of the universe! And as a result, Jesus can do something that no other person or religion or system can do – and that is address mankind’s fundamental problem – sin! For you see sin separates man from God and without a connection to our Creator we will never be able to find meaning, peace, and joy in life and we will be hopelessly searching in all the wrong places for our purpose for being.
But when we give our lives over to Christ a radical transformation takes place. Our sins are forgiven and we reestablish our relationship with God. And that makes all the difference in the world. For not only do we get a new spiritual heart, but our minds are being renewed from day to day, and our motivational system becomes Christ centered instead self-centered. As a result we become new creations in Christ and everything begins to change in our lives. Our desires change, our motivations change, our attitudes and actions change, and most importantly our purpose for living changes. Now, I know in my life, everything about me has changed – and all for the good – as I strive daily to become more like Christ in my talk and my walk.
Before I gave my heart to Jesus I tried all kinds of things to fill the spiritual vacuum that existed in my heart, that I now know only Jesus can fill. I tried Transcendental Meditation, Silva Mind Control, Eastern mysticism, and even went to a Buddhist monastery in New York City – all in an attempt to find my purpose in life – and nothing gave me any satisfactory answers. But when I gave my life to Jesus everything changed because Jesus changes and transforms lives. My friends Christianity transforms lives and works because Jesus, the God/man, is the only hope for mankind – and you can take that to the bank!
Christianity: The Only Worldview That Rebuilds You From the Inside Out ……..M.R. Neveu
I initially took a deep breath when I saw I’d be commenting on Josh McDowell AND Curt Blattman.
Geez. (gotta get correct on this one, Ethyll.)
Curt Blattman doesn’t mince words. Christianity isn’t a lifestyle upgrade, a moral gym membership, or a spiritual vitamin supplement. Christianity changes people…radically, permanently, inconveniently, gloriously. Not because Christians suddenly become disciplined, enlightened, or emotionally stable (if only). Christianity changes lives because Jesus Christ Himself moves in and starts rearranging the furniture.
Curt’s testimony forms a single unapologetic claim.
Christianity is the only worldview that transforms the human heart, redirects the human will, and reassigns the human destiny.
Christianity begins with a heart transplant, not a self-improvement plan.
Curt opens with transformation. The moment someone gives their heart to Jesus, they’re given a new heart. Not polished. Not repaired. Replaced.
From doomed to delivered.
From bondage to free.
From hell bound to heaven stamped.
This isn’t metaphor. It’s regeneration.
It’s why Josh McDowell can say Christianity “works.” Not because Christians are impressive, but because Christ is intrusive. He doesn’t coach you. He indwells you.
My Joshua sermons always attempted to echo this. God doesn’t ask Joshua to “try harder.” He commands courage because God Himself is present. Christianity doesn’t start with human effort. It starts with divine invasion.
Christianity solves the one problem no other worldview can touch.
Curt is blunt. Humanity’s core problem is sin, separation from God. Every other system tries to manage symptoms: anxiety, guilt, purposelessness, moral confusion. Only Christianity addresses the disease.
McDowell nails it. Christianity isn’t a system, idea, or psychological trick. It’s a Person—the God Man—who deals with sin at the root.
Christianity is the worldview where justice and mercy meet without compromise. John Piper’s line—God’s love delivering sinners from God’s wrath without violating God’s righteousness—remains one of the most elegant theological mic-drops in recent history.
Christianity transforms desires, motivations, and purpose.
Curt describes the before-and-after with painful honesty. Before Christ, he tried everything: TM, Silva Mind Control, Eastern mysticism, even a Buddhist monastery.
Geez.
None of it filled the vacuum. None of it changed him. But when Christ entered, everything shifted:
• desires
• motivations
• attitudes
• actions
• purpose
So here’s a quick “Joshua sermon” with the needed structure for this transformation:
Study the Word.
Stand firm in faith.
Evangelize courageously.
Pray relentlessly.
Fellowship faithfully.
These aren’t chores; they’re the habits of a new heart learning its new life. Christianity doesn’t just change your behavior—it changes your courage.
Make your life missional, each day. Make courage Your daily sermon heartbeat. Joshua needed it because obedience is costly. Christians need it because transformation is visible, disruptive, and often unwelcome in a world allergic to holiness.
Curt’s testimony shows the same courage: leaving old systems, old identities, old attempts at self salvation. Christianity doesn’t just make you nicer; it makes you braver.
Saved people, as Max Lucado says, are “dangerous”—not reckless, but unafraid. Christianity changes your destiny—and your daily walk.
Curt’s “passport restamped” line is perfect. Christianity doesn’t just change your future address; it changes your present direction.
A new heart.
A renewed mind.
A Christ centered motivation system.
A purpose anchored in eternity.
Christians walk a narrow path not because it’s easy, but because it’s true. God commands courage because He supplies presence. Christianity is transformation with a spine.
Christianity changes lives because Christ is alive.
Curt ends with the simplest apologetic in the world:
“I tried everything. Nothing worked. Jesus did.”
That’s not philosophy. That’s evidence. That’s testimony.
Ya can’t produce testimony without first receiving a test.
Christianity is the only worldview where the Founder isn’t dead, the grace isn’t earned, and the transformation isn’t optional. It changes lives because the Living God changes people.
Self-help rearranges the furniture.
Jesus knocks down the walls and builds a new house.
thanks, Curt 🙂