A picture of the reformed life is when an alcoholic goes to Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and puts his faith in a higher power, but not Jesus. As a result, he may get delivered from alcohol but sadly many “reformed” alcoholics become chain smokers and thus exchange one bondage for another. I believe the reason AA can help people is not because of the so-called higher power, but because of the group dynamic and having accountability partners. However, when this same alcoholic gives his life over to Christ he becomes transformed into a new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17) tells us: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” My friends there is a huge difference between the reformed life that AA offers and the transformed life that Christ supplies.
We live in a world where society thinks that positive thinking, self-help books, and better education can solve all of mankind’s problems. However, as a psychiatrist once said, “I can cure someone’s madness but not their badness.” I think C. S. Lewis said it well when he proclaimed: “We are not merely imperfect creatures who must be improved; we are rebels who must lay down our arms.”1
Since the Bible says that we are dead in our sins and trespasses we have no capacity on our own to make the transformational changes necessary to re-establish our severed relationship with God. In fact if you read (Romans 7) we see that Paul says that no good dwells in his old sinful nature. Thus, before we come to Christ, asking self to help self, make the foundational changes necessary to find true peace, joy, and meaning in life, is a total impossibility. Oh yes, mankind is capable of making modest improvements to his life, but the transformational changes necessary to experience true joy and peace and a re-established relationship with the God of the universe can only come about through Christ.
All the efforts we make outside of Christ can at best reform some of our habits, but fall woefully short of the transformed life that is necessary to change us from a sinner to a saint and from bondage to free. My friends only Jesus Christ can make the necessary changes needed to bring you back to God and to a life of rich meaning both now and into eternity.
I like what apologist Josh McDowell shares what happens to an individual when he lets Jesus into his heart: “Most important of all, individual believers can experience the power of the risen Christ in their lives today. First of all, they can know that their sins are forgiven (see Luke 24:46-47; 1 Corinthians 15:3). Second, they can be assured of eternal life and their own resurrection from the grave (see 1 Corinthians 15:19-26). Third, they can be released from a meaningless and empty life and be transformed into new creatures in Jesus Christ (see John 10:10; 2 Corinthians 5:17).”2 He then goes on to add: “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.”3
And finally, only those who have been transformed by Christ, can know with certainty that their passports have been restamped from hell bound to heaven bound!
1 ‘The Problem of Pain’ by C.S. Lewis: A summary (samselikoff.com)
2 Josh McDowell – Most important of all, individual believers can… (bibleportal.com)
3 Josh McDowell – You can laugh at Christianity, you can mock it… (bibleportal.com)